Adapting to Workplace Trends

The business world is undergoing profound changes at an

increasingly frantic pace. As they have important implications
for talent management it is vital that companies understand,
anticipate and support these changes if they want to succeed
and be effective.

Major changes affecting work relationships and talent

Technological transformation
New technologies—especially the digital revolution—are probably the greatest source of change today. They reduce
the number of tasks performed manually and facilitate communication, analysis and decision-making. Employees
can focus on more interesting tasks. They can work remotely and manage themselves since they have easier access
to strategic information. They no longer need to wait for their managers to tell them what to do or to make all the
decisions for them. And thanks to e-learning, it’s never been easier for them to broaden the knowledge they need.

Globalization of the economy

Globalization offers opportunities for growth in new markets, but it also increases competition. New actors in
emerging markets often have valuable advantages such as:
• geographical proximity to important markets
• highly skilled, relatively low-wage workforces
• large reserves of financial capital with which to buy new plant and equipment as well as acquire
other companies.
To respond to this new competition, some companies are transferring jobs to countries in which labor is cheaper,
reducing pay in the countries of origin, and/or restructuring themselves in order to head off competition.

The changing nature of the workforce

The four big changes in the workforce are its age, gender, education, and cultural diversity.
In terms of age, industrialized countries must bear the weight of an aging population. At the same time, a new
generation, Generation Y, is entering the workplace.
Organizations are facing a shortage of skilled workers because the education system in many countries is failing
to provide enough qualified people.
As tasks become more complex, the difference in performance between an average worker and a good worker is
increasingly large. It may be only a few points on an assembly line, but can exceed 1000% for knowledge workers.
Finally, companies have increasingly culturally diverse workforces due to the globalization of the economy and
increases in migration.

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Five good practices for dealing with these changes
Anticipate changes
The first thing to do is to be aware of and understand these changes and their potential consequences. You need
to identify those that already apply to you and those that may affect you in the future.

Challenge your practices

You should always question your work processes and methods as they may already be obsolete. Stay open to
finding new ideas and improving your practices.

Engage your workforce

Make sure that your colleagues are aware of developments that impact you and that they are familiar with your
situation. Involve them in the search for solutions and give them the opportunity to implement them by distributing
leadership. By treating your colleagues properly, you will attract, retain and motivate the talent you need to meet
these new challenges.

Be flexible and agile

You must be able to quickly adapt to change. To achieve this, you must:
• share with your colleagues the information they need to become more independent and flexible
• put as many colleagues as possible in contact with your customers and with the market reality so that they
understand it
• make them responsible for their development, and reward skill development
• broaden the scope of the types of contractual relationships you establish with your colleagues in order to
gain flexibility. An employee does not have to be permanent, full-time, or on site. Also, it is no longer realistic
to expect your colleagues to spend their entire career in your company.
Be inclusive
Your workforce should reflect the growing diversity of your markets. In addition, you must:
• help them work together despite their differences
• beware of discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality, sexual identity and orientation, age, disability, etc.,
whether such discrimination comes from you or your colleagues. This type of discrimination can, in fact, be
very costly to the company.

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Any reproduction or representation for non-private use is strictly forbidden. 2