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How organisations are building a future ready workplace

Dec 01, 2021
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Leaders need to identify and analyse organisational skill gaps, and offer relevant learning and development courses and programmes that not only engage the current workforce but also attract new talent with a promise of holistic growth and wellbeing.

 

As countries, organisations, businesses and the human race at large anticipate the possible end of the pandemic, the prospect of successful vaccination drives coupled with return to normalcy and lifting of travel bans have provided world leaders hope for economic growth and expansion. The pandemic taught businesses across, the inevitability of working in silos and through stringent routines - extinction. The uncertainty confirmed that functioning in complex structures and rigid bureaucracies for the sake of standardisation leads to little collaboration resulting in stunted predictability that the present world has outgrown.

 

Recent studies trying to understand our current predicament and plan for the future have also asserted that the world, especially the professional world we live in today, has become obscure. Fast adoption of trends like automation, enhanced connectivity and a general acceptance of remote working has led to more opportunity and shifting demographics. These entities are also impacted by the changing career aspirations of millennials and Gen Zs. This new set of professionals have more expectations in terms of learning, opportunities, promotions, career mobility and beyond that they are resolute in their commitment to creating social impact and making a difference to the world.

 

The need for upskilling

 

Working on outdated rules and principles will not work for any organisation and companies have zero time to lose in terms of bringing about a cultural change. One of the most important building blocks for organisations is upskilling the existing talent and inculcating an entrepreneurial spirit in them by fostering a network of intrapreneurs.

 

While this has been a trend during the lockdown, used especially to keep employees engaged with the organisation outside of work, it is essential to retain and improve on providing the right opportunities and encourage employees to learn new skills or upgrade on their existing skill set. Leaders need to identify and analyse organisational skill gaps, and offer relevant learning and development courses and programmes that not only engage the current workforce but also attract new talent with a promise of holistic growth and wellbeing.

 

Redefining organisational structures

 

Rigid hierarchies are a thing of the past and hence it is important for leaders to radically flatten the organisational structures. While it is an effortless concept to discuss, in countries like India, where hierarchies are ingrained within organisational structures, it is essentially difficult to implement. Thus, we to start small, strip down these hierarchical platforms in pockets and encourage employees of different levels within teams to ideate and collaborate on smaller projects.

 

The cardinal rule is to go beyond designations and reward quality work and values that align with the larger organisational purpose. An open door policy and access to the top management not only allows ground level talent to loosen up and be more comfortable in speaking up or performing beyond their capacities, but also enables top management to stay more open to suggestions and inputs from the former. The more fluid and flexible an organisation is today, the stronger are its abilities to be agile and nimble and adapt, which in turn can help it drive creative disruptions that make it stand out.

 

Championing overall employee wellbeing

 

The past 12-15 months have made it quite clear that signs of burnout have been present across industries, levels and working styles. Promoting work-life balance has therefore become a top priority for organisations and work days are structured more consciously to have definitive work hours. Additionally, self-care is promoted across various levels where employees are encouraged to take time off to spend more time with their family.

 

Increased anxiety around stepping out of homes and especially going to hospitals made the concept of physical consultations obsolete. This became a cause of concern for many people. Organisations stepped up and upgraded their medical plans beyond financial aid. Well-devised health plans were laid out in partnership with various healthcare providers to include monthly and annual online consultations for employees and their family. Some organisations went beyond this and also provided Covid-19 tests for employees and even extended care facilities, if required.

 

Boosting employee morale

 

Boosting employee morale is another important aspect of creating a positive and thriving work environment. Small initiatives such as employee reward and recognition programmes go a long way in making employees feel a sense of value and purpose. Such initiatives are a great way to break the organisational hierarchy as well and recognize the efforts of each employee who goes above and beyond their responsibilities to help their team. Not only is this a great way to say thank you but this also instils a sense of empowerment amongst employees.

 

Redefining development of future-ready workspaces is a combination of all these aspects with the employee at the centre, thus it is important for them to have a say in it. Adopting a feedback-based performance management system will enable an open dialogue and encourage individual goal setting along with making the talent feel rewarded. Empowering employees coupled with an open communication channel can significantly enable organisations to adapt to the needs of the future workforce and thereby become future ready.

 

Source : https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/workplace-4-0/how-organisations-are-building-a-future-ready-workplace/87961596