5 Strategies to Prepare the Workforce of the Future

29th April 2022

Due to the rapid pace of technological change, organizations are trying their best to keep up. But staying up-to-date with digital innovations doesn’t mean just using the cloud, handing over routine tasks to robotic process automation (RPA), or experimenting with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Digital innovation doesn’t mean that we forget about our employees. It’s also about helping today’s employees evolve and stay relevant in the job market into tomorrow’s workers. Today, employers face the biggest question of all, “What do we need to do to build our workforce of the future?”

Here are five effective strategies you can use to help make the transitions ahead a positive experience for you, your company and your team members:

1. Effectively communicate about change

In the era of digital disruption, which is now a norm in most organizations, a continuous and uninterrupted flow of communication is fundamental. When an organization is in the midst of transition, rumors, resentment and stress among workers are quite common, the most obvious reason being that these changes can make employees feel insecure about their jobs.

According to a senior director of an organization, “Business leaders should instill the idea that digital disruption can be a positive force rather than something to fear… For example, when adopting a new system or application, explain how that technology will allow team members to work more efficiently.”

2. Provide employees with the opportunity to evolve their skills

Retraining and reskilling your employees are to date considered a big part of preparing the workforce of the future. This is indeed a good investment as providing members of the organization with access to new technologies and the associated training to help them with their work at hand can ensure a recruiting, retention and performance boost for the organizations.

Another well-known research director, Dan Schawbel, says, “Investing in your workers is smart. Retraining employees not only can help save the business money in the long run but also helps them advance in their career.”

However, one thing must be kept in mind always: retraining and reskilling is a two-way street – when companies provide support, employees also have to be willing to adapt to the changes.

3. Shun the old and follow new approaches to learning

To develop your workers for the upcoming future, you need to rethink how you train them. A once-a-year seminar or online training course can never be sufficient for the current workforce. As per the Jobs and AI Anxiety report, “Leaders need to look regularly at their professional development programs, and not rely on what’s worked in the past.”

To keep up with a rapidly changing technology and business environment, organizations must encourage continuous learning among employees and help them to enhance their knowledge and skills by providing them with the support and resources to do so — one such way is through mobile learning programs and tools, which allow employees, include those working remotely, to expand their skills from anywhere.

Try to have frequent career discussions with your employees if you want them to be prepared effectively for the new changes. Researcher Dr. Tracy Wilen recommends employers provide each team with targeted and meaningful professional development and training opportunities.

Wilen says, “Listen to what your workers want and need… Also, let them know it’s okay for them to look for new job opportunities within your organization when they feel it’s time to make a change.”

4. Delegate duties for preparing workers

When any organization undergoes disruptive digital changes, employers may not feel like delegating tasks to their team members. But what they are not aware of is that if they don’t properly distribute tasks during this time, they will rob their employees of valuable opportunities to grow professionally. This will also result in them missing out on gaining knowledge and skills which are stepping stones to their future successes. Another shortcoming of not delegating duties can also lead to burnout for the employers.

Wilen explains “Delegating work is one option for helping your team build skills… Sharing insight into how the business makes decisions, such as how it budgets for new technology investments, can be valuable.”

As an employer, you must encourage your employees to take ownership of their assignments. Stop micromanaging and let them know you welcome their ideas for improvement or suggestions for taking a different approach than you might have considered.

5. Keep an eye for tech-related stress in your team

Digital change can be exciting and a positive transformation, but there is indeed a lot of pressure on companies and their employees. Today, an organization’s increased dependency on technology negatively impacts employees with added stress as the top side effect.

Hence, employers must pay close attention to workers who are feeling stressed out by technological advancements and the changes being introduced. There must always be emphasizing the positive aspects of digital disruption.

However, keeping the positives aside, too much digital change too quickly can be hard for some employees to accept and follow. This can result in low morale where job satisfaction and productivity can suffer. And if more and more employees start feeling that way, it can act as a big drawback for the company’s organizational culture.

Conclusion

With a certificate in managing learning transfer program, you can help your employees with various effective strategies to prepare them efficiently for the future and help them evolve into workers who stay updated with the new, innovative and technological methods of the job market.

Written By : Park Jin Ae