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New Work is Changing How We View Employees

New Work is Changing How We View Employees

Automation, digitalization, and AI lurking from the desk drawers can fool us into thinking that a decent employee is a relic of the past. Nothing could be further from the truth. With the great potential of the constant development in the digital world, comes a great responsibility of the companies to embrace it. New Work is changing the way we view employees.

Having developed an understanding of what the “New Work” concept is, let’s take a look at how to make use of that potential in the workplace.

Self-development & professional development

The constant change in the world of work demands staying up to date. Both companies and employees must be ready to adapt to the new job market that demands continuous automation of tasks.

Nowadays, a job has to offer employees more than just a secure living. It has to enrich their lives, empower them and offer fulfillment. Retaining employees has a lot to do with giving growth opportunities.

Providing continuous learning opportunities makes it easier to adjust to any dynamic shifts in the workplace. Employers can choose to offer a broad range of professional or personal development options, from online courses to workshops. 

One thing is certain – providing development opportunities to individuals makes the entire team happier and more motivated. 

New work is changing how we view employees, offering flexibility

The post-pandemic world introduced new possibilities. Many employees can work whenever and wherever they want. We got used to the comfort of remote work and flexible hours. It helps to maintain a healthy work-life balance by adjusting our work schedule to fit our busy lifestyles. 

More and more employers are beginning to understand that what is important is to get the job done, no matter if the employee did it in the morning or at night. Allowing employees to choose their optimal hours and preferred place of work is said to reduce stress and help them focus while at work.

Direct contact and closing the gap

Flat hierarchy and open communication are becoming characteristic of modern companies. These days short sprints are replacing long decision-making processes. 

Implementing open feedback and communication channels enables engagement from all levels of the business, preventing great ideas from being ignored and lost. It helps everyone adapt to changes faster and in turn, make better decisions. All the team members understand that they are shaping the workplace because they are kept on equal terms. 

This trend tends to work best for startups, so far, but other larger, more established, companies are beginning to follow suit.

hand cooperating to make a puzzle

Partnership for success

One of the core values of “New Work” changing how we view employees is the freedom employees have to choose their paths. To feel fulfilled, people need motivation and constant challenge in their job. Some modern companies are making sure that their teams have a lot to do. They know that a true sense of fulfillment can be achieved by completing (not too easy) tasks in a collaboration.

Teamwork is important for us, as humans we love interacting, sharing ideas and responsibilities. A common goal helps employees build a community where they feel supported and committed to the workplace. It connects the team to the greater mission. 

Open space concepts are replacing office cubicles, dress codes are a thing of the past. Now is the time that many employers are understanding that a happy employee equals a happy company. 

Reducing attrition

One of the greatest challenges for all companies right now is not just how to attract talent, but how to retain the talent they already have on board. Employers seem to finally understand the importance of the human factor in the business. It appears that they have to rethink talent recruitment and management. 

The core value of the “New Work” concept is to show the real significance of the employee in the company. Real talent is like a gem – it’s hard to find. Employers have to give some thought about how to create a workplace that is enticing enough to attract new talent, while also offering perks and an environment that makes them want to stay.

Empathy and human interaction are becoming increasingly important as these are the tasks machines still cannot do. Many people thought that AI could one day entirely replace humans, but we haven’t seen any spectacular success in this field so far. We can only speculate what the future holds, but the trend of shaping the workplaces with employees as a top priority is on the rise. 

Musk offers an example of how New Work is changing how we view employees

If you are looking for an example of the “New Work” trend in the real-life, Tesla’s Elon Musk seems to share similar values to the creator of the concept. 

Musk hates bureaucracy, hierarchy, and large-format or frequent meetings. He believes that hierarchical structures make things less efficient.

“Communication should travel via the shortest path necessary to get the job done, not through the ‘chain of command’. Any manager who attempts to enforce a chain of command communication will soon find themselves working elsewhere”. 

Elon Musk

Observing how successful Elon Musk and his companies have been, demonstrates that the “New Work” trend must hold merit. 

Benefits of an altered mindset

Companies are providing cutting-edge technology and automating boring, repetitive processes to give their employees freedom and autonomy. That, combined with changing attitudes towards work-life balance and an increase in remote work, are boosting loyalty and retention of the employees. 

All the shifts taking place in these companies right now seem to result in increased productivity and innovation. They help to create desirable workplaces attracting talent and making them want to stay. 

It turns out that computers aren’t yet capable of conquering the human world. People are still irreplaceable and the New Work trend teaches employers that they shouldn’t underestimate ordinary workers.