New developments in technology, demographics and organizational needs catalyse change in workplace arrangements every year. According to Dan Schawbel form Forbes.com who predicted upcoming changes in workplace arrangements and dynamics based on extensive industry research, these will be the workplace trends in 2018 to look out for:
1. Leaders encourage more human interaction
Companies will continue to promote their workspaces and design them to facilitate interpersonal relationships between employees. You will see more companies pull back their telecommuting programs next year and leaders who put more emphasis on phone calls, video conferencing and in-person meetings.
2. The next wave of learning credentials
Self-directed learning is driving the need for new credentialing systems. One of the most disrupted industries is education, with more third parties such as Coursera and Udemy offering courses, credentials and certifications than ever before. As companies continue to accept non-traditional credentials, students may be able to study at their own convenience, without fear of unemployment.
3. Companies focus on upskilling and retraining current workers
As more industries become disrupted, companies are evolving their business models to align with new customer demands. As Generation Z enters the workplace, they face an even greater skills gap, where 65% of the jobs they will need to fill don’t even exist yet. We not only lack the right set of skills, but the ones we currently have are becoming less relevant over time.
4. Artificial intelligence becomes embedded in the workplace
The topic with the biggest buzz in HR circles is AI because there is both excitement and fear around the topic as it relates to how we do our jobs. Almost every new device and service will contain AI in the next few years. As more employees see the efficiency benefits of chatbots, and AI, they will be adopted at a more rapid pace.
5. Financial and mental wellness get prioritized
Workers are stressed out, burned out and it’s affecting not only their productivity but their satisfaction on the job. Mental health, which has long been a stigma in the workplace, is gaining visibility and becoming an issue HR seeks to address by supporting employees who have all sorts of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, bipolar and ADHD. However, this is insufficient as employees themselves must be well-equipped to manage these issues on their own. The Young Professional Group supports young professionals in this regard with its self-management course, complete with personal coaching.
6. Companies take diversity more seriously
While the subject of diversity has become the topic of conversation for years, it has almost reaching a tipping point, where companies are investing money in improving the composition of their workforce. More companies are creating employee resource groups to support all types of diversity, including gender, ethnicity and age. They feel like these support groups will help promote the positive aspects of having a heterogeneous employee base.
What is your input and prediction on upcoming workplace trends in 2018? Share them with us in the comments section!
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This post was originally published here on Forbes.com in November 2017. TheYoungProfessionalGroup.com takes no credit for the work of the author.
