Do you ever think about how technology will change the future of work? Or how it will transform your very own job? The last years changed everything. For companies. For employees. For you. And for us.

If we give it some thought, you and we are first-hand witnesses of some truly extraordinary technological developments. In the workplace, the technologies and tools you use in your everyday tasks probably have nothing to do with the ones you used to have ten or even only four years ago (especially before the pandemic).

And while some anticipate dark times and fear high unemployment, others are optimistic that this evolution will trigger a wave of new work opportunities and greater flexibility for people. Let’s take a look at the hottest trends that threaten/maximise your job. And mine.

The hybrid work era and Metaverse will be the future of successful businesses.

Somewhere in March 2020, employees around the world faced a rapid shift to remote work that revolutionised everyone’s routine and habits. Over two years later, many workers returned to the office while getting used to these new work practices – especially from 100% remote to hybrid. This new era in the work geography posed new challenges and opportunities for employers and employees.

The Microsoft New Future of Work Report 2022 revealed that the “flexibility that hybrid affords may be able to maximise productivity by allowing people to work in the way that works best for them (via a hybrid workforce) or by allowing different tasks to be done at the office and at home (for hybrid employees) – or both.” Online communication became the standard, while video conferencing and collaboration tools have changed workplace dynamics. With these tools, distant teammates can work together on the same project in a virtual room almost as if they were side by side.

But it doesn’t end here. Gartner estimates that by 2026, 25% of people will spend at least an hour a day in the Metaverse. In the future, virtual offices will also transform how people work as well as the connections between employees and companies. The great question will no longer be about the balance between home and work, but between the virtual and physical worlds. Companies like Meta and Microsoft with Mesh are working towards creating an immersive virtual environment that allows people in different locations to join collaborative and share digital experiences like never before.

Automation and artificial intelligence (AI).

The use of Artificial Intelligence technology goes hand in hand with the raising use of automation. Both have long been here, but recently its developments sparked much concern about the ethics of automation and AI taking people’s jobs.

A Future That Works: Automation, Employment, and Productivity, a McKinsey report, found that only 5% of jobs are fully automatable, and humans will always play a critical role in the workplace. Automation can be positive in the workplace, mainly for repetitive tasks that most of us don’t want to handle. As a result, with automation, the demand for tuned cognitive skills and emotional skills will increase, whereas physical and manual skills will probably become less necessary. Demand for people with soft skills will spike.

Digital literacy has become imperative.

There is a lot of demand right now for workers with technological backgrounds. But it doesn’t end here. Several new job tasks, expectations, and ways of communicating through digital platforms are becoming part of everyday life in many sectors. Therefore, to have a place (and a job) in today’s tech-driven society, we will need to keep our tech skills sharp and up-to-date.

The tools we use now to work remotely will also be used to measure and boost performance.

More than ever employees are working remotely. Without the in-person supervision that onsite work provides, the technologies that we are using to work from home will also be used to evaluate our productivity. These tools will also provide us with a clear direction, allowing us to work more autonomously.

A more horizontal hierarchy will build stronger connections between managers and teams.

According to Harvard Business Review (11 Trends that Will Shape Work in 2022 and Beyond), up to 65% of a manager’s responsibilities have the potential to be automated by 2025, allowing them to focus on how they add more value to their organisation. We will witness how Artificial Intelligence will provide unbiased information and take over duties like maintaining work schedules, managing the budget and the workflow, setting employee performance goals, providing performance feedback, and more. Instead, their roles are evolving to focus more on soft over hard skills. AI will help managers: 1) strengthen team dynamics, 2) reinforce company culture, 3) develop closer connections with their teams, and 4) drive better workplace experiences.

There has never been a better opportunity to shape the future of work than today. Who knows, ChatGPT might even have written this article for you. Or not…  Personally, do you feel that technology is threatening or upgrading your job? Nevