Future of Work Trends
I recently returned to work after my paternity leave. This time has allowed my wife and me to go back to Europe, and have quality time with important people in our lives. Very few conversations centered around work. Our family and friends showed genuine interest in knowing whether we have been able to form a supportive community abroad. They wanted to know if we are generally happy and satisfied.
These conversations triggered me to think about the role that our careers play in our lives and how jobs are often at the core of our work experiences and the systems that support them. We spend a big portion of our time at work. It’s common to correlate success and happiness with job satisfaction. Our jobs are a list of activities that we are paid to perform for the benefit of a specific function and company. They take a pivotal role in how companies are structured and how we as individuals organize our time around them. Employees and potential candidates are requested to fulfill what jobs require from them to be hired, recognized, and rewarded.
The competitive environment for Talent is making it harder than ever for organizations to attract and retain good people. That’s shown in how attrition has skyrocketed in the past year at the same rate job openings are opened. In a labor market where candidates have more options, why are we still trying to fit people into boxes? Here is my view on what the future of work looks like and what organizations interested in hiring and retaining the best can do to adjust:
Employee Centricity and Choice
Our systems and programs need to be designed around people, not jobs. The aspirations, interests, skills, and potential someone brings to the table should be at the forefront of designing any career experience. Individual preferences can be supported and cherished with more choices.
Companies can provide guidance, empowerment, and resources for individuals to grow. They can become a partner in that development journey regardless of where that takes their employees. Engineering organizations and graduate programs are already applying some of this mindset and changing the paradigm in their hiring. The candidates get exposure to different teams and choose where they fit best.
Re-skilling and Talent Mobility programs are another lever to solve skill gaps and provide more growth opportunities. Companies can offer to change jobs internally, join a temporary gig, access a returnee program after being away from the workforce for a while, or train in a new set of skills as part of onboarding a new job. These are some examples of powerful hiring and retention strategies to adopt.
Purpose, sustainability and transparency
Two years in a Global pandemic is plenty to consider the purpose of our jobs and whether they are fulfilling our personal needs. Sustainability and positive impact on society and the communities we live in are common demands from most people these days when considering an employer. Those demands will continue increasing as new generations join the workforce.
Companies can make an extra effort to clearly articulate their employee value proposition and differentiating factors. And this is not a one-time generic effort. They have to consider individual preferences, segmentation, and intersectionality if they are truly committed to casting a wider net. Being transparent and exposing those values through intentional interactions and experiences. Opening feedback mechanisms so they stay tuned, change, and adapt to the times.
Collaboration and well-being in a remote-first world
Remote work has become a reality overnight in many industries. In order to stay competitive, more companies are offering hybrid or fully remote options. This is having an impact on the distribution of the workforce. Getting out of the on-site model is opening opportunities to more diverse talent pools. Communities that were not traditionally tapped into for opportunities are finally getting them. There is more flexibility and less commute time.
Remote setups are bringing a new set of challenges too. Many people are feeling the lack of connection and collaboration that staying behind the computer all the time brings. Informal connections are suffering from it and impacting our well-being. Augmented reality and the Metaverse are potential solutions. However, can a virtual world replace face-to-face social interactions? If we are to facilitate encounters in person once it’s safe; what’s the right cadence and how do we accommodate all types of personal situations?
Employers can start by giving employees and managers the resources to get support and collaborate effectively in this remote world. Focusing on employees’ wellbeing. Democratizing coaching to all employees in the organization so they can feel supported and build resilience.
Fair and equitable assessment methods
Assessment methods are frequently testing for skills that won’t be required on the job. Some companies test for algorithm knowledge for most technical roles even when that knowledge will not be put into practice. Business cases are used to assess competency and expertise to perform in corporate roles. These types of tests are favoring people that have the time to prepare for them. Think of a talented caregiver who is working full time as a software developer and keeping her GitHub portfolio up to date. Do we really need her to invest time to study algorithms to showcase her capability? If organizations are truly committed to being inclusive, they can minimize the amount of preparation and tests required and give them exclusively when they are relevant for the opportunities they are presenting. They can also custom timelines and be flexible and accommodating for people with different needs.
It’s also common that years of previous experience become the main criteria to make leveling and salary decisions. It is an objective mechanism so it makes sense that it is considered. However, people develop at different paces based on personal capabilities and what they go through in their lives and careers. Considering other factors such as potential, demonstrated impact, distance traveled and skills developed inside and outside of traditional work settings, enrich decisions and give room for more equitable decisions.
Employee engagement and business results
Processes should be minimized and only in place when they make employees work easier and remove frictions instead of adding bureaucracy to follow.
We should trust and follow scientific methods to prove what works when making decisions; paying attention to the right metrics across the employee lifecycle. Engaged employees and well-managed teams will contribute many times more than mediocre ones. Most organizations look at hiring, movement, and retention numbers as the main signal for good Talent practices. The most advanced People functions connect hiring, performance, and retention metrics. Very few deep dive into understanding how engagement and performance of individuals and teams can drive business productivity and ultimately impact financial results.
Talent scarcity will continue to be a reality. We will continue to search for experiences and communities that support our interests and personal growth. What really matters is how accomplished and supported people feel in their lives. The companies that are able to understand these trends and adjust their people practices to them will set themselves apart.