What Trends Will Dominate The Workplace In 2020?

Current technology is driving trends in the world around us. As business cycles move at accelerated speeds, the global community is coming together in a constantly connected network.

Meanwhile, companies are preparing for an influx of millennials that are expected to transform the work environment in almost every respect, shaping the “workplace of 2020”. What does this mean? According to the theory of the workplace of 2020, more than 36% of the workforce will consist of people born after the baby boom generation. Therefore, the workplace will change drastically, incorporating different generations, but at the same time it will have a more diverse workforce.

But how will these changes influence the future of organizations and how can they prepare for upcoming trends in the workplace?

Most predictions of the workforce in 2020 focus on how the workplace will change with respect to demographics:

a) Employees will spend more time in the workforce in the coming years, which means that five generations of workers from diverse backgrounds will work together in collaborative teams.

b) Globalization and virtual workplaces will play an increasingly important role in the changing landscape of the workplace, causing more fluid changes and talent flows.

c) Cultural diversity will mean that companies will need to incorporate a broader set of values than the current one. Companies will have to rethink all their internal interactions, especially those that involve their human capital; how to approach, deploy, develop and retain people.

Companies must be more flexible and will have to change to keep up with the demands of the workforce that are already changing the current business landscape.

What Trends Will Dominate The Workplace In 2020?

1) Create Good Employee Experiences

Unlike previous generations, millennials look beyond job stability, competitive salaries and benefits to commit and be loyal to a company. They are motivated by a sense of shared purpose, which means that they need to have a strong sense of their part in the “big picture” to bring their best results to the workplace.

And while companies have so far focused primarily on meeting the key needs of consumers, what is clear when examining global labor force trends for 2020 is that employee experience is equally important to the success of the company. Likewise, the workplace in 2020 should be more dynamic, purpose-oriented and more versatile.

Currently, there is a significant gap between the needs of the millennial workforce and what the workplace offers. If companies want to take advantage of the massive potential of this future workforce, they should begin to incorporate the tools and technologies that enable their productivity.

What do companies need to do in practice to keep up with trends in the workplace? The first thing is to work in a personalized relationship with the employees. Human resources departments are now turning to research principles, such as design thinking and feeling analysis to better understand and meet the needs of the 2020 workforce.

Intranet-based interaction systems are now the norm for many companies that see better performance results by involving their employees in their internal social platform.

2) Include Elements Of Artificial Intelligence In A Combined Workforce

With the increase in artificial intelligence and the proliferation of Big Data as the engine of business decisions, the changes are coming to the office. As machines take on everyday tasks, employers expect more complex, creative and varied functions of their equipment.

Companies are increasingly choosing to apply workplace trends with new technologies that allow them to simplify repetitive tasks, such as smart assistants or chatbots to handle the initial stages of employee recruitment, answer human resources questions or customize learning experiences.

Chatbots offer unparalleled personalized learning and development for employees. By 2020, they will be very important for the 3.7 million workers, or 2.8% of the workforce, who are expected to telecommute at least half the time.

Another important skill that foreseeable workplace trends bring to the scene is the knowledge of the data, that is, the ability to work and interpret the data in a meaningful way. Being able to take advantage of the power of numbers is a really valuable skill now that will increase in importance in the coming years.

To remain valuable as employees, training for 2020 trends in the workplace should focus on developing a combination of technological and interpersonal skills to encompass the functions of finance, marketing, operations, supply chain and human resources.

The Future Of Work Is Here!

An overview of future workplace experience shows a much more dynamic, fluid and digital environment, capable of responding to multiple requirements with unique solutions.

Therefore, as the global workplace is being remodeled, all organizations have to do to keep growing is to turn to their employees and adapt to technological advances.