What do employees expect the world of work to be like in
2036?
According to a survey by recruitment specialists
Office Angels, it’s expected that by 2036 millions
of employees will work from home or other remote
locations - dealing with co-workers, customers and
suppliers via computers and video phones.
Almost three quarters (71%) of workers believe
that an increasing number of people will work from
home in 2036, thanks to new technologies such as
cloud computing, smart phones and video
conferencing. A quarter think that the office will
no longer exist.
And it will be goodbye to the 9 to 5. Working
routines are predicted to change dramatically;
almost two thirds (65%) of employees believe that
working hours will become far more flexible and over
half (53%) predict that standard working hours will
be a thing of the past altogether.
The survey also shows that workers expect job
shares and multiple careers to be commonplace by
2036.
Over a third of employees (36%) expect more
people to job share in 2036, leading to increased
freedom in working hours, whether through
flexi-time, term-time, or part-time working. Almost
half of workers (48%) predict that “jobs for life”
will be a thing of the past; workers will have a
series of careers, with new skills being learnt on a
continual basis
This has huge implications for employers, in
terms of managing a disparate workforce and in
maintaining levels of engagement with staff.
And issues around communication and maintaining
corporate and team identity are flagged up as
potential concerns.
Almost half (48%) of employees surveyed predict
that employees will have to work through the night,
thanks to an increase in working across global
markets. While this will present challenges for both
employers and employees, this new flexibility in
working hours may well have significant advantages
for those currently struggling to balance family
responsibilities with those of their job.
Some workers (35%) predict that this ‘always on’
working culture will lead to increased levels of
stress, with longer working hours and the constant
accessibility afforded by new communication devices,
like smart phones, leading to heightened pressure
and tighter deadlines.
Language skills are also in the
spotlight as, despite 49% of employees predicting
that English will remain the universal language for
business, 46% believe that in the next 25 years,
workers will have to speak another language - and
it’s likely to be Mandarin Chinese.
69% of workers also think that
people will interact more with technology than they
will with each other, due to the predicted dominance
of remote working on a global scale - with 39%
worrying that this will remove any opportunity for
colleagues to learn from one another. And it will
also lead to the end of office parties and office
romance or affairs. But possibly a chance to get to
know the neighbours better?
A quarter (25%) of people are
convinced that retail will move entirely online -
negating the need for the millions of sales staff,
merchandisers and managers currently employed by
this ever-adapting industry - and 55% predict that
manufacturing jobs will be cut, as machines fulfil
more tasks than ever before.
Plenty of food for thought
here, and a need for managers to develop new
strategies for attracting and retaining talent,
engaging employees and keeping teams happily working
together.
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