The future of work: part 1

A to Z skills necessary to stay relevant in the office of the future

Anyone who reads posts titles ‘Why big data transform will end your professional career’, ‘Jobs robots will take first’ and ‘Jobs artificial intelligence will replace’ media will be exposed to the idea that, as the digital age takes hold, more and more jobs will be replaced by robotics.  This is compounded in countries where there are strong trade unions and above inflation salary expectations as employers in these markets often look for ways to reduce their dependence on people and increase technology.

This leads to the question “will my job get replaced by a robot, and if it does, what will I do?”  (We will cover the ‘what will I do” part in the next article.)

If your job has a high level of repetition and routine, there is a good chance that it could be performed by a robot or artificial intelligence.  Think the AI bot that provides sales and service[1] or even the Chatbot that tells you about the weather, helps with homework or helps you to decide what to wear in the morning.[2]

So what jobs are likely to be more sustainable?  The answer is simple – its any job that requires a human reaction, some emotion or a higher level of deductive reasoning.

So, how can you future proof yourself?  What skills do you need to start developing for the future world of work?

Here’s an A-Z list of skills that you need to develop to remain relevant in the technology-enhanced working world of the future:

Attitude – a good attitude goes a long way.

Big data understanding – how to collect it, how to analyse it and how to use the information gleaned from it effectively.

Cope with change – however you do it you need a reliable personal strategy to deal with the constant rate of change.

Deductive reasoning – and an ability to research and consider all the facts before making decisions and solving problems.

Digital literacy – being a power user of all things digital is a basic skill.  Being able to programme is increasingly becoming a necessity as well.

Emotional intelligence – Managing others and your own emotions effectively is a vital skill.

Flexibility – change is a reality and you need to be able to adjust quickly.

Gig economy embracement – In the future non-permanent work will be desirable and empowering.  The traditional, job-monogamy is becoming less and less desirable.  The gig economy gives you flexibility and a way to grow and determine your own work conditions.

Help others – always.  Offer to coach a youth, mentor a new comer.  Help a colleague.  Work as a team and be involved.

Innovative- come up with creative solutions to real world challenges.

Judgement making skills- ensure fairness for all.

Knowledge sharing- empower others (knowledge retention is an unreasonable power strategy)

Lifelong learning– never assume you know it all.  Never stop learning.  Take a short course and broaden your mind.

Mobility– many of us will be working from home or even different cities or countries in the future.  The age of the digital nomad is a reality.

Negotiation skills- broker the best win/win situation for all parties.  (Winner takes all strategies are no longer viable or popular.)

Open to new ideas and willingness to share ideas for the benefit and growth of all.

People management –Help others can grow and develop and achieve their best so that the company (if you work for one) can remain profitable.

Question- don’t just accept. This way you will build a deeper understanding of activities around you, which will deepen your knowledge and make you more indispensable.

Resilience – to cope with change and withstand pressure.  To be the best you can be.  Always.

Service orientation – because we all will be either serving a customer or serving someone who serves a customer.  So, do it right.

Team work – the future is being part of a fully functioning high performance and self-determining team.  Know your preferred team role and play it with passion.

Understand the business – know what your company stands for, what its goals are and how you can contribute.

Value system that is ethical, fair to all and non-discriminatory

Work-life balance is essential so that you keep both your personal and work life in a happy place.

Xcel at all you do (okay I know that’s cheating – what future skill can you think of that starts with X?)

Xray-vision  to be able to see through the symptoms of a problem and get to the cause, so that solutions can be found quickly.

Yakka – which is Australian aboriginal slang for hard work.  Know that it really will not kill you.

Zealousness – have passion for what you do.  And if you don’t have passion find something else before you slip into a rut and find yourself unemployed.

What other skills can you think of?  Where would you slot them in – lets collaborate and build an even bigger list of essential skills for survival.  Chartallcampus.com is building short and punchy online courses to address these 21^st century skills – so by sharing your ideas you can help us train the right skills at the right time.

References:

[1] https://medium.com/the-mission/10-real-examples-how-brands-are-using-chatbot-for-customer-service-4fbb5e4617f3

[2] https://www.newgenapps.com/blog/top-11-examples-of-chatbots-trending-in-2017