Page 9 - Industrial Technology EXTRA - Brexit Briefing

BREXIT BRIEFING

WORKPLACE PREDICTIONS FOR 2021

The Workforce Institute at UKG released its annual predictions of the top trends that will
impact the global workforce in 2021, highlighting five key opportunities in the workplace

2020’s legacy will be one of immense imperative to drive true engagement – one complex compliance landscape: Labour
disruption, but following disruption always that not only defines and differentiates an laws, workplace rules, migration policies,
comes the opportunity to refocus and organisation’s employee experience, but minimum wage, and Covid-19-related
reinvent. So said Dr. Chris Mullen, executive also unlocks an ability to embrace regulations will keep evolving.
director of The Workforce Institute at UKG. uncertainty. Trust will also extend to
“While the Covid-19 pandemic was customers and communities. Organisations do not need to wait for
unimaginable just a year ago, our 2020 regulations to be put forth to do what is right
predictions – anchored by themes of Organisations will explore new avenues to for their workforces. By exceeding the
wellness, advocacy, and empowerment – support the unique needs of their entire baselines created by governments,
now seem serendipitous. workforce, mitigate the effects of burnout, organisations can free themselves from
and best position themselves as a chasing a constantly moving target; instead,
“Organisations and their people are now destination for talent. Those that do will give they can focus squarely on creating finely
doing things they once thought impossible, trust to employees instead of making them tuned operations powered by highly
showing incredible resiliency and creativity, earn it. They will transform process and engaged workforces that have an advantage
presenting a small silver lining to a year we’d policy to imagine what’s possible when you in recruiting top talent.
otherwise wish to forget. As we look ahead assume good intentions. They will achieve
at 2021, workplaces everywhere will be more because employees will enjoy an As part of this, organisations should consider
presented with the opportunity to take the elevated experience as a stakeholder in the compliance as a piece of their overall
lessons learned from the last year to business. engagement strategy, identifying work
reimagine a better world of work for the processes that will empower employees with
future.” Compassionate and inclusive control of their own destiny while still meeting
3 management that puts employ- the needs of the business.
ees’ lives ahead of work will
1 The Great Reset: Work will be become a leadership mainstay. Physical
(re)shaped in real time as
Expectations of technology,
organisations decide which and emotional safety, mental wellness, 5 especially practical AI and
pandemic-era practices stay and go. We’re burnout, depression, isolation, social unrest, automation, will be higher than
on the verge of the Great Reset. The and political turmoil have weighed heavily on ever. The pandemic has ushered in new
circumstances of 2020 brought out the everyone. While businesses have done more technologies that have reshaped our
creativity and resiliency of workplaces than ever before to protect workers, their personal and social lives. This will put even
worldwide, as many businesses did things families, and the broader community, cracks more pressure on organisations to deliver a
they once thought impossible. With months run more deeply each month. workplace technology experience that
of data to analyse the impact of actions, over matches their employees’ consumer
the next year we’ll watch in real time as Organisations that will excel in 2021 will be technology experience.
organisations make conscious and led by compassionate and inclusive
deliberate decisions about policies, management that emphasises empathy, While many organisations have undergone
processes, and practices. wellness, and belonging. An intentional years’ worth of digital transformation in mere
approach to understanding unique months, emerging technologies face a day
They will move beyond reacting and begin to challenges specific to their own business will of reckoning: the focus on AI’s overhyped
refocus and reinvent. Which pandemic-era result in foundational solutions built on promises that may never come will be
policies will stay and go? Which will be diversity, equity, and fairness. Returning to replaced by a demand for practical AI and
refined? Which “old ways” of work will come the status quo will be insufficient. automation use cases that have an
back? The answers may take years to immediate impact on their people and
solidify, which illustrates the true future of Lastly, an influx of new Gen X CEOs and operations.
work will be steeped in the ability to embrace CXOs will bring diversity – in gender, race,
uncertainty. and thought – to executive suites. More Successful AI deployments will unburden
diverse than their Baby Boomer managers and empower employees. They
For this Great Reset, the triumvirate of the predecessors, they will be embraced as will help gauge sentiment and accelerate
CEO, CFO, and CHRO developing policies heralds of cultural change. decision-making for everyone. Organisations
that protect their people and their bottom line (and their employees) will pay closer atten-
while moving the business forward will gain Outside forces – including the tion to current and prospective technology,
a competitive edge. 4 pandemic, economy, and demanding significant value from systems
regulatory change – will push while ensuring they measurably enhance
2 Trust will become a foundational businesses to the brink. In addition to performance, productivity, and the overall
uncertainty created by the pandemic,
imperative for successful organ-
employee experience. Technologies that do
isations. While some organi- businesses face the absolute certainty that not will find themselves with a short lifespan
sations faced high-profile internal strife labour regulations will undergo a seismic as cloud-native solutions make it easier than
between employees and business leaders in shift buoyed by a new presidential ever to change vendors. Technologies must
2020, those with cultures built on trust and administration in the US and Brexit make the next leap to help executive
mutual respect thrived. In 2021, trust will be negotiations between the UK and European leadership, HR, and people managers
more broadly viewed as a foundational Union. This will create an even more enhance their employees’ lives.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA – WINTER 2021 9