The future of work: how technology and COVID-19 have affected practices

The future of work is looking uncertain, with leaders and organisations trying to get ahead of the curve posed by recent change. Andrea Tham, Gilbert and Tobin's head of capability development and change, spoke with The HR Leader about things that are being done to keep up with an evolving workforce.

According to the World Economic Forum in its Future of Jobs Report 2020, half of all employees across the world will need reskilling by 2025. Rapid and continuous learning are essential to staying up to date.

“A recent McKinsey report says the pandemic has pushed companies and consumers to rapidly adopt new behaviours. They're likely to stick around. Those include things like remote work and meetings, e-commerce, automation, and AI,” explained Ms Tham.

“Learning has always been important in the development of talent, enabling efficiency. But we haven't actually been asked, ‘Hey, what exactly do my people want now?’ And when it comes to their work and staying in this organisation, what pulls those levers?”

Adapting to the shift is just as much about listening to employee wants and needs as it is reinventing the learning experience.

“It really is about how living and working through the pandemic and subsequent economic and social changes have prompted individuals to prioritise flexibility and individual fulfilment,” said Ms Tham.

“They're looking for organisations who are able to meet those needs and understand how human behaviour and the nature of work have changed.”

However, it appears that workplaces are getting the message, and employee needs are being considered as we navigate these unprecedented times.

“Organisations are always re-examining these strategies, the value, the culture. And now it's being steered by these new demands from employees themselves,” explained Ms Tham.

“Amid this massive transformation, learning and development has a new mandate to really lead the way and become its best self possible.”

This change has resulted in a call for a renewed focus on growth and purpose. This is where learning and development comes in — prioritising these aspects of business can greatly benefit both the employee and employer.

“Learning [and development] leaders are knocking down traditional silos to collaborate on the more holistic vision for HR,” said Ms Tham. “I truly feel that companies that can create that tailored, authentic experience to strengthen the employee purpose, listen to what they're asking for, and ignite their energy and culture will really be able to create that change and elevate organisation-wide performance.”

One of the ways companies are pushing for greater focus on growth and purpose is by utilising social media. The term ‘collaborative learning’ has been recognised as a positive outcome of proper use of social media. Blogs, Wiki, Twitter, and instant messaging are all great ways to not only increase branding and marketing for a company, but improve general corporate communication. Learning has become more agile, on demand, personalised, and digital.

However, if a company is to introduce these platforms, it must be handled with care as not to interrupt the employee’s rhythm. If people aren’t happy with the change implemented, it will likely be a failure.

“When you've got that artificial element and you're trying to insert something that is not really part of the way that people are working in that organisation or the way that they're even interacting, then it starts to feel a little bit artificial, stifled, and people are not necessarily going to consume it in the way that you planned it to be,” outlined Ms Tham.

“Best laid plans don't happen the way that you plan. Are we trying to funnel people down a path where they're not ready to go? Are you creating artificial avenues or additional processes and procedures, which really don't need to be there? Or are you actually stepping back and really taking an opportunity to understand what your people are saying?”

The transcript of this podcast episode, when quoted above, was slightly edited for publishing purposes. The full conversation with Andrea Tham is below.