The changes that have happened in the workplace over the last year or so have been astounding. But it’s not just the Coronavirus pandemic that has had a big impact on the way we work. Changes have been occurring for a number of years now, and the pandemic seems to have accelerated that change, both for the better and the worse.

Change should be organic
Many companies feel that changes in workplace practice should be a slow build and organic process, but the pandemic has highlighted the need for fast and rapid adaptability to business pressures. Businesses with a high rate of adaptability and innovation seem to have fared better during this epidemic, but how will they over the coming decade or further?

Here we look at how the world of work and workplaces has changed and will continue to change as we go into a new decade.

More employees will have advanced degrees
Never before in human history have people had such wide access to advanced education and, with more and more people taking up the opportunity to learn no matter what their age, the world of work will definitely look different with more employees having advanced degrees.

The workplace will likely see a big expansion in people who have studied in specific areas, and businesses will benefit from employing graduates who have gone through a specialist degree programme to get a specific role.

Team-based working will put management under stress
There has been a lot of chatter in business circles in the last few years about how important it is to work in teams to achieve a goal. The explosion in co-working and cross-team communication has exposed a curious issue in businesses: the lack of requirement for middle managers.

The benefits of teamwork are clear for all to see; teams are full of people with specific skills to do their job who can work with contrasting skills to make up a really strong group of people. What this means for middle management is a lack of need for teams to be specifically managed. The benefit to middle managers is that teams require good leadership, and this could be a great evolution opportunity for them.

9-5 is a thing of the past
The Coronavirus pandemic has forced more businesses to embrace and adopt remote working, and there has been a gradual realisation that the traditional Monday to Friday 9 to 5 working pattern may not be the most efficient working pattern possible.

While it is widely recognised that the workforce needs specific set hours to avoid becoming burnt out and overworked, more and more businesses realise that perhaps moving to a deadline-based model instead of an hourly-based model is better for their bottom line.

As businesses change and adapt the way they work, adopting new timetables may be one of the benefits that we see in the future. Many businesses are considering moving over to flexible working with a core hours model rather than a traditional model, and it remains to be seen whether this is workable on a larger scale and long-term.

Globalised businesses will take a localised approach
It’s often been said that the world is becoming a smaller place thanks to globalisation, and with more businesses taking on the mantle of becoming globalised, this is having an interesting effect on local communities.

The UK, for example, follows an interesting path of adopting Americanisms in both society and business. While this is not always a bad thing, more businesses are waking up to the realisation that being globalised doesn’t necessarily mean being homogenous. Having a global branding message that is translated both in language and in culture to a more localised model could be one of the biggest beneficial changes we see in businesses going local from here onwards.

Being sensitive to different cultures and how different countries think and feel about certain topics will allow businesses to operate worldwide while keeping all of their audience happy and comfortable with their marketing approach.

Digital skills will take over from experience
Just 20 years ago, somebody could leave school having never touched a computer or a laptop, and the idea of a smartphone was a thing of the distant future. These days, the excuse of not being computer or technology literate is becoming less and less viable in today’s digitised world.

Potential employees and candidates who refuse to move with the digital times could find themselves marginalised from jobs as more and more businesses look towards digital skills over experience and tenure. While not all businesses will be focused specifically on digital skills, interpersonal skills are still important; it will become more important to be comfortable with digital and advanced technology. Businesses are not held back by employees who refused to join the 21st century.

Barriers to work will be torn down
Technology is not just useful for business, but advancements in technology to help disabilities also play a major role in business over the next decade. It has been a well-known fact that neurodiverse people have a different outlook on the world and can be a huge asset to companies; however, the challenges that go along with neurodiversity can prove difficult for some companies to overcome. Using assistive technologies is a great way to integrate nearby diversity into your business and gain the rewards of hiring people with a different outlook on life.

This article first appeared in Eastern Eye and is reproduced with kind permission.