Work as we knew it 2 years ago has drastically changed. Is it good or bad? Who knows? But one thing is for sure. Those that can understand the direction and changes that are happening will be in the best position to take advantage of the transformation
One way to get a handle on the direction of the marketplace is to stay on top of the multitude of surveys that are being done. These surveys reveal a very different mind-set of the current work force. It’s driven by the workers themselves rather than by the organizations that employ them. Available surveys: Labor Department, Harris Poll, CNBC. SurveyMonkey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Catalyst, Office-Together, Protocol, and others
Here’s some of the trends. Translate these trends to your current situation, then look to the future implications:
- Up to 50% of workers want to make a career change
- 4 million Americans left their jobs in August, 2021
- The reasons? 41% say their company does not understand their issues nor have a plan to accommodate their individual needs. 76% say their want their company to make their work permanently flexible.
- 41% are looking for remote or flexible work. 39% want a raise/promotion. 33% want a change of industries out of hospitality, retail, health care and food service
- 22% of workers want to start their own business
- 65% of working women say the pandemic has made things worse for them.
- Men are more likely to quit (50% versus 30%) because their companies are not concerned about them, nor are their managers (44% versus 29%)
- These issues revolve around working parents, their children, child-care, school concerns, conflicting schedules, and governmental inconsistencies.
- While 54% of working parents site this as a major consideration for leaving their jobs, only 29% of men and 25% single women express the same concerns.
- Just under 60% of working parents with children state they are “burnt-out” from managing their children’s educational needs during Covid-10
- 53% of working parents say that their organizations are just beginning to respond to their issues, but they’re in a catch-up mode, not ahead of the issues
- Currently 57% of workers go into an office setting once a week. 24% go to the office twice a week and only about 10% of employees go to the office 4 or 5 days a week.
- Tech companies will host smaller holiday parties this year or forgo them altogether.
- 77% of IT and computer companies say they require remote-work monitoring software
- Remote workers that are monitored spend 3 or more hours each day on non-related work (53%) but found that 81% using employee monitoring software have increased productivity
- If you haven’t kept up with technology in your field, you’re already behind.
So, where is all this headed? I have no idea, but you can see a trend beginning to form. The trend is a shared compromise between workers and their employers. Those who refuse to compromise will be left out of the surge of opportunities that are bound to occur.
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