Future of Work – Demystified

Do what you love.

We’ve all heard this phrase from many people, but most of us couldn’t find jobs that we loved doing 365 days a year.

In 2017, innovation expert David Lee gave a TED Talk on “Why jobs of the future won’t feel like work”. In that talk, he pointed out people’s concern about moving to a jobless future and how technology will open new opportunities that people would love to work on.

He said that we still work with a factory mindset even in the technology-driven world. We create jobs around singular repetitive tasks like cashier, loan processor, and taxi driver and expect people to build their whole careers around them. 

Even though technological advancements like self-driven cars, machines that read X-rays, and chatbots that respond to customer-service inquiries will improve productivity and enhance our lifestyle, they will replace humans in singular repetitive tasks.

With AI and automation, the offices of the future will feel less like jobs where we have to show up daily and more like video games we’re excited to play.

Humans will have a chance to use their creative muscles, imaginative power, and problem-solving skills, which ignite the fuel for innovation.

In this article, we look closer at what the future of work would look like. As talent acquisition leaders, how can you unlock this future and guide your organization towards a paradigm shift that blurs the line between work and passion?

Reasons Why Jobs of the Future Won’t Feel Like Work

Unlike the past two mass job extinctions, which took 100 years to transition from farm to factory economy and then another 60 years to move to service economy, this time, we do not have that much time. Technology will transform the entire job market in 10-15 years. 

Here are a few reasons jobs in the future won’t feel like work: 

Let AI do the manual work: Automation of Repetitive Tasks

In the ever-evolving work landscape, automation of simple repetitive tasks is a transformative shift that holds tremendous potential. While it may initially spark concerns about job displacement, the true impact on humans is far more nuanced. 

Imagine a cashier who spends hours mechanically scanning products and processing payments. Through automation, self-checkout systems can seamlessly handle this repetitive task, allowing cashiers to engage in more meaningful interactions with customers. 

This empowers them to provide personalized recommendations, address specific needs, and create memorable experiences. 

Similarly, customer support agents can rely on AI-powered chatbots to handle routine queries, freeing time to tackle complex and emotionally nuanced customer issues. 

By automating these repetitive tasks, humans can elevate their roles and focus on creativity, problem-solving, and empathetic connections that machines cannot replicate. 

Ultimately, the automation of repetitive tasks enables us to redefine work. This transforms it into a realm where humans can thrive by leveraging their unique abilities and creating fulfilling experiences. These unique abilities of humans will become the skills of the future.

Get Quiet Hired at Your Job: The New Workplace Trend

In his talk, David Lee mentioned a survey he conducted for a large bank that was trying to incorporate innovation into its culture. 

They conducted a prototyping challenge and asked all their employees to build whatever they wanted using any or all of their skills.

The experiment was to find each employee’s weekend version. This is because everybody is creative until they return on Monday to become HR Specialists or System Analysts—the same old boring jobs. 

The results were shocking. Lee found that each employee has skills that can be used in other departments to ignite innovation and growth. However, these skills were suppressed because the controlled job environment doesn’t allow expansion.

By retaining and upskilling employees, businesses can save money on payroll and recruitment costs.

Hybrid Work Setting Will be the New Normal

Hybrid work settings are poised to become the next normal. A recent Accenture survey found that 83% of respondents reported that the ideal human-centric working environment would be a hybrid workplace model.

In fact, the flexible work environment ranks third behind pay and career opportunities in factors that affect job satisfaction.

Imagine a scenario where individuals have the flexibility to work from home, eliminating stressful commutes and allowing for a healthier work-life balance. 

At the same time, they can enjoy the occasional in-person interactions and collaborations in a shared workspace. 

Gartner, in their future of work insights, found that recruiters in human-centric flexible work environments are: –

• 3.1x more likely to see low fatigue levels among employees

• 3.2x more likely to experience high stay intent

• 3.8x more likely to exhibit high performance

This hybrid approach will nurture a sense of autonomy and trust, empowering individuals to unleash their full potential. It acknowledges each individual’s unique needs and preferences, fostering a happier, more engaged workforce.

Transitioning into Career 4.0

Career 4.0 marks a paradigm shift from traditional career models. 

In Career 1.0, people typically follow one path, which may or may not be the same as their parents’. They spend their lives doing that same job, probably in the same company for decades. This approach offers stability and predictability but limited opportunities for exploration and growth. 

Career 2.0 emerged as a response to changing dynamics, with individuals seeking new challenges by switching employers to diversify their experiences and accelerate their growth. However, it still revolved around a fixed trajectory within a single industry. 

In Career 3.0, people prioritize their passions and personal fulfilment, jumping into entrepreneurship or pursuing non-traditional career paths. 

Unlike our grandparents and parents, in Career 4.0, today’s individuals traverse a dynamic landscape. They collaborate with diverse companies and cultures while passionately pursuing their unique talents. 

For instance, many expert developers are joining with platforms like Supersourcing. This allows them to diversify their portfolio by working on different projects for different companies. This keeps the work challenging and exciting at the same time. It also allows them to work on their passion. It’s a multitasking generation who wants to do everything they ever wanted to do in this life.

Enter the Metaverse – Where Work Becomes Play

Working in the metaverse will be the next big step in remote work normalization. Teams will meet in their organization’s customized virtual office spaces to meet, socialize, and brainstorm via their personal avatars.

A gamified experience will blur the lines between in-person meetings and remote collaborations in the metaverse. 

Imagine a world where your office is a vibrant playground, where creativity flows effortlessly, and collaboration transcends geographical constraints. It’s like stepping into a virtual wonderland, where passion and purpose intertwine, creating an immersive and fulfilling work environment.

With limitless possibilities in the metaverse, it might not feel like work at all.

Chief People Officers’ Role in Reshaping the Future of Work

HR is no longer a support function. It is now becoming a strategic partner to the business, relevant to each department. However, fulfilling that role would require a transformation of HR itself.

Out of all of these, HR has an opportunity to continue to improve in people analytics.

Companies have unused data on their employees’ performance, which they can use effectively to drive performance.

These insights will help organizations separate themselves from the crowd, for example, by understanding whether a given company has a problem with attrition and, if so, whether that’s in certain job families, locations, or for specific types of employees.

Times are changing, and the time to act is now.

The Future of Work is a complex beast and HR leaders have to figure out ways to connect employees’ value over time. 

Jobs will not feel like work because they focus on unlocking humans’ hidden talents and passions. Leadership must rediscover what makes us human and create human-centred jobs that best leverage those talents. 

You don’t have to wait 10-15 years for the job market to change. You can start developing those skills now and act fast. Because the future of work will be tasks AI cannot accomplish for now.

However, CEOs worldwide are concerned about answering today’s biggest question. This will affect how the future of work takes shape: How can we bring tech back into contact with humanity?