From The Statesman: Whether it’s a growing start-up or an industry leader, organizations across-the-board are embracing changes and advancements to streamline and enhance work experiences. To sustain that goal, many have integrated new trends into their daily operations that result in a culture of progress that not only attracts sought-after talent, but nurtures and retains them as well.

So, what trends can we expect to drive change in an office space, now and in the future? Last year was a year of monumental change. While in 2018 we heard more about the concept of having a multistage career path, and what this means for employees and employers alike, it is evident that balancing automation with human workers, the impact of AI, and a widening talent mismatch are among the top trends that shape the workplace ecosystem in 2019.

Constant Digital Disruption as a Norm
Keeping up with technology constantly can often be daunting. However, employees today expect a high level of digital sophistication. Employers must address this by adopting the right tools and technologies, helping employees manage their use and expectations around technologies, and providing the leadership to help the company adopt and adapt to emerging innovations in the industry.

Train—Anytime and Anywhere
When companies don’t offer meaningful opportunities to learn and progress, employees move on. Relevant, timely, and on-demand training opportunities will be an important retention strategy for 2019 and beyond. Dedicated learning experience platforms are also poised to become more popular as employers realize the benefits of employees engaging with a holistic learning environment to help them advance.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
While organizations today do incorporate technology as a formal part of their workforce, 2019 will witness organizations rapidly trying to embrace AI. Agile workers and AI are the fastest-growing workforce segments in the industry at the moment. However, far from replacing humans in the workforce, AI opens up more job requirements, delivering even greater value.

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)
Given the recent changes in cultural and socioeconomic cultures, it is imperative that businesses focus on D&I to entice a broader talent pool. Introducing wide-ranging perspectives is a key ingredient in innovation and can often drive better business decision-making.

The Company Culture
The state of workplace culture is key for candidates evaluating job opportunities. Candidates today look for opportunities that allow them to grow, but in a healthy and empathetic work environment. It’s important for companies to share external messaging that accurately and authentically captures their work environment if they aim to entice a talent pool.

Generational Shifts
Over the last five years, millennials have taken up leadership roles and strategic positions across companies and organizational levels. In 2019, the first line of Gen-Z professionals is set to enter the workplace. At the same time, Baby Boomers are being out-skilled and are retiring rapidly, leading to a significant skills shortage while introducing leadership challenges.

Every year, evolving employee requirements reshape and reinvent how an organization approaches workforce management. For 2019, a digitally savvy workforce coupled with change in the work environment will be among the top determining factors for a strategic rethink. Only workplaces that continue to evolve, prioritize agility and inclusiveness, and remain steadfast on long-term sustainability will withstand the challenges of the modern-day workplace.

Adapted from The Statesman; read the complete article HERE. Keshava Raju is the CEO & Co-Founder of IIHT.

      
Karetta Hubbard and Lynne Revo-Cohen are founding partners of NewPoint Strategies, LLC. They are national experts on the full range of high-risk employment issues. Each has more than thirty years of consulting, lecturing, and managing experience. www.newpoint.biz