If you ever thought about changing careers, now could be the perfect time to pivot, try something new, and move in the direction of trends in employment. The Covid19 pandemic is a crisis. It is also an opportunity. Consider this – the Covid 19 pandemic can provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine your direction and make sure you are prepared and are getting skilled for the workplace of the future.
According to Forbes magazine, 26% of business leaders think their organization’s “new normal” will mean more employees working from home. Remote workers can feel isolated and find it difficult to create the networks, relationships, associations, teams, and gain the recognition needed to advance their organizations and careers.
A study that appeared in the Harvard Business Review, done by a group called OI Global Partners, identified the skills that would be most in demand in the post Covid workplace. The study was called 2020 The Future Of Work Is Now. The skills identified below are listed in the order of importance to companies that participated in a consortium called The Future of Work.
- Leadership agility
- Embracing change
- Collaboration
- Communicating clearly
- Critical thinking
- Emotional intelligence
- Digital communications
- Analyze and interpret data.
- Embracing diversity
- Creativity
- Eagerness to learn
- Design thinking
- Commercial acumen
- Negotiating and influencing
- Consulting
- Risk taking
What do I think are the most important skills required to help you prepare to be a viable part of the post-covid workforce? At the top of my list are Communicating clearly and Digital Communication.
Communicating Clearly – asynchronous work will require writing over talking to create a paper trail and to keep the loudest voice in the room from dominating. So, writing skills will be more important than ever.
Digital communication – working remotely or in hybrid arrangements will require that you learn to use different forms of communication on a computer, laptop, or smart phone. We are currently using zoom for our TM meeting. There are also other forms of communication life Slack, Microsoft teams, Hopin, and many others. And there are numerous applications and platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, just to name a few.
I would also include innovation, which was not included in the Future of Work list. To be fair, maybe innovation is included under creativity.
At any rate, old playbooks are not relevant for today’s world. Some industries will not come back. New ones will develop. And nearly everything will be modified. Will you barely survive or thrive in the post-covid world of work? You have more control over your future than you might think. It’s your choice. Are you prepared to be a viable part of the post-covid workforce? If not, what action can you take to change the situation?