Technology and social interactions have already changed our work arrangements and work roles. Consequently, in order to attract top employees, rethinking the structure of work should be #1 priority for employers today.
Fortunately, there are many SMEs and even big corporations who are trying to help build better workplaces for modern employees. If a company follows the evolving needs of the employees, they will not only get the work done but will open new business perspectives as well. To challenge the convention of how we work and how we lead takes time, but it is the only way forward.
All things considered, the workforce is evolving and bellow are five examples of how we need to address them.
🌍 Truly Flexible Work
According to UpWork – Future of Work Report, hiring managers are expecting 168% increase in the amount of work done by the flexible talent in 10 years. Managers are aware that it isn’t just how many hours you sit in a chair, but how much you produce.
As an example, StackExchange puts their employees’ independence on the top of their values. They put a great amount of effort to pick the right people, but afterward the management trust you to work on your own. Whether team members are in the office, a coffee bar or at home in bed, they have total freedom to make decisions about their tasks. Starting from their first day at their job.
Their management made a working model, with which they are certain that their employees will perform. They’ve done their homework so they can rely their business activities on their colleagues, no matter their physical location.
🎯 From Ladder to Lattice
Usually, when you start your new job, you are required to go through the corporate ladder and wait up to 3 or 4 years to reach a position that you are happy with. However, with these new changes happening in the future of work, we are no longer obliged to do that. With the freelance opportunities and the new platform economy, professionals are forming their own career paths inside the businesses.
Even in 2005, Deloitte implemented the MCC strategy (Mass Career Customization Program) where they offered their employees to make a change in their work preferences twice a year. Not only was there no negative impact on client service, but some clients were interested in what they could learn from Deloitte’s experience.
🤗 Sharing is growing
Did you know that Google encourages intrapreneurship by offering their workforce a 20% time on developing personal projects related to the business?
Given that benefit, one of the biggest tools from Google, Gmail was created, by Paul Buchheit. He created a tool with increased storage capacity and search function – the first of its kind from email service providers. Today, Gmail is one of the most used email platforms and all thanks to one employee who got the chance to be creative.
Going forward, any employee could have an idea valuable to the business, but management should be ready to implement it in the first place.
🔑 Adaptive Learning is the Key
Working in a modern business in today’s globalized world, you have access to all the knowledge in the world. With the AI advances, we are going to access information and build our business intelligence on a totally different level.
But do we have all the answers? Do top managers have the solution to every challenge?
One truly amazing example is how Hubspot implemented their “Learning lunches’, where they encourage employees to have lunch with their competition. Their cultural code:
“Take someone smart out for a meal. Learn something. Expense it. No approval needed. No limits. No rules. Use good judgment.“
They figured out that insights from people in their employee network could solve key business challenges faster. This novelty, gave their employees a new perspective, one that built a practice to adapt to new working conditions. The adaptability to learn, every day, means to be agile and ready to grab all those opportunities around the corner.
This leads me to my last point.
🥇 All Employees could be Leaders
All these previous points are leading to this one. With the collaboration and social tools that we have at our disposal, we have the ability to be leaders.
Think about the power of the influencer’s voice on social media platforms, like Facebook, Youtube or Twitter.
Imagine having that same voice inside a company?
If managers start to share the leadership positions with their employees, then progress will come faster than expected.
At TopMindz we recognise these values of the evolving employee.
As a matter of fact, we are matching developers with companies who share those same values.
If you are a developer searching for a job of your preference, join our platform and we will contact you when we find your perfect match.