Every single day, businesses are adapting to our ever-changing world. It is impossible to say that the way workplaces are running today will be how they will run forever.
All kinds of advancements are being made so often that it sometimes goes unnoticed how different businesses are being run in the present day compared to even a year ago.
It is important to keep up with these fast-paced changes so that you and your career don’t get left behind. Here is how modern workplaces are constantly changing and how you can keep up with these advancements.
Technological Advancements
Let’s start off with the main element of change that everyone is probably aware of – the rate in which technology is making huge advancements in all areas of life, not just in business. Many businesses realize that AI and other advanced technologies can help speed up tasks in all different areas of business. Humans require training for a job, sometimes years of training too, whereas AI can be built and designed especially for a certain job role and can carry out tasks within seconds that would take a human a few hours to complete. Technology is also beginning to be able to improve itself, due to the advancements to algorithms, so that it doesn’t become outdated.
Technology provides an extra element of security within a business, too; a huge amount of information can be safely stored, whereas with a human employee, you wouldn’t be able to achieve that same level of retained information. The reliability of technology is also at a higher level than what it is when using people. Simple things like payroll and sick days don’t need to be thought about when dealing with technologies like AI for example. On the other hand, hacking is a great threat to using technology for business. If a robot can hold all of a company’s data, including financial information, the devastation it could cause to the business if it was to be hacked would be devastating.
International Communication
It has never been easier to communicate with countries all over the world, whether that’s through video calls, phone calls, instant messengers or even travel. This means that the business can continue to grow outside of their locality, with easier dealings being made and great working relationships being formed in so many different places around the world. This is something that would have been unheard of for small companies just twenty years ago.
If you work in an international company and it is part of your job to work alongside people from all over the world, it is, however, very important to make sure you have an understanding and a sensitivity towards other people from different cultures. The number of employers now wanting to hire people who speak a range of languages has risen dramatically in the last few years, in response to the growth and accessibility of international communication.
Work from Home
As all types of communication have become more updated and accessible to the general population, more and more people have started to work from home. Most people have the required technology already in their homes to be able to work properly, for example, a laptop, a cell phone, and a good
internet connection. There are many benefits for employees able to work at home. The structure of your day can work around you, which, if you have a family is ideal for school times and looking after them in general. Travel costs will be lower as you will not have to make your way to and from an office every day you work, which in turn may improve your carbon footprint if you would drive or get public transport every day. In terms of the company itself, if all of its staff work from home, this saves them from having to spend money on rent for offices, computers and desks for staff, food and drink costs etc. If a company isn’t dependent on location, then international recruitment will be available too, which means that there is a much higher chance of finding a number of people that are perfect for a role, rather than just searching in a small area surrounding an office.
Environmental Awareness
In the last few years, there has been a huge rise in the awareness that businesses, in particular, are damaging the environment. More and more businesses are starting to become aware of their carbon footprint and are taking measures to make sure they are doing their bit to help the environment. Simple things like teaching employees about office recycling (like putting paper bins by printers and putting more varied types of bins in food areas) are a step in the right direction. Minimizing waste as a whole in the business is becoming more popular, with more offices deciding to go paperless. In addition, sustainable energy providers are on the rise, with it being easier to use wind power, hydropower, solar power and more. Many businesses have also realized that customers prefer working with businesses that are environmentally conscious, so are implementing as many measures as they can to capitalize on this.
Education
More and more employers are focusing on the qualifications employees have when they are looking to recruit. The demand for jobs is so high at the moment, and from now on it may always be that way, due to the advancement of technology that when an employer is looking through resumes, education and experience are the main factors they are looking at. If you and another candidate have a similar experience, but you hold a higher qualification than they do, then you would be the obvious choice for the job.
Studying at university will not only give you the edge on the likeliness to be picked for a role, but it will set you up with the skills you will need for the career you are working to be a part of. While an undergraduate degree is clearly beneficial, studying a master’s program will give you the extra confidence for your chosen career and will enable you to boost your knowledge in specific areas. This is key for jobs in management, and for roles that have deeply involved specialties. Suffolk Online can provide you with more information about why studying for an MBA degree is worthwhile. Although MBAs are one of the more popular master’s degrees available today, they do open up a lot of opportunities to those who complete the course.
Job Satisfaction
It is becoming more popular to want a job because of the job itself rather than the financial benefits. This may tie in with education becoming more accessible and there being a huge range of subject areas to choose between, but more people than ever before are deciding to put their mental well-being
first and pick a job they know will be fulfilling to them. Because of this shift, many companies realize that it is important to support their employees and make sure mental health is as big of a priority as it should be. Some companies even offer counseling and other mental health benefits in aid of this. Job satisfaction not only benefits you personally, but it massively benefits the company too. People are more likely to show up to work if they are happy with their job, and productivity levels will rise too. If the want is there, more positive outcomes will follow.
Health and Safety Measures
Health and safety have become much more talked about in recent years. With new working laws introduced regarding the maximum number of hours someone should work, training and sick pay, etc., companies are taking health and safety much more seriously than they used to. First aid training is now a lot more accessible; in most workplaces, there will be someone who is first aid trained, and many companies will now seek to train all employees for peace of mind. Fire safety is taken much more seriously as well with fire exit strategies being implemented and legal requirements to show the safest route out of buildings in case of emergency. Employees in non-clerical positions should also be given the correct training prior to them starting the job.
Businesses are growing and changing every single day, and it can be so hard to keep up with the new rules and legislations if you are so used to focusing on the daily grind. However, having the skills necessary to adapt to these new changes is incredibly important if you want your career to grow. See change as an exciting thing if you can. No one wants to have the exact same routine every single day; after a while, it would make life dull, so if a change is implemented in your company that you aren’t quite familiar with, take the opportunity to do something different and learn more about it. It won’t just benefit you in the present; it could make a difference to your career in the future as well.