Emerging Trends and Skills in Today’s Workforce – Part 1

The worplace is hub full of activities all aiming to get a particular service done or to maximise production. However, productivity can stagnate and for that reason companies and organisations must learn to adapt their workforce to the changing times. Let’s take a look at the trends emerging in the workforce all across the world.

1. Flexible workforce
   The rise of the internet has paved way for the gig economy. Sites like Upwork are connecting more people around the world. This gives them the freedom and flexibility to choose the kind of work they want. Millennials, in particular, are trading in the traditional security and benefits of a full-time job for more freelancing opportunities where they have complete control over their schedule.
   Employers are becoming more dynamic and improving productivity. They prefer to hire from a rich talent pool of remote workers from around the world. And with that, there is an increasing need for managers who can skillfully manage both freelancers and full-time employees working alongside one another.
2. Collaboration.
   Increased collaboration are what modern workplaces are trending towards. More offices are using freelancers who work remotely, and a streamlined process for communication simplifies what used to be a complicated design-feedback-approval process.
   Even in our digital age, collaboration can still be a difficult thing to master. As connectivity increases, so do the number of platforms which employees, employers, and clients communicate on. This can pose problems for teams that are working in the same office — let alone those that are working and communicating remotely.
   With the Instapage Collaboration Solution, though, team members and clients can leave comments directly on the post-click landing page, provide, and respond to feedback in real-time, and solve issues inside of a single platform. No hacky workarounds, no mocked-up screenshots to send — just simplified communications. This ultimately speeds up the post-click landing page design process and makes the project more seamless for everyone involved. Instead of waiting for clients and team members to send feedback through multiple channels, the collaboration solution centralizes communications and reduces the inefficient, time-consuming portions of the post-click landing page creation process.
3. Greater emphasis on work-life balance
   Companies have moved towards a greater reliance on technology. This has made more employees find themselves working even after the work day ends. The need for employees to stay connected and a near constant business cycle has placed more pressure on employees to be connected at all times. When employees are forced to work outside of the office, both productivity and morale can take a hit.
   A report from Deloitte found that a good work-life balance is the most important thing for millennials when accepting a job. Millennials are less loyal to their employers than their older counterparts and put a bigger emphasis on their personal interests. Companies that are looking to acquire and keep millennial talent must offer good work-life balance and flexibility.
   To help with that, employers can offer employees the ability to choose their own hours or provide work from home opportunities:
   Employers understand their employees are under pressure. They understand that an employee who feels stressed and overworked is less likely to be productive. That is why more employers are offering flexible schedules to accommodate doctor appointments, family events, and other personal issues. Instead of focusing on hours in the office, companies are turning their focus towards deliverables and outcomes.
4. Alternative presentation methods
   PowerPoint was the single best option for business presentations, but that seems to be fading. In 2016, one study showed that money spent by businesses hiring for PowerPoint decreased by 5 percent.
   New, more attractive alternatives to PowerPoint are giving executives more options for their presentations, like Prezi and Keynote. Companies demand superior graphics and animation when presenting their content and “wow-ing” their clients.
   PowerPoint presentations can seem repetitive, especially with so many templates everyone has seen before. Keynote is more geared towards integrating multimedia. The animations and transitions allow users to create what is effectively a high-quality video instead of a rigid PowerPoint presentation.
   Now and moving forward, expect more businesses to shift from using PowerPoint to using Prezi, Keynote, and other modern presentation solutions. Because companies are looking for more fluid presentations that can incorporate multimedia smoothly.
5. Rethinking traditional performance reviews
   Traditionally, performance reviews take place once a year. You would work all year, collaborate with colleagues, finish projects, and meet deadlines. At year’s end, you would sit down with your manager and typically receive a score that detailed how well your performance matched the job’s responsibilities.
   Not only this was process inefficient, but it can also damage morale. As employees think they were performing well all year long. Employers are starting to give their employees more responsive feedback through weekly or monthly reviews instead of annual reviews. In addition, Fast Company’s Kris Duggan states that “Today’s employees want frequent feedback, open communication, and collaboration with their peers”

For professional advice and guidance on how best to adapt to the changing times visit our website. Our experts will help guide you in the right direction to take, for you and your business.