The Future of Work

The Future of Work

I recently attended a Career Fair given by the Project Management Institute’s New Jersey chapter for their members. The keynote speaker for the event, (one that I had recommended to the group), spoke on the topic of “the future of work.” John Gillen, who gave the presentation, is a Human Resources professional who has made a passion of studying this topic. The point behind John’s message was to provoke thought among the attendees. I had the opportunity to speak with many of the attendees after the presentation, and from their feedback to me, that is indeed what did happen.

So, just what may be changing in the world of work? One aspect (and it actually has been going on for quite a while now), is that companies are doing what can be called, “just in time” hiring. A company has a project for which they need a certain resource skill. They will hire consultants or freelance workers for the period of time they need to get the project completed. When the project is completed, the consultant’s work is over and they are no longer needed by the company. And, while many may not find this fair, or the type of arrangement they desire, (the company for which the person did the work does not provide the consultants additional benefits beyond salary as opposed to the fringe benefits they may pay for their employees), they did indeed pay the consultant for the skills they brought to the project. What is the benefit of this arrangement for the consultant? For many it provides them a more flexible lifestyle arrangement. They get to show their talents at many companies. Others who establish their own consulting businesses get to pick and choose the projects on which they want to work. John indicated, there are many individuals actually seeking these type of assignments, and not shying away from them.

Another area which John addressed was the impact of automation on the future of work. While this topic has is not exactly new, (manufacturing industries, agriculture and heavily manual labor industries have been impacted by automation for a number of years), what is changing is the introduction of automation into what have traditionally been seen as “white collar” positions. John spoke recently to a group of financial analysts, and indicated to them that many of their roles would be replaced by automation in the future, (something admittedly which did not please that audience). However, the advances being made in areas such as “artificial intelligence” is leading to the automation of repetitive tasks or ones which involve the review of large amounts of data. Electronic devices can do those roles far more quickly. They do not get bored completing them. And, they may actually help to interpret statistics far more deeply than a human may, (and with much less emotion).

However, John’s message was not all doom and gloom. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Automation even as “intelligent” as it is, is likely not going to get any higher than an IQ level of between 30 and 50. (A human being’s IQ is far higher than that). Machines are unable to use judgment when given circumstances that are not routine. And, above all, machines don’t have the ability to connect with human beings at a level of emotion and of the heart. John encouraged the group to think of the work they did differently, not just as a series of tasks, but more so from the value they bring to others. For example, as a job search strategy coach, I don’t just mechanically tell my clients approaches and methodologies they may use in their search, but I work with them to develop strategies to put those techniques in motion. The same tool or approach may require one strategy in one person’s search, and a completely different one in another person’s search. The individuals who master what is the service they deliver, the value that they bring to others, and the way they help individuals connect to each other, are going to be of far more value and far happier in the future world of work.

So, how long will it take for these changes in how we work to take place? Some are beginning to happen now. Others may emerge in the next few years. And, others may take even longer. But, the recognition should be that the way we work in society is changing significantly, perhaps the greatest changes that have taken place since the Industrial Revolution over 100 years ago. While that may be frightening to some, it is likely to be an opportunity for many others who understand its implications and embrace it.