Any catastrophe of gigantic proportions will either divide or unite mankind. Or, people. Perhaps, the most important impact of the pandemic is on the office and office culture. The enforced seclusion of lockdowns upended the definition of work, office, communication and interaction. The Work-from-Home (WFH) concept became suddenly feasible. According to a McKinsey survey, companies moved 40 times faster than expected before remote working took root. There is no denying WFH has revolutionised the Indian employment scene. LinkedIn and portals like naukri.com are advertising thousands of such jobs. The sudden digitisation of office functions has made competency integral to employee performance. A 2020 research report from SHRM and Willis Towers Watson noted that “85 per cent of jobs that will exist in 2030 have not been invented yet”.
A survey by Hays—the world’s leading recruitment company which did 81,100 permanent placements and 2,54,000 temporary ones—reported that more than half the employees will shift to hybrid work. Several studies discovered that hybrid working reduces toxic workplace cultures. Technology will see rapid upgrades and innovations aimed at offices. The hybrid workplace has become a reality as cost concerns, employee’s mental welfare and speed become factors in hiring. New factors like the gig economy, moonlighting, freelance options and individuality of choices will create challenges for HR managers to cope with and find new strategies.
The Work Colour Code
PricewaterhouseCoopers International divided the work of the future by colours. In the Red World, the new technology revolution will allow tiny businesses access to the vast reservoirs of information, skills, and financing. There will be no HR as a separate department since outsourcing will become more popular. A talent war will arise with in-demand future skills getting the big bucks. In the Blue World, mammoth global multinationals will grow in size, power and influence to protect their profit margins. The Green World will make companies adopt strong ethical and social standards as a reaction to public opinion, depletion in natural resources, and strict international regulations. The Yellow World envisages a better quality of life for employees, who will get more autonomy, flexibility, and fulfilment because of the Green World rules.
Robots Won’t Replace Women at Work
Oxford professors of machine learning predict the loss of at least 40 per cent of current jobs to automation; McKinsey’s number is 50 per cent. But neither AI nor robots can meet the complex human skills needed in social care, nursing and counselling. Despite artists worried about losing their livelihoods to AI, creative jobs will survive thanks to the same. The professionals say that AI cannot match cleaners because of the multitude of different objects they clean in different ways.
TOP FUTURE JOBS IN 2030
1. Virtual Store Sherpa: Virtual shopping advisers with customer’s satisfaction in mind
2. Personal Data Broker: Generating revenue for clients from their data by establishing prices and executing trades
3. Personal Memory Curator: Consultant who will interact with patients and stakeholders to generate specifications for virtual reality experiences
4. Augmented Reality Journey Builder: To develop vital elements for clients in collaboration with experts engineers and technical artists
5. Highway Controller: To oversee automated road and air space management systems
6. Body part maker: Manufacturers of living body parts for athletes and soldiers
7. Nano-medic: Experts that introduce nanoparticles such as mini-computers and other delivery systems into the patient’s body to target illnesses
8. Recombinant farmer: Creators of pharmaceutically important and commercially valuable proteins in plants to transform farming and livestock
9. Memory augmentation surgeon: Doctors who will extend memory capacity of patients
10. Space pilots, tour guides, and architects living on other planets
(According to LinkedIn)