Work
Work may seem like a distant concept for you. After all, chances are that you’re still a student, completing your education and giving little thought to the world of work, the “world of adults”. But keep in mind that you will get there sooner than you think! Let’s explore how work has changed throughout time and prepare you a little for your possible futures in a workplace.
The past
In Ancient times:
the Greeks thought that the more free time a person has, the wiser and more of a moral person they are.
the Romans simply used slaves to do most of the work; only agriculture and business were suitable for “free men”.
The Industrial Revolution brought about the concepts of long working hours in factories and (quite often) poor working conditions.
How about more recent history? Let’s look at a brief history of work in the last century:
The present
2020 and 2021 have one thing in common: the COVID-19 pandemic. It may seem like the pandemic mostly affected the healthcare system of countries, but it’s much more than that. Think about your parents: have they been working from home? If not, perhaps they had to start wearing protective masks and other equipment and not interact with their co-workers that much? Maybe they even lost their job?
The pandemic forced many workplaces to move their activity online. Many schools started doing online classes, shops encouraged people to buy online more and used more delivery services, minor health issues started being solved via phone or video conferencing, and so on…
If this is how the present looks like, what will the futures hold?
The futures, what’s next?
Some people say that 25 to 30% of employees are likely to be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021. That means that, in just a few months, 1 in 3 people will be partly working from home!
That includes information about physiological parameters like how much you sleep, what’s your heart rate, and so on. This way, your employer will know more about your lifestyle and about your health and might not hire you if, for example, you cannot work night shifts because of a health issue.
Then machines will do it without the need for any human help and maybe you will have to change your career path and try out something new!
More and more people have been speaking up about wanting to have shorter workweeks.
Remote work: What if all work that can be done online will become 100% remote? What if companies will close their offices, schools will close their buildings and continue teaching online? Some people say that 25-30% of employees are likely to be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021. That means that, in just a few months, 1 in 3 people will be partly working from home! No wonder remote work is said to be one of the strongest current trends according to Trensition data!
What about digital nomad jobs? More and more people are choosing to work remotely while traveling all around the world! Wouldn’t you like to work under a palm tree and then go enjoy a swim in the ocean at the end of your day’s work? Well, maybe you should start thinking about it, because digital nomads are also one of the strongest current trends according to Trensition data!
Automation: There are other aspects to consider, too. What if your dream job today will be completely automated in 10 years? Then machines will do it without the need of any human help and maybe you will have to change your career path and try out something new!
Work for more years: People’s life expectancy has been increasing steadily over the past few years. What will happen when people will live to be 120 years old? Will they have to retire at 100 and work 80 years of their life?
Biometric CVs: What if, when you will be hired for your first job, that company will ask for a biometric CV? That includes information about physiological parameters like how much you sleep, what’s your heart rate, and so on. This way, your employer will know more about your lifestyle and about your health and might not hire you if, for example, you cannot work night shifts because of a health issue. Isn’t this exciting? Biometrics are said to be one of the strongest trends which won’t change much in the next couple of years!
4 day weeks: more and more people have been speaking up about wanting to have shorter workweeks. What if, in the futures, we will only work or go to school from Monday till Thursday and we will have a longer weekend? This makes sense if we think that work-life balance is and has been a growing trend in the past few years, as businesses also become more aware of how important this is for their employees.
The death of the 9-to-5: Flexible work schedules are more and more wanted by employees. The 9 am to 5 pm schedule invented for factory workers isn’t suitable for modern life anymore. Imagine being able to work whenever you want, as long as you finish your tasks on time!
