Strive

Chapter 10The future of work

Whenever the future of work is discussed, terms like ‘artificial intelligence’, ‘augmented reality’, ‘virtual reality’ and ‘machine learning’ always seem to be thrown around. And in 2017, a Dell Technologies report documented research on the future of work completed by the Institute for the Future (IFTF). This report claims 45 per cent of the surveyed 4000 senior decision-makers from across the world said they were concerned about becoming obsolete in the next three to five years. Nearly half of the same group said they don’t know what their industry would look like in just three years’ time. These sentiments have been echoed in Gartner’s ‘Playbook for the future of work’ report, where 73 per cent of executives surveyed believed that changes will occur faster, forcing companies to go through rapid change such as restructure, cultural change, mergers or acquisitions, often simultaneously.

Broad themes in the future of work

My team and I surveyed over 2000 Australian employees, asking them to describe their current working environment. Four themes came out:

1. My job is more complex than it has ever been; I have more stakeholders and more people to consult with.
2. There is more uncertainty than ever before; I am not sure what is coming next. (This could be due to factors such as shifts in technology, changes in regulation and alterations in consumer behaviour.)
3. There is more to do; my role is broader than before, I am responsible for more things and ...