Right now, we are seeing the evolution of employees first-hand.
Jacob Morgan, a contributor from Forbes, wrote the following article describing
the common employee traits 10 years ago compared to current employee trends “Employee Evolution”.
As time and technology move forward, so do the needs and wants of employees; so
it is critical for companies to also adapt to meet the desires of employees in
order to acquire new and retain existing talent.
A few of the employee traits we see more and more frequently
as recruiters (taken from Jacob Morgan’s list of past and future employee
traits) are:
Past
- Work 9-5
- Work in a corporate office
- Use company equipment
- Focused on input
- Climb the corporate ladder
- Knowledge-focused
- Hoards information
Future
- Flexible work schedule
- Work from anywhere
- Use any device
- Focused on output
- Create your own path (career customization)
- Adaptive, learning-focused
- Shares information (learn and teach)
As shown above, employees are growing on their own as well
as with the help of their employer and peers. The wealth of information now available
to everyone allows for both personal and professional progression, and helps
the development of the people they work with. It has become more common for
employees to connect and share information, and they are doing so through
technology that will allow them to learn as they work and to share and teach
others what they learn. In essence, all employees can grow to become leaders as
their voice will be heard by their colleagues.
The traditional corporate framework is still intact, but the
ways in which employees can attain new types of work or roles in companies are
changing. The days of starting at the bottom and climbing up the corporate
ladder in order to gain a desired position are coming to an end. Through attainment
of transferable skills, the ability to learn on the go, and customized work through
collaboration and innovation, employees can move through positions and acquire the
type of work they are interested in.
Thanks to our ability to stay connected, flexibility has
become another major player in the evolution of employees. Work and life are
becoming more integrated as the traditional 9-5 workday is fading; it seems
that the days of only being able to accomplish work tasks from a cubicle at the
office are now behind us. Integration is allowing employees to find balance in
ways that are more appropriate for their chosen lifestyles with the ability to
work anytime, anywhere from phones, tablets or laptops. A variety of companies
are implementing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies in tandem with software
solutions that provide information protection, giving employees the freedom to
do get their work done from devices of their preference. Policies such as these
need to be well thought out and follow the compliance and regulatory needs of
the company. Many companies are finding that flexibility is creating happier
and more productive employees, with the understanding that employees who are
able to accommodate their personal lives at work will also make accommodations
to meet their work requirements when out of the office.
Times are changing in the world of business, both in the
ways that business is conducted and in the employees that conduct said
business. While not all companies are in the position to accommodate to all the
desires of their employees, there is one thing that is essential: Companies
must engage and empower their employees with the ability to progress. In other
words, to get the most value from employees, companies must truly value them.