Are You Sure You’re Prepared for the Future of the Workforce?
What Does the Future of the Workforce Look Like?
As the COVID pandemic made clear, the future of the workforce is an ever-changing digital world. Some businesses caught on to this quickly, and began introducing digital tools, but many did this to keep business running like normal instead of meeting the changes necessary.
The changing workforce requires digital advancements to keep up. To find the right tools for your business, you need to have clear goals in place that everyone understands and has a role in. This will help you determine which tools will best fit the needs of your company over time instead of throwing things together as needs arise.
Why Does Digital Advancement Matter?
Studies show that 20-25% of the workforce is working from home and could effectively continue to work from home three to five days a week moving forward. This is especially true for employees that complete work on their computers they can perform alone.
This means, if businesses are willing to embrace digital tools, they can find talented employees without the need to focus on ties to specific locations. This would make the hiring process easier and less costly if done correctly.
This also means less space and overhead costs are needed to run a business efficiently. To make the transition to the future of the workforce, automation tools are necessary to keep businesses thriving.
These automation tools will replace some of the current employee roles, but that leaves room for growth into other career paths. Businesses need to prepare for regular upskill and reskill training to help employees meet the changing needs.
Reports estimate that 85 million jobs worldwide will be replaced by automation over the next couple years, but this will open the door for 97 million new roles to support these changes. This creates opportunities for potential employee training and development for these new skills.
Preparing Companies and Employees for the Future
Much of the focus of these new roles will be on data analytics, digital expertise, and automation of processes. Beyond the expected roles in the future of the workforce, some of the top skills necessary to meet the needs of the changing market center around innovation and creativity.
Employers have embraced employee development programs to prepare employees to move up to executive roles, but these programs need to prepare for more than this. The focus should be around preparing employees to meet changes in technology and business needs. Employers need to prepare them for digital initiatives to reduce failure of these innovations due to lack of ability and support.
For an employee development program to thrive, you need open conversations with employees about their career goals. You also need to share opportunities that are developing in your company and what skills they need to meet those opportunities. You can plan employee development programs around these mutual needs.
How do You Meet the Changing Needs of the Workforce?
COVID opened the door for remote work, and many employees embraced this opportunity. This means employee expectations have changed, and businesses that want to thrive need to meet these changes.
One aspect of the future of the workforce is giving employees space to complete their tasks and manage their own time whether they work in the office or remotely. This means you need tools that will allow employees to complete tasks from anywhere. You also need better ways to connect employees together from different locations, time zones, and even devices.
Employees want to be measured on the value they provide, not the volume to determine their productivity. They want space and trust to complete their work, and many want options to work from home at least part of the week. This means providing tools with secure access to their workspace from any location.
Employees are looking for leadership that will listen to their needs and desires for a positive workplace. This includes listening to needs for employee development and remote work options. Employees also need a workplace that is willing to embrace emerging technologies that can help them be efficient no matter where they are located.
This means employees need access to training that will help them increase their skills, especially digital skills to meet the needs for the future of the workforce. You need to make sure you’re helping employees incorporate new skills and behaviors that will help them be part of your business growth. They need to feel connected to the success of your company.
You also need to provide digital tools that are easy for everyone to use. Tools must be integrated based on the needs of the workforce, not just for the sake of providing digital tools. If you are able to meet the needs of the future of the workforce, you will find employees able to boost your company creativity and productivity.
Online Training Management to Optimize Employee Development Needs
One of the best tools you can use to help meet the digital needs of your workforce is to implement an online training management system like Infinit-I Workforce Solutions. This allows you to provide training to employees no matter where they are located. They can access their training from any device with an internet connection so they can keep up with the skills they need to thrive.
The Infinit-I Workforce Solutions platform allows you to add custom content so you can keep all your training in one place. With reporting and tracking tools, you can see how employees are doing with their employee development with a push of a button. You can see for yourself how the Infinit-I system works by requesting a demo today. This will give you a glimpse at the tools and features that help simplify employee development without disrupting workflows.
