The Changing World of Work - Research Paper Example

In the last ten years, jobs have been outsourced in large numbers and a dramatic change has occurred in the location and method of work. Another key driver of the modern and more importantly, the future age is diversity in the workplace. The transformation of the world into a global village has removed the cultural barriers. More and more people migrate to other countries every year for studies, work or both. This has made society multicultural in general and the workplace in particular. There is the diversity of age, gender, culture, language, ethnicity, religion and caste.

All of these factors of diversity give rise to the variety of perspectives which are quite beneficial for organizations in the competitive environment, but at the same time, also expose the organization to a lot of risks. Some of the risks include racism and dysfunctional conflicts among the employees whereas benefits include larger market value because of a diverse population of customers. Managers have experienced a significant increase in job responsibilities as they have to not only address the needs of the customers but also have to fulfill the increased demands of employees.

According to (Heerden), research concludes that young employees fundamentally look for three things in the changing world of work. They are briefly discussed below: 1. Opportunities for learning and development: Young people seek jobs where work would be challenging, yet they want to be rewarded upon succeeding. Professional growth at work is the biggest attraction for young job seekers. People want to serve in different positions and perform different roles in order to gain maximum experience. 2. Selection in a renowned organization which would decide the career path: In order to keep employees satisfied and motivated for work, employers need to share their strategies with employees and explain to them how their strategies are consistent with the requirements of the business.

Thus, employees need to be engaged in work for which the employee-employer rapport is extremely essential. 3. Flexibility in life: Having achieved a higher standard of living, one of the key priorities of all working people is to have increased control over their personal and social life. The conventional 40 hr week that has been so for long is now changing. People want the freedom of duty hours and employers often have no problem unless the work is affected. In today’s work environment, ways to communicate have altered a lot.

The changing trends impact many industries and hence, the career plans. A look into the future: In light of the aforementioned preferences of employees in the work environment, the work environment in the future would be more complying with the employees’ desires as it has in the past. It is obvious that an electronic system would be increased in use in the future. Therefore, it makes sense to assess the future work conditions for employees keeping the electronic system into consideration.