Four Ways The Workplace Will Transform In 2020 And Beyond

Understanding the needs of an increasingly diverse, dispersed workforce is crucial

If the past decade taught us anything, it’s that the workforce is not immune to ongoing global changes, whether across political, cultural or societal landscapes. Almost unheard of a decade ago, many traditional office workers are no longer based at a desk or working from 9 to 5, and mobile devices and social platforms are often how employees keep in touch with their organization and each other. 

From the rise in emerging technologies like AI and automation, to evolving regulations around the gig economy, we have seen a seismic shift in how the workforce operates. How can we expect the workplace to continue to transform in 2020 and beyond? 

In 2019, we saw the proliferation of “fake news” spill out of the political sphere and make its way into organizations. Companies are now battling new frontiers we’ve never seen before – from the fight against deep fakes, to “digital water coolers” running rampant among employees, to the spread of social and collaboration platforms that make it easy for anyone to spread disinformation. And all the while, employee engagement is becoming more critical, as organizations must effectively engage and retain employees to win the war for talent.

In 2020, these forces will come to a head for business leaders as they look to combat the infiltration of “fake news” and deliver a unified message to employees. Organizations will risk losing trust and transparency with their workforce unless they embrace new strategies, such as creating a single source of truth for company communications, establishing “truth ambassadors” and building mechanisms for transparency and feedback.
 

Throughout 2019, a myriad of factors forced companies to recognize the importance of ethical leadership. From employee protests and walkouts to GDPR and the data privacy troubles of companies like Facebook, ethics has become the crux of both employee satisfaction and business success. Especially with forecasts predicting a potential economic slowdown, in 2020 we will see the C-suite grasp ethical practices as a competitive advantage, revamping and restructuring corporate social responsibility programs and efforts to demonstrate their commitment. Ethical leadership will no longer be an option, but an imperative that directly impacts the bottom line, pushing companies to build ethics into policies and practices, place a renewed focus on company culture and seek ways to measure the impact of their efforts. 

We’ve all heard the talk of millennials and Gen Z taking over the workplace, and organizations can no longer ignore this seismic demographic shift when it comes to the employee experience. Businesses today are facing an employee engagement crisis, grappling with more factors and distractions among employees than ever before – from decreased attention spans to the proliferation of chat tools, social platforms and consumer-like technologies that have changed how employees consume information. With so many varied preferences, behaviors and devices across generations, organizations will need to adopt a multi-generational, multi-channel engagement strategy in order to win employees’ mindshare in 2020 and beyond. This type of approach must allow for flexibility, targeting and personalization so businesses can deliver the right message to the right demographic – and align and mobilize them. 

Communications and HR teams will adopt a data-driven approach to employee engagement and communications, one that focuses on micro-moments and behavior instead of relying on annual or even quarterly surveys. They will implement quantitative methods that correlate effectiveness of communications with business performance – from reduction of safety incidents to delivering business transformation to sales. This will allow leaders to get a real-time pulse on their organization that will be invaluable as they lead and transform their organizations for the future.

Younger generations with rising expectations are reshaping the workforce, and in order for organizations to survive and thrive amid this evolution, HR leaders need to understand and seize opportunities to better meet the needs of an increasingly diverse, dispersed workforce. Harnessing the right technology, resources and strategies that help align employees – not hinder productivity or create distractions – must be a priority for HR in 2020 and beyond.