There is no doubt that the presence of automation and AI within the workplace will have continued to increase over coming years, but humans will still be integral to business operations. This being said, influenced by digitalisation, demographic change, and evolving social values, the typical workforce of 2025 will have distinct differences to those of today.

Here are the six defining features of the future workforce:

Internal crowdsourcing will replace much outsourcing

Empowered by globalisation, the future human workforce will be more decentralised and globally distributed than ever before. Nonetheless, through the use of digital tools, such as unified communications, all end-users across an organisation will be available to contribute and offer their expertise on a project in real-time, regardless.

Open collaboration will benefit all

With a greater ability to communicate across the entire global organisation, workforce 2025 will promote a culture of open sharing and collaboration between colleagues. Better dialogue within the workforce will see problems remedied far quicker, and issues that are directly created by a lack of communication will have less of an impact.

Internal communications platforms will become valuable resources to businesses, by enabling the workforce to share information and contribute to discussions with ease and speed.

Fully flexible and responsive

Enabled by digital technologies, workforce 2025 will be completely flexible, with individuals fulfilling their roles from any place, at any time. Connecting from personal as well as organisational devices, the future workforce will be able to instantly react to new opportunities and unforeseen circumstances.

Businesses will see widespread benefits from enabling a fully mobile workforce, no more so than attracting the best talent to the organisation. By 2025, flexible working will be seen as an essential, not a benefit, and will be a determining factor when people assess potential employers.

Integration, across cultures and generations

As various cultures continue to integrate within single societies, the workforce will in turn become similarly diverse. The workforce of the future will be built around a global mindset – intercultural awareness, and respect for the differences that exist between religions and nationalities.

Today there are five generations in the workplace. By 2025, it will be imperative for businesses to effectively manage the differences that ensue from this generational diversity. With every voice heard and respected, workforce 2025 will be empowered from maximising the individual qualities of each generation.

Individual values will replace the collective

Driven by the influence of social media and personal branding, workforce 2025 will consist of individuals on their own chosen path, rather than a path chosen for them by their employer. Coined as the protean career, the future worker’s professional life will be managed, defined, and evaluated from their own subjective perspective.

Self-fulfilment and psychological factors that are unique to the individual will become the ultimate measures of success, rather than external measures such as salary or promotions. Businesses will have to prioritise meaningful work in order to satisfy and retain their staff.

Continuous learning will be paramount

Workforce 2025 will find fulfilment through self-improvement, and by learning and developing new skills. Single, vertical careers based around one discipline will come less popular, with workers instead favouring the option to have multiple careers and focuses, due to an increased life expectancy and retirement age. Businesses will have to develop an infrastructure that enables staff to broaden their abilities, and move horizontally within the business with greater ease.

The desire to continually develop skills will also be influenced by the pressures of technological development. Automation and AI will become increasingly commonplace in the workplace – replacing human staff at times. As a result, workers will have to become more agile and adaptable in their careers to remain relevant and useful.

These may be features that define the workforce of 2025, but that doesn’t mean to say that none are occurring in workplaces today – change is already happening, and accelerating.

Smart businesses will push forward and take the initiative by embracing aspects of workforce 2025, today. Embracing the future of work will guarantee a more adaptive and reactive workforce, ensuring that your business remains relevant in a changing world.

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