The Future Of Work And The Workers Of The Future

In the last two years, companies and human resources have found themselves having to rethink and adapt to a world of work that has changed considerably and is still changing today. 

New Challenges And Opportunities In A Constantly Evolving World

Suppose on the one hand companies are implementing new services to be ever more efficient and close to the needs of customers but also to the well-being of their collaborators, on the other hand to human resources, whether they are young candidates entering the world of work or established professionals who decide to change their lives. In that case, new skills are required beyond technical and specialist preparation.

Smart Working: A New Relationship Between Company And People

It is a fact that the world of work has profoundly changed very quickly in the last two years: and not only because most companies have adopted a remote working method – think that if in 2019, only 15% of the population worked in smart working, today the percentage has risen to 77% and the number is destined to grow further – but there has also been a significant acceleration towards an increasingly digital reality, which has opened, especially for those companies that had already embarked on a path of change and innovation, multiple potentials for development, growth, new approaches to the customer and services. To frame the context, however, a premise is necessary:

What Is Meant By Smart Working?

Smart working is a different, flexible, agile way of working, born several years ago – but of which only the current emergency has made us aware – focused not so much on where you work but on how, i.e., on how it is organized one’s business and one’s role, on how one’s objectives are achieved, on how one carries out the assigned projects. It is, in reality, a new way of interpreting the relationship between the company and its collaborators, where both actors put something at stake: The company must trust its collaborators. People must repay this trust by demonstrating a sense of responsibility.

Entrepreneurship And Emotional Intelligence As Core Competencies

The new working context certainly brings a significant acceleration of the business, with the birth of many new professionals – think of the strong development of e-commerce – and new ways of interpreting work. This allows people to be ” entrepreneurs ” of themselves, trying to lead the change rather than suffer it. To do this, specific skills are indeed needed that go beyond the technical skills of each sector – the so-called hard skills – but include all those transversal skills (soft skills):

1. flexibility,
2. resilience,
3. problem-solving skills,
4. digital skills,
5. excellent communication and listening skills,
6. capacity for analysis, self-analysis, and self-criticism,
7. ability to constantly question oneself, manage failures and criticisms,
8. great determination, enthusiasm, and positivity,
9. relational and empathic skills,
10. self-control and stress management.

Skills on which, in summary, emotional intelligence is based, i.e., the ability to recognize, understand, and consciously manage one’s own emotions and those of others, knowing how to distinguish between feelings and sensations and using this information to guide thoughts and actions, both one’s own and those of others, positively and effectively. A fundamental skill also for those with managerial roles: understanding who is in front of them is the key to discovering people’s needs and motivations, making the most of them, and improving their work experience, thus creating an ” emotionally intelligent ” work experience, i.e., more pleasant to live for everyone, employees and company.

Omnichannel Customer: An Opportunity For Companies

This strong acceleration towards an increasingly digital world has also led companies to rethink, update and modify their services to respond to customer needs in a new way. The keyword, in this context, is omnichannel, i.e., knowing how to spend on different channels for the same customer, differentiation, finding new answers and approaches for the same customer, and implementing, improving, and customizing one’s range of services.

Any Examples?

Unable to offer its traditional beauty consultancy to in-store customers, Sephora has moved the service to digital, offering them personalized online consultancy. 

The Future Of Work? The Importance Of Relationships And The Integration Of Models

There are changes, they come when we least expect it, and they will increasingly be part of our future:

1. Flexibility.
2. The ability to adapt and react.
3. A great sense of responsibility.
4. Putting yourself on the line, all become fundamental keywords to successfully face and live them as an opportunity to do new things.

But What Will The Near Future Of Work Be Like?

Which Way Of Working Will Remain In The Future?

Indeed the winning solution will be an integration between face-to-face work and intelligent working, precisely because of all the advantages that each of the two can offer and which, forced by the emergency to know, we have learned to optimize and make very effective. The presence in the office is and will remain very important for creating relationships between people, transmitting corporate values, building a team, and simply being together.

Precisely because of the importance of human relationships indeed, it is strongly recommended to create moments of connection with people even in a digital context, especially with those who have just joined the company; informal moments, where business and operations are not talked about and which, if they don’t replace the physical relationship, certainly help a lot in getting the person into the spirit of the company. 

How To Manage Social Networks, Which Have An Increasingly Significant Weight Even In The Workplace?

Social networks are also a new component that we must take note of. Personal profiles express a candidate’s personality, just as online reviews and feedback about a company contribute to its reputation in the public eye. They are, therefore, a communication channel that must be managed, certainly not as the only one but as an integral part of this new world and as an additional means available to both parties to find new resources/opportunities in different contexts from the classic selection platforms.

How Do We Interpret Turnover And The Desire/Need To Change Jobs, Even By Professionals Of A Certain Age?

Finally, with this in mind, turnover must also be experienced in its most positive facet: for companies to not fall into too much static and for people to find new opportunities. And even older people, who wish to change jobs or find themselves forced to reposition themselves on the market, must now focus no longer on their specific role in the company but on the skills they can offer in consultancy mode. This formula is undoubtedly better suited to this fluid and digital world we are living in.

Also Read: Why Can A CRM Be Beneficial For Your Business?