a woman working while looking after her child

The work environment changed drastically due to COVID-19. This entire phenomenon accelerated work tendencies that had been slowly building in the past. While remote working was already in-demand before the pandemic, it became the norm for most companies overnight due to the pandemic. However, this isn’t the only trend that influenced the future of work. 

In this guide, we will dive into relevant insights, research, and data about the future of work. Below we’ll show you some of the key trends we’ll see in a couple of decades. 

Technology Will Disrupt and Create New Jobs

When we talk about the future of work, robots will always come up. There is a fatalistic view of the future of work that depicts it as a battle between humans and robots. There are two sides to the same coin. Technology will indeed disrupt many jobs, as it has done in the past. However, humans won’t be erased from the future of the work equation. 

Technology will create more jobs than it’ll destroy. According to a recent Future of Jobs report from the World Economic Forum, technology will create more than 12 million jobs in 2025.

New Expectations

This generation is trying to consolidate a brighter future for the workforce. The pandemic raised a couple of concerns about life. The entire world was fighting a deadly virus while also trying to stay afloat financially. Millions of people lost their loved ones because of the exposure in their jobs, and others struggle to have financial stability in such rough times. 

This situation made people feel exhausted and concerned about their stability, work-life balance, and salaries. In addition to the sanitary crisis, the economy was dealing with inflation, so people couldn’t cope with their salaries. That’s how the Great Resignation started, and millions of workers sent their resignation letters.

This movement has raised awareness among companies, and they are now attempting to provide better opportunities for employees. It has increased competition among organizations, causing them to struggle to retain and hire new employees. This appears to be the starting point for having more flexibility, safety, and higher pay at work.

Scalable Hiring

Scalable hiring is the ability to respond to fluctuations in recruiting demands. This means that companies have a flexible hiring approach. Companies now prioritize hiring gig workers or freelancers over compromising with a full-time worker.

This reduces recruitment costs, lowers risks associated with the hiring process, and helps them evaluate which workers are long-term material. Eventually, they can decide whether they should hire someone full-time or continue with the independent contractor system.

Cloud Computing

With so many employees working online, the need for cloud storage has arisen. Cloud computing allows employees to have easy access to data, improve communication, and customer service skills. If a client needs information regarding a particular item, users can quickly access the necessary data to provide support regardless of the employees’ location. 

Cyber Security as Top Priority

Since most employees are working remotely, companies are more vulnerable to cyber attacks. That’s why it is so important to prioritize cybersecurity measures and provide job training to help employees. They need to be able to protect the company’s data even if they’re working remotely. They can use VPNs and practice safety habits with passwords.

According to Cyber Security Ventures, cyberattacks could occur every 11 seconds in 2021. As a result, companies must also improve their access management process.

Some Businesses Might not Be Able to Cope With a Hybrid System.

Due to loss in organizational culture, some businesses might not be able to keep up with a hybrid workforce. Even though it seems like the best solution for everyone, it might not work for everyone. Companies will need to improve their managerial efforts to cope with hybrid working, especially if they’ve never worked remotely.

Final Thoughts

The pandemic has brought multiple challenges to the workforce and most companies. Companies had to implement multiple strategies to stay afloat and remain flexible. Some of the most relevant trends we’ll see in the future of work include scalable hiring, increased use of cloud computing, and cyber security measures