Barely a week passes without a new article on the future of work and in general, these pieces will focus on technological innovation and how it will enable different working practices.
However, I look at the future of work not in relation to how technology can empower us, but in terms of the freedoms we’ll have. I like to imagine an environment where anyone can have any career they want, whenever they want to. A future where changing career and working in different roles is as normal as being a life-long single-career professional. One where long career breaks are seen as of comparable value to working because of the new experiences and transferable skills that are gained during these breaks. A future where you can work when and how you need to.
This future of work is possible and can be built with empowerment, empathy and, crucially, imagination.
Empowerment: The pandemic propelled the technology industry years into the future; almost overnight we were empowered to work from home with collaboration and communication technologies. Through self-leadership and job empowerment people quickly learnt new ways of working – and they flourished. As a result productivity increased for over 55% of workers according to Deloitte1. Empowering people to work from wherever they want is a foundation for our future of work.
Empathy: Rather than being a fluffy nice-to-have, empathy is critical to build working cultures with diverse thinking, accountability and problem solving – some of the key requirements of work in the future. Being empathetic means having the curiosity to ask questions to learn more about the person and their environment. Building a culture of empathy means people can make mistakes and learn together, people feel the work they do is valued and that they are part of a trusted connected community.
Imagination: Our working life has been transforming thanks to technology, but we need as much imagination to create our future of work as we’ve done to develop technology. The way we work has become less flexible not least due to compliance, laws and employee contracts. It will take imagination to create a world where someone learns, gains experience and be an accountant, and then change careers, not just once but maybe several times. Employer contracts will change from hours worked and a list of responsibilities to solving problems, improving how things work.
As Gandi may (or may not) have said, it’s important to “be the change you want to see in the world”. These three values are key to how I hire and how our team works together at Wise & Zeal, so for us at least, the future of work is a reality in the here and now.
