The Future Of Work – The Need To Prepare For Change

A close observation of the world today, one will observe that the world is rapidly evolving. Certain ways of doing things have changed, due to the technological advancements that have emerged to aid in making tasks easier and faster.

In the workplace, technological developments and advanced technologies such as AI, Virtual Reality, Robotics, etc are reshaping the future of work. As a result of the pandemic, its impacts have no doubt transformed how businesses are conducted, which gave rise to remote and hybrid work systems.

It has been predicted that in years to come, automation in organizations will lead to a reduction in the full-time workforce, while more than half of all employees will require significant re-skilling and upskilling.

No doubt, the future of work is changing, Mckinsey study predicts that gig jobs will outnumber traditional 9-5 office-based jobs. By 2027, up to 60% of the workforce will consist of freelance professionals.

For businesses and organizations to compete in today’s world, there are certain key changes that they need to implement to stay relevant. However, this article focuses on how employees must see the need to prepare for a change in the workplace.

The rate at which some of them are being replaced at their jobs due to automation, indeed should be a wake up call to those not yet affected, that the unexpected can happen at any time.

This isn’t a time to sit back and watch things unfold, to be prepared for the future of work, employees need to anticipate and prepare for it. As an employee, you need to be able to deal with and adapt to changes to remain relevant in the workplace.

Here are Four (4) ways on how employees can prepare for changes in the workplace

Ways Employees Can Prepare For Changes In The Workplace

1. Re-evaluate Your Job: One thing you must do as an employee in the workplace is to re-evaluate your job and check out if such a job will remain relevant in years to come. Over the last few years, as technology continues to advance, robots and AI machines have made tremendous changes in the workplace that have led to the replacement of human jobs. For example, today, ATMs have replaced human jobs in the ban;postal workers who sorted mail in the past are now replaced by automatic sorting machines that read and sort mail faster and cheaper. Once you have done a thorough re-evaluation of your job, and you find out that your job is subject to change in the future, it is ideal that you either upskill or navigate to a new career path to avoid being affected.
2. Take New Courses: Most changes occurring in the workplace require that employees perform a new job or use new technologies. Taking online courses, like some of the courses here at Tekedia will enable you to learn about a subject you are not knowledgeable about, which helps you to adapt to possible changes in the workplace. Continuous learning of an employee in the workplace, increases employees’ knowledge, generates new ideas and perspectives, and improves overall employee performance which makes them highly valued. It has been disclosed that people who do not spend five to ten hours a week in online learning will obsolete themselves with technology.
3. Learn New Skills: Apart from taking new courses to advance your career growth, learning new skills can give you an edge to remain relevant in your organization. With the way the workplace is being transformed, failing to arm yourself with the necessary skills that can help you adapt to your profession’s technological changes can lead to job loss. Also, in case you are being laid off from your job, the skills you have learned can prevent you from a rut and get you another one.
4. Be Open About Your Concerns: It is understandable that when one observes certain changes in the workplace, it can raise concerns, probably due to fear of being replaced. However, rather than being silent, it is important to be open about your concerns by relating them with your employer. Doing so, can give you helpful information about possible workplace changes which will aid your understanding and help you adapt better. Ensure that when relating your concerns to your employer, make sure to emphasize your commitment to adapting to change in the workplace.

Conclusion

One thing you must come to understand is that change is constant and anything can happen at any time. Ideally, you should always be on the lookout for possible changes that can occur in the workplace so that you can arm yourself with the necessary skills needed, to avoid being affected.

Employees with the ability to adapt to change in the workplace are going to be more successful and sought after.