Here are five things we learned about the future of work…
Five things we learned
1. What is the future of work?
People will want to work with an organisation that has purpose. As Tim Brown (CEO and President of IDEO) observes, only organisations with a “reason for being” will be sustainable and successful in the future and attract the next generation of talent. Our recent collaboration with BBH confirmed this – the new generation of people coming into the workforce want to work for businesses that are innovative, creative, fun and that are inspiring change.
People will expect lifelong growth. People are constantly curious, and keen to learn and develop their skills and knowledge. Technology has made learning available at the click of a button and that means we need to continue to develop new approaches to developing our people so that they can stay relevant and feel that they are growing.
We will have to help manage the ‘always on’ culture caused by technology – it’s good for them and it’s good for business. At Virgin Unite, amongst other things, we’ve introduced unlimited leave, ‘better you’ days (which support personal development goals) and the Virgin Pulse programme to support employees to sustain their own health and wellness.
‘Hybrid leaders’ will be in demand. These are leaders who can work collaboratively across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors and use business solutions to tackle the world’s social and environmental problems. At Unite, our team includes former consultants, lawyers, accountants, public servants and entrepreneurs, all of whom add diverse and innovative ideas and approaches to the mix.
The concept of a job for life won’t exist. Changing workforce expectations, the ability to use technology to perform more project / portfolio work and skills shortages in many industries have all transformed the jobs market and the way people approach their careers. This has all brought greater expectations of the ability to move between projects, organisations and roles and a radical shift in the traditional models of attracting and retaining talent.
These are just five key takeaways from the report. I’d encourage you to read it and explore what it means for you and your workplace, and we’d love to hear your feedback below!
– Anna Gowdridge is Head of People at Virgin Unite.
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