Ms. Wipattra Totemchokchaikarn, a Foresight Researcher at FutureTales Lab by MQDC, reveals the lab’s foresight for the Future of Work and FutureTales Lab has collaborated and held workshop to get insight with the Faculty of Psychology of Chulalongkorn University, with 3 key changes ahead in Workforce, Workspace, and Organization.

Workforce currently consists of Workforce 3.0, who are self-employed, and Workforce 4.0, who work from anywhere. Workforce 5.0 will emerge from technological change as workers retire later because of longer life expectancy. A resilience and growth mindset is vital for the workforce to avoid becoming unemployable.

Workspace currently includes both isolated cubicle workstations and co–working spaces, where staff can interact to develop new ideas. Technological development in various fields, especially the metaverse, will lead to seamlessly connected physical and virtual workspaces. This new workspace will support a work anytime, work anywhere corporate culture. Most organizations are now adjusting for work and management in the metaverse.

Organization now combines Organization 3.0 (Machine Era), focused on goals and driven by innovation, and Organization 4.0 (Family Era), focused not on structure but on corporate culture and employee empowerment. With Organization 5.0 (Living System Era), large organizations will downsize to become agile, with a focus on decentralization, flexibility, and opportunities for employees to manage their work. To function smoothly organizations will need to take into account diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Jennifer Chavanovanich, a lecturer in the Faculty of Psychology at Chulalongkorn University, said that young people are very interested in social issues, especially equality and inequality. The income gap is likely to widen with changes in workspace dimensions and types. Activities where students share their views show that equality is key to the perceived fairness of workplaces, which will affect the health of employees in the future. Organizations must implement diversity and inclusion (D&I) policies that cover not only gender and age but also diversity of abilities, thinking approaches, values, and beliefs. The work environment should allow employees to be their authentic selves, supporting them all equally. Inclusive environments will help the new generation of employees recognize their power and want to be part of driving change at work.

“In an era of rapid change, including the pandemic and the impact of war, organizations must adapt to changing working styles,” said Ms. Totemchokchaikarn.

“Over 11.5 million people quit their jobs during the Great Resignation last year and 48% of employees are likely to resign. Changes in working style have increased online meetings by 200%, causing employees to burn out. More than 77% of workers have experienced burnout, with 91% reporting unmanageable stress affecting their job quality, 83% their personal relationships. And 41% are thinking of quitting. Stress is a challenging factor for optimizing the potential of employees and ensuring their well-being. Sixty percent of organizations worldwide now have in-house health initiatives and 78% of employers see staff well-being as important to any business plan, helping their organization move forward.”

References

1. https://hbr.org/2021/10/with-so-many-people-quitting-dont-overlook-those-who-stay

2. https://hbr.org/2020/10/the-post-pandemic-rules-of-talent-management

3. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/04/09/remote-work-trend-report-meetings/

4. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/remote-workers-burnout-covid-microsoft-survey/

5. https://www.forecast.app/blog/how-to-prevent-employee-burnout

6. https://www.myshortlister.com/insights/employee-wellness-statistics

7. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/burnout-survey.html

8. https://www.apollotechnical.com/remote-work-burnout-statistics/#:~:text=Employee%20burnout%20is%20a%20global,can%20negatively%20impact%20personal%20relationships.

9. https://www.apollotechnical.com/remote-work-burnout-statistics/