Work as we have traditionally known it, is changing, and its radical new look might alarm or even terrify the unprepared. Why? For starters its going to be a completely different landscape where you won’t be compensated for simply turning up. There will be far less job security, flexibility will be the order of the day and we will collaborate more while freelancing, possibly in multiple disciplines. This new brave world will be run by a new generation, with their own rulebook and led from the front by females.
Stowe Boyd in a GiGaom article examines four 2014 trends that will affect the future of work:
- The consumerization of work
- Dominance of mobile OS and the emergence of social OS
- Quantified self and the “me-ization” of productivity and performance
- Algorithmic science displaces folklore: AI in the workplace
“This has been most obvious with regard to the adoption of companion devices like smartphones and tablets in the enterprise. This Bring Your Own Device phenomenon offers companies the possibility of real cost savings on purchase and provisioning of “computications” tools. But it also terrifies the risk-averse IT staff of most firms”.
The Future of Work from Achievers
Marissa Meyer from Yahoo, earlier this year caused a stir with her homeworking policies. She insisted that remote working was no longer welcome at Yahoo. But is this reasoning actually at odds with the way the future workplace is evolving? After all locations will cease to be a barrier for getting the job done. In fact the type of work that we do, will be carried out and perhaps project managed as micro- tasks and future tech boffins will perhaps find new ways for us to collaborate than we’re doing currently. Because the future that is planned for us means being always connected, this means that the work will follow you. This is today’s reality anyway, but wait a minute.. what about all of those smart devices such as the Nike FuelBand and Samsung watch as well as other biometric monitoring devices. Is it possible that employers could utilise these new NexGen sensor-based devices, which no doubt are gathering data about our health and our movements and could be used to determine how much sick leave we require?
Better yet, with all this data at hand an employer could simply dictate that you improve your lifestyle and habits. There is the possibility for this to affect remuneration packages as well.
When you think about it, by 2020, millennials, that is the first group of people to use digital networks exclusively since Birth, will equate to approximately 50% of the workforce, a decade later they will be 75%, to them office representations such as T.Vs ‘MadMen’ or ‘the Office’ will seem antiquated and hold no place in their world. They will be in charge and expect tactile and wearable tech to be part of the new world data driven work experience. Are you ready?
Hayden Richards is Contributor of IntelligentHQ. He specialises in finance, trading, investment, and technology, with expertise in both buy-side, sell-side. Contributing and advising various global corporations, Hayden is a thought leader, researching on global regulatory subjects, digital, social media strategies and new trends for Businesses, Capital Markets and Financial Services.
Aside from the articles, interviews and content he writes for IntelligentHQ, Hayden is also a content curator for capital markets, analytic platforms and business industry emerging trends. An avid new media explorer Hayden is driven by a passion for business development, innovation, social business, Tech Trading, payments and eCommerce. A native Trinidadian, Hayden is also a veteran, having served with the Royal Air Force Reserves for the past 10 years.
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