The workplace changes for all sorts of reasons. Current events, of course, influence what’s going on in the office. Take the current pandemic; now, if we can tele-work, we are, which means that we’re relying on a lot of video and cloud tools to help us get work done. But that’s not the only influence that changes the workplace. People and what they expect from their daily work life as well as their upbringing, education, and goals all help to change the workplace.
- Right now, for example, the workforce is getting older. But that’s because Baby Boomers haven’t yet reached the retirement age — but they soon will. When that happens, the bulk of the people who work will be from age 25 to 54 — and that will happen in just a few years.
- While the age range of most of the workforce is changing, so, too, is their education level. Many more people are ending up with an advanced degree. And the ethnic makeup of employees is changing, too: It’s getting more and more diverse.
- Of course, different generations change the workforce. Millennials, for example, expect different things from work than generation X or Baby Boomers. They want flexibility and balance, and they also want to work for companies that do more than make money — they want their companies to do good. And while some people might assume that they aren’t loyal and want to switch jobs all the time, that’s not actually true.
- In addition to generational changes in the workforce, the types of jobs that people will pursue will also change dramatically. Jobs that are focused on environmental aspects of our daily living, such as those people who work in solar energy, will dramatically increase. What other changes can we watch for? This graphic helps to explain them.
