The Future of Work

Time Magazine, offers an interesting perspective on how our workforce will be changing in the future. The article highlights 11 different areas that will see the most change and they are:

The New Work Order

• The Way We'll Work
• High Tech, High Touch, High Growth
• Training Managers to Behave
• The Search for the Next Perk
• We're Getting Off the Ladder
• Why Boomers Can't Quit
• Women Will Rule Business
• It Will Pay to Save the Planet
• When Gen X Runs the Show
• Yes, We'll Still Make Stuff
• The Last Days of Cubicle Life

The information presented in this article could be beneficial to human resource managers due to the fact that it sheds light on areas in the workforce that require special attention. The article also touches many topics that Berman et. al and his co-authors discuss such as the high demand on technology and the structural changes in the workplace such as virtual offices.

The article also offers an interesting perspective on workforce mobility, that stated that some companies are taking on a movement of promotion which they call " lateral promotion", where employers give employees the options to move out, and not necessarily up to different positions with or without a pay change. This allows employees to tailor their work duties and responsibilities to fit their personal lives. For instance, employees can choose to work partially from home on certain days, in order to attend to other obligations they have with their families. When employees get evaluated, their employer also takes in account not only their work related goals but their personal life goals outside of their job as well. They have seen that this approach in management has increased work performance and competency because workers are able to personalize their jobs.



Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1898024,00.html #ixzz2bVEPRjFB

Rapidly Expanding Technology, the Demand for Human Competency & the Changing Workforce

Berman et al. (2010) and Selden (2009) both see a world where rapidly expanding technologies, and the demand for human competency impose various challenges on the world of human resource management in various areas. The changing workforce is one area that is being effected by these various elements. Technology is becoming a driving force in todays various industries, but according to  Selden (2009) , “many organizations are not using it to the fullest” (p. 180). This is a problem due to the fact that technology is detrimental to the changing workforce. In order to remain competitive, managers have to effectively train their workers to remain competitive.


 Workforce training is more important than ever before. Between the advancement in technology as well as the increased amounts of generations that are represented in the workforce it is important for managers to make sure that their workers are being adequately  trained in order to keep up with the trends. Berman et. al. stresses that managers need to invest in human capital, " High-performance government organizations invest in people and pursue best practices." ( p.23).

Training by far is the most important way to keep up with the changing workforce and Selden (2009) poses the following questions to managers that must be answered in order to determine the appropriate steps to take in regards to which training approach should be taken:

• What is the agency's workforce learning philosophy or strategy?

• How does the agency use its training and development programs to implement its workforce learning strategy?

• Does the agency have a training oversight committee or similar body?

• Does the agency have a systematic process in place for determining, delivering, and evaluating its training and development programs?

• How does the agency demonstrate the impact of training and development programs on the agency's mission and strategic goals? 

Who Makes up our changing workforce?

How is the workforce changing?

According to Berman et al. (2013) and Selden (2009) as time progresses we will see a vast amount of change in the workforce which will then have an impact on the demand for human competency. Judith Heerwagen, Ph.D highlights in her article, " The Changing Nature of Organizations, Work, and Workplace",  the current changes in the workforce today and what measures we need to take in order to keep up. She insists that the structure, content and process of work has changed therefore, there's more dependency on technology and team building activities to reduced hierarchical structure and increase different ways of thinking across a multigenerational workforce.

http://www.wbdg.org/resources/chngorgwork.php

Not only does the change in workforce have an impact on the workers but also on the way that companies and organizations work as a unit. Roger E. Herman, sheds light on the changes affecting our workforce and what will be required from workers in his article entitled, " The Workforce is Changing the Way We Do Business." Herman discusses the fact that peoples expectation from work is changing and so are the expectations of the people that they serve. According to Berman et. al. (2013) " There is no one best way to manage people", and this article highlights the various solutions managers can take to ensure competency on their workers as the workforce continues to change on both sides.

http://www.retentionconnection.com/retention_article_workforce_changing.html


Work competency is extremely important in todays workforce. Improving competency increases the professional skills of employees. When employees are competent they are able to adapt to new challenges in the workplace and have better resiliency at bouncing back from bad situations. Managers can improve the competency of their workers by, stressing the importance of cooperating in groups, providing challenge and evaluating employers to provide constructive criticism. follow the link below to find out more information on improving competency in the workplace.

http://www.google.com.jm/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CHUQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stm.fi%2Fc%2Fdocument_library%2Fget_file%3FfolderId%3D53630%26name%3DDLFE-11121.pdf&ei=nlkFUvuYK5K-9gTy3IGIDg&usg=AFQjCNFqhgPos9B5ZpsNXsNzgpl3Gqrz7g&sig2=oKOFIDorO1AYfAKFwe3s5w&bvm=bv.50500085,d.eWU

" Work Place of the Future"- What is it?

Work Place of the Future is a company that creates work spaces that are conducive  to the changes in todays workforce. Their goal is to increase employee competency through more "workable" office spaces. Angie Lee, who works for Smiths Group JJR ( the company that constructs Work Place of the Future) places emphasis on the importance of technology and its effect on productivity in a changing workforce. She also notes that, in todays society, employees are more interested in having a flexible workplace and work schedule.

Lee, also states that a more workable workspace will foster creativity, collaboration and innovation amongst and between workers. Retention and recruitment are also areas that benefit from a more workable workspace.  When clients come into offices that have been made to be more workable for employees, they are able to see the effort companies but into making their employees comfortable in their workspaces. This shows them the type of effort that will be but into them as clients which create better client relationships between companies and the people who they serve.

Workspace of the Future creates the perfect dichotomy between technology and the change in workforce composition.  Creating a workspace that removes employees from their traditional cubical settings will in return address the need for human competency which Berman et al. (2013) notes as a challenge within human resource management.

A Changing Workforce: Managing Millennials

Managing Millennials

According to Berman et al. (2013), one of the major trends occurring in the workforce is the amount of generations that human resource managers are managing. Each generation requires a separate set of managerial skills that are necessary in order to bring out the best in individuals that compose these various generations. The link above provides human resource managers with a few tips on how to manage individuals in the Millennial generation and how to incorporate their various perspectives into the workplace.

Historically, when younger individuals enter the workforce, there is a level of animosity between generations where individuals see the differences in generations as a threat to work place productivity and cohesiveness.  Susan M. Heathfield, the author of , " 11 Tips For Handling Millennials  " give human resource managers insight on how to turn what would be tension causing differences into ways that bring out the most productivity in Millennials by highlighting and paying attention to their best assets such as their technological savvy ways and their need for a work-life balance, which can in turn, increase work productivity as well as decrease workforce turnover rates.

Berman et al. (2013) refers to two major societal challenges now under way: Rapidly expanding technologies, and the demand for human competency. Understanding the best practices that will bring out the best in each generation in the key to combatting these challenges. Tapping into the minds of the Millennial generation is imperative to making sure that ones company is keeping up with the times due to the fact that, that generation is more inclined to incorporate technology in the workforce be it though meetings held via Skype, making online presentations on Prezi or networking through LinkedIn. In addition, Berman et al. ( 2013) also notes that Millennials are replacing older generations at a steady pace, which is more of a reason for human resource managers to understand how this generation operates. Learning the ins and outs of every generation, not just those of the Millennial generation is a great way to increase human competency, which will then improve overall work place productivity.



  

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 Invest in your human capital. Your employees are working hard for you day in and day out. They are often making sacrifices in their personal life to grow your company. Show them that you care, show them that you see how diligently they are working and that you appreciate them. Your employees are your number one priorities and should be accounted as your companies most important assest.