There is plenty of discussion about how the future of work is changing. Lockdown is accelerating change and pushing both employers and employees to try new ways of working. Collaboration and productivity tools such as Slack, Zoom, Calendly, Asana etc. have enabled this, as have the shifting motivations of workers. LinkedIn is making it easier to find talent, and platforms such as Upwork are making it easier to find short-term work. Attitudes and norms are evolving fast, and many of our new habits will stick. People everywhere are questioning the value of our current educational offerings. What does that mean for the future of our careers, plus those of our children?
In increasing numbers, thoughtful professionals just don’t want the same things that their parents did from a career. The concept of a ‘career for life’ has long fallen out of fashion, and these days so is having only one permanent job at a time, as it seems too risky and constraining. There is an increased desire for variety, flexibility and autonomy.
Pre-lockdown, while plenty of forward thinking professionals and startups were coming to this realisation, many established companies were floundering — assuming way too much work needed to be done by permanent employees. Then the pandemic hit, and businesses were forced to become more agile, reducing permanent headcount while adopting virtual and remote operating models. What they are discovering through this process, is that reducing permanent headcount and getting more done through portfolio professionals is faster, more efficient…
