Future of Work

Future of work topics covered on this page

Click the titles below to jump to different sections.

1. The future of work is far from looking into a crystal ball
2. A brief history of work
3. What is Work 4.0?
   
   1. Humans are in the spotlight
   2. Drivers of Work 4.0
4. How to stay competitive in the future of work?
   1. Offer flexibility in the way work is done
   2. Reskill your workforce
   3. Understand the needs of Gen Z
5. How do the leading SaaS platforms see the future of work?

The future of work is far from looking into a crystal ball

The future is such an abstract concept to talk about. But one thing is certain: it is us who will make it happen. It is not some predetermined scenario that will eventually unfold in front of us, but rather the result of our actions.

The same applies to the future of work.

The future of work is definitely not just flying cars and robots doing all the work. It’s the people who decide what the machines and programs do. Us humans will remain in the spotlight, but we must make use of everything the modern working life puts at our disposal.

But before we look ahead, let’s look back at the history of work: where are we coming from and how does that shape our way forward?

A brief history of work

To understand the present and to predict the future one must understand the past. The history of work is intertwined with industrial revolutions. There have been four of them so far, each one characterised by major advancements in the way things were done. Here’s an overview of the different industrial revolutions.

First industrial revolution – from agriculture to industry

The first industrial revolution originated in Britain in the late 18th century. The use of coal and steam power mechanised processes and what was earlier made by hand was now mass produced. These advancements truly changed the way goods were produced and exchanged, which opened up new opportunities and jobs to people who were used to working the land and hard manual labour.

Second industrial revolution – from coal to gas

Electricity, gas and oil were the big drivers of the second industrial revolution taking place in the late 19th century and 20th centuries. Assembly lines made mass production even more efficient and with the invention of the plane and car, the goods produced travelled faster to the consumers. The telegram and later the telephone made communication easier and information exchange more rapid.

Third industrial revolution – the digital revolution

The third industrial revolution began in the middle of the 20th century. The invention of computers and the Internet made this the time of automation and digitization. Manufacturing processes were further improved with data analysis and nuclear energy was the newest source of energy. People were more connected than ever before thanks to advanced telecommunications.

Fourth industrial revolution – Industry 4.0

We are currently in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0. Automation of traditional manufacturing and the utilisation of data that started during the third industrial revolution have now enabled us the use of modern, smart technologies – even whole smart factories. This time is all about the digitalisation of the economy where everything is connected to achieve greater flexibility, information transparency and better decisions.

How have the industrial revolutions impacted work?

But wait, aren’t we supposed to talk about the history of work? Yes, totally! But the industrial revolutions of the past and the one happening right now have an enormous impact on work – that’s why understanding the basics is important.

This video by MIT OpenCourseWare showcases the impact of each revolution to work quite nicely. From survival of the fittest to factory floor and today’s knowledge workers, all four industrial revolutions have changed society for good. New ways of working and living have emerged as the result of new inventions and technological advancements.

What Industry 4.0 is currently doing to work, is called Work 4.0. Let’s have a closer look at the future of work.

Humans are in the spotlight

What makes Work 4.0 so different compared to how work used to be, is that now us humans are truly in the centre of it all. This may sound counterintuitive, but thanks to technological developments and digitalisation, work is more humancentric than ever before. Many mundane tasks can be automated which leaves employees more time to do what us humans are good at: creative thinking, problem-solving and innovation.

The future of work is built with three main elements

Drivers of Work 4.0

According to the Eurofound Research Publication about Work 4.0, the four main drivers of the future of work are digitalisation, globalisation, demography, and the future labour supply and cultural change. We recommend reading the research publication to find out more details about the drivers of the change and Work 4.0 in general. Here is a short description of the main driving forces shaping the future of work.

1 Digitalisation

Digitalisation is the number one driver of Work 4.0. Information technology is part of our everyday lives and work is done digitally to an increasing degree. The question of future competitiveness is largely about how successful companies are in coping with the digital transformation. Something to keep in mind is that digitalisation is not just deploying new technologies here and there, where needed. Instead, it should be strategic business decisions.

2 Globalisation

Globalisation is by no means a new phenomenon but the speed and volume of the worldwide flow of goods, services, capital, and people in the 21st century is breathtaking. In the modern world, especially the flow of people is becoming more and more important, not just the transaction of goods and services in the more traditional sense.

3 Demography and the future labour supply

In general, people in the Western world live longer, while the birth rate is decreasing. Therefore, the size of the population has remained stable, already impacting the labour market. Recruiting skilled workers is becoming more and more challenging in many industries. In order to prevent the mismatch between the demand and supply of the workforce skill level, reskilling the workforce is crucial.

