What is the future of work in 2022 and Beyond? Work has gone from something to endure to something to enjoy. It’s evolved from the traditional career path of spending decades working at one company, receiving a gold watch for longevity, and retiring on a pension.
Today’s workforce is far more inclined toward mobility, making mid-course career changes, and doing work they find personally enriching and fulfilling. The modern workplace continues to evolve and change and meet the demands of the workforce. What that means for small business owners and corporate executives is an ever-evolving talent pool that will redefine the future of work.
As 2020 and 2021 have shown us, a single act, situation, or circumstance can change the course of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic caused brick-and-mortar stores to shutter their doors and windows. It caused businesses to pivot to online sales. It kept the public inside in droves, and it created changes in everyday actions and behaviors like mask mandates and social distancing practices.
Let’s take an exploratory look and a deep dive at some of the impending changes we think will shape the future of work, the workplace, and the workforce in 2022 and beyond.
Businesses in the future will need the ability to turn on a dime
Quick adjustments to unexpected developments and measured adjustments to well-thought-out ideas and products. Both of these change agents keep businesses growing and developing. Being able to make fast changes in a post-pandemic world will be crucial to your company’s growth, development, and success. Imagine where business owners would be today if they had not been able to make swift changes in the last year and a half. For example:
- Restaurant owners had to move from indoor service to curbside pickup to outdoor seating to limited indoor seating
- Retail stores labeled non-essential were forced to shutter their doors and move to e-commerce and delivery sales options
- Live events and live event venues were forced to close, then to open with limited seating and new maximum capacity regulations
- Daycare centers and schools had to close their doors and students had to move to online learning options
As we move forward into the next few years, what pivots can your business make that will keep it going in difficult times? How are you planning for the future of work? Planning for sudden changes ahead of time can help make swift challenges easier to navigate. One of the most difficult parts of business ownership is new client or new customer acquisition. When your business learns to pivot quickly to meet the demands of prospective clients, you close the gap between potential and confirmed acquisition.
Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will shape the future of the workforce
Automation and AI are definitely here to stay. They cannot, however, take the place of human thinking. That means that despite concerns to the contrary, robotics will not decimate the workforce. These two elements work in manufacturing goods just as AI works in creating content when needed – they provide a helping hand that leaves you free for other pursuits, but they always have and always will require human intervention for maximum functionality. Automation and AI will change the face of business in the future in the following ways:
- Meeting demands and increasing productivity and output
- New business development will boost employment options
- Digitalization and tech advances will play a bigger role in sales and marketing
- The workplace will be – has been – forever changed by the work from home movement and hybrid workers
As hybrid workers and distant team members learn how to work in this new business model, they will develop new skill sets and create new business norms. Businesses will also start to redesign and reassign previously trained workers into new roles as automation and AI take off. They’ll also learn how to use these emerging tech-based helpers to grow and scale without losing the human touch customers still want and need.
An aging workforce will start to explore new ideas and theories
The days of automatic or forced retirement at 65 are seemingly a thing of the past. From early retirement to starting new careers and businesses of their own, today’s workforce is positioned to age in place. There are many benefits to hiring – or keeping – older employees and team members.
- They have more knowledge than their newer counterparts
- They understand how to work well with other employees
- Oftentimes, they learn and adapt well as proven by their longevity
Older adults are also exploring new options and finding new careers of their own – ones they might not have had the opportunity to explore in the past. They are starting businesses and making career changes at alarming rates.
This typically means they are skilled, experienced, and willing to learn. Older workers also tend to thrive in their chosen fields and careers. They have fewer absences, a strong and dependable work ethic, and wide networks and contacts that can benefit any business of which they are a part.
Some older workers may need help bridging the tech gap while others will embrace the opportunity to learn and expand their knowledge banks. Finally, older, more experienced workers can play an important role in training the next generation in general and your business in particular. Do not overlook the roles they can play in the immediate and foreseeable future.
The emerging workforce will start to demand changes
Eschewing traditional demands, the up-and-coming generation of employees and business owners are making changes in the way business is conducted right down to the dress code and the work environment. They are building corporate offices that are colorful and vibrant in a way that would not even have been considered twenty years ago. This generation is also:
- Demanding fair and equal pay
- Embracing technology and change
- Building a favorable work-life balance
- Starting businesses early and often
- Creating hybrid work forces
This generation is also focused on creating and demanding cause-based and purpose-driven businesses. They’re using social media to connect with friends and family and to understand the social, political, and philanthropic habits and practices of the businesses they support with their dollars.
They are focused more on vision, goals, and accountability than on the bottom line. They are also committed to diversity, accountability, and having their contributions appreciated and respected. When older workers and younger workers come together, they can have a major impact on the here-and-now and on the future.
Workers once considered “unskilled” will learn to embrace their value
Looking around, we all see businesses everywhere hiring. From fast-food restaurants to retailers of all kinds to small businesses to corporations, help wanted signs and signing bonuses abound. Today’s workforce is cognizant of businesses and CEOs’ net worth and is no longer willing to work for minimum wage. They are demanding higher pay and more opportunities – which is going to be felt on every level.
As a result, businesses in the future will start to rethink their financial structure, their employee salaries, and the benefits and advantages they offer. In addition, just as the skills gap is closing, small business owners and corporation decision-makers will start to make changes that encourage greater employee retention.
Think of Starbucks and UPS and the way they help their employees afford college tuition. Think of Gravity Payments and their decision to make $70,000 the minimum wage for all employees at every level. Think of Shark Tank and the beacon of hope and financial support they provide new and existing entrepreneurs and business owners. How will your business create a workplace that employees are eager to come to every day and where they are happy to stay long-term?
Inovation will become much more than a buzzword.
Innovation. Revolution. Disruption. These words need to be so much more than mere buzzwords if they are to do what their meanings dictate. In fact, innovation is a critical factor in any business’s success just as stagnancy and complacency can be a death knell. When your business stays on top of innovation:
- It can disrupt entire industries – think of Expedia, Priceline, and similar travel businesses and their impact on travel agents and travel agencies
- It can reduce redundancy and open up whole new markets – think of online news channels and podcasts and their impacts on printed newspapers
- It can give birth to whole new industries – think of Virtual Assistants and their impact on the small business industry
- It can create a whole new type of client – think of Uber and its impact on the taxi industry and on the ways that people travel by car
These changes and advances mean hybrid workspaces are becoming the new norm. The question for 2022 and beyond isn’t where people will work. Instead, business owners should be asking what will drive employees toward ongoing and continued success, beneficial work-life balances, and change that creates new and continuing advances.
New thoughts and ideas also mean adjustments that feel permanent in the moment (can you imagine a world where Uber doesn’t exist?) but can also be changed by further disruption.
Blackberry was considered indispensable in its heyday, but younger generations don’t even know what it was because smartphones and touchscreens disrupted the disrupter. How is your business planning to keep up with the demands of technology and innovation and preserve its place in the business world?