Changes in the working world of the future

The world of work is constantly changing, more so now than ever.  New technologies and business models, as well as social developments, determine the future of work: the focus is on knowledge growth, digitisation, globalisation and demographic change.

HR must accompany the trend of digitisation and align workplaces with new opportunities in the future. Employees are increasingly reacting sceptically to the digital transformation and the spread of digital technologies in everyday life. For HR, it is important to accept this challenge and to introduce people sensitively to the possibilities that digitisation brings with it. New technologies and processes pose many challenges for employees. Human Resources is responsible for sustainably anchoring “lifelong learning” with processes so that employees can continuously learn new knowledge, especially in the workplace, and digitisation helps with this.

In times of demographic change, forecasts suggest that the trend will be the ageing of the population, as the number of people of working age decreases and this number will continue to decline significantly. Many companies run the risk of no longer finding employees and HR should act quickly to find solutions. By working closely with the executives of a company, you act as an important interface between human resources and corporate management. Globalisation is expanding the tasks of Human Resources. In the future, there will no longer be a few, but many countries that will contribute to global growth. As a result, companies are becoming increasingly independent of individual locations and employees who cannot be found in one place are being sought in other places.

4 important trends this year

Digitisation in the world of work

In order to properly control virtual teams in the home office and to strive for an efficient way of working, artificial intelligence is to be used in addition to various communication tools and the obligatory software in order to enable regular exchange in the team. Thanks to virtual and augmented reality, e-learning and team building, the application possibilities are very diverse. In the recruiting sector, too, new opportunities arise from algorithms on recruiting platforms or in application apps. This form of recruiting offers HR new ways to find suitable applicants for an open position in the company and accelerates the process. Digital skills are promoted through digital learning platforms and employees gain more understanding of the digital world of technologies.

Lifelong learning

As already mentioned, it is the responsibility of HR to anchor “lifelong learning” in the company. Companies are becoming more and more employee oriented. In the HR area, it is important to be able to act agilely and flexibly, design processes efficiently and to provide suitable tools and resources. The following questions are of great importance for human resources in an employee-oriented company: What do my employees, managers and teams think? How do you feel? What problems are highlighted in virtual work? Which tools are advantageous in the home office and what communication difficulties are there in the company?

Diversity Benefits

HR has the responsibility to promote employees with their qualifications, experience and competencies and to bring them together in a meaningful team. In order to make home office working successful, it is essential to know the employees well and to know how their competencies and interests can be used most efficiently and best. Diversity management strengthens productivity and morale and has a positive impact on employee satisfaction. Teams are more efficient, more motivated and can increase their innovative strength through a variety of experiences. However, diversity not only promotes productivity, but also behaviour at work in terms of respect, tolerance, understanding and cooperation within the company.

Authenticity and error culture

Transparency and honesty: For HR managers, it is important to convey authentically that every employee has the opportunity to present his or her thoughts openly. Especially in times of crisis, it is necessary to maintain team spirit and allow mistakes. Authenticity in employee management has top priority here. Employees need to be heard in order to create a strong team dynamic and an open corporate culture with virtual teams. It is important to take feedback seriously and to recognise warning signs at an early stage. A functioning feedback culture is a prerequisite for self-responsibility and self-organisation.

Further future trends for HR work

Gartner, a world-leading American research and consulting firm conducted a study on the future trends after COVID-19. These trends and topics will occupy companies in the future:

More employees work remotely

Increased use of temporary workers

Advanced data collection

Employers as a social safety net

Separation of critical roles and skills

(De-) Humanisation of work

Crisis Response distinguishes first-class employer brands

Companies attach great importance to resilience and efficiency

Companies are becoming more complex

Why is translation an important part of HR transformation?

With workforces expanding outside of the office environment, so too are the markets employees and contractors are located in, not to mention customers they help to service.

ALM has always been at the forefront of providing translation services for customers with unique needs, and our linguistic services designed specifically for HR departments are helping organisations to adapt to increasingly more globalised and tech-driven processes.

Get in touch and find out more about our linguistic services today.