4 Cultural Change

When the economy and society are changing, so do people’s lifestyles and values. There is, for example, increasing diversity in life plans and preferences regarding work, and a growing need for flexibility. Having a meaningful job, getting fulfilment in work and finding the perfect work-life balance are common quests for many workers.

How to stay competitive in the future of work?

For organisations to stay competitive in the future, they need to understand and meet the needs for Work 4.0. Working life is already changing due to the Work 4.0 drivers described above, and it is expected to continue changing until 2030 and even beyond. Here we have listed three ways to succeed in the future of work.

Offer flexibility in the way work is done

People’s life plans have become more individual and diverse. In addition, values and preferences regarding work have changed.

Even the most committed and skilled employees seldom stop at being excellent at their work. There are professional athletes, people really interested in a craft and/or very committed to their family, for example.

It often happens that to even the most productive and committed employees, work comes second in their priorities. The winning companies and managers take this into account. People want flexibility on how to fit work and employment into their lives.

Organisations need to be able to meet this need – and the winning companies and managers already take this into account.

How to increase flexibility at the workplace?

Reskill your workforce

Work happens more and more on modern digital platforms. While that is a key to productive work, productivity doesn’t happen by itself and without adequate skill development. Especially since the digital tools develop at an accelerated rate: new features are constantly added and services are expanding to offer businesses new opportunities to grow.

In addition, a 40-year career with the same company is already a thing of the past. People are switching jobs and also switching between employment and proprietorship. Companies that can handle this will be able to tap into the entire pool of talent.

On the other hand, the talents who can lead themselves are able to explore the entire potential they possess and find new and meaningful paths to follow.

While all this is happening with the younger generations, the Western population as a whole is getting older. The speed of change and the shortening attention span takes getting used to. Motivating this change is very important so that all generations can be kept in the loop.

Due to the change of where and how work is done, organisations need to reskill their workforce for them to stay motivated, happy and productive.

How to encourage digital skill development?

Understand the needs of Gen Z

It is time for Generation Z to enter the working life. Something worth noting is that Gen Z’ers are more pragmatic than their millennial counterparts: they don’t put as much emphasis on purpose. In addition, Gen Z’ers are a lot more about physical connection, diversity, and job security.

Also, in comparison to the millennial generation, Gen Zs are less about the talk and more about the walk. Because of their traits and the digital environment they’ve grown up in, they are a great fit to many kinds of jobs and organisations.

Since the future workforce sees and values work differently than any previous generations, it is crucial to understand and meet their needs in order to attract and retain top talent.

How to attract the top talent from the younger generations?

We have discussed these topics in an excellent webinar in cooperation with Nordic Business Forum and Terance Mauri. Watch the webinar recording and hear more about our vision and Terance’s inspiring keynote on the topic. In case you prefer a written format, here’s the text version of the keynote summary.

How do the leading SaaS platforms see the future of work?

To bring our vision of the future of work alive, we have partnered with the most exciting SaaS platforms to make digital work smart and enjoyable. Read more about how they see the future of work.

Google

The future of work requires a more human approach to security

We’re in a new era of data security where business leaders must abandon traditional ideas of what a workplace looks like. Work is no longer a physical space, but rather a series of interconnected policies on how to get things done. Where the work happens, whether that’s at home, in a traditional office, or any number of locations between them, simply isn’t as important as it used to be. Read more.

Future of work assessment tool

Take this 2-minute assessment below to see where you’re at on the journey to the future of work, and get a free guide to help you take the next step. Take the assessment.

Freshworks

Is work tech keeping pace with employee expectations?

Work tech dictates the success or failure of your people and business. This report reveals a startling divide between employee expectations and the reality of the work tech experience. Get the report.

The Future of CX: 2022

The consumer of 2022 has grown used to digital-first experiences. They expect businesses to continue raising the bar. These are the 5 big trends around customer and business behavior that will define CX in 2022. Get the report.

monday.com

The Work OS: Future-proofing work for enterprises

Onboarding your entire organization to a new way of work is like switching a broken airplane engine mid-flight. It must be a perfect fit, immediately effective, and a long-term solution. Read more.

6 reasons why distributed teams are the future of work

The move to partially and fully distributed teams is driven by the growing competition to attract and retain the best talent, the increasing number of workers entering the gig economy, the need to find new cost savings and work efficiencies, and the drive to find the work-life balance afforded by telecommuting. Read more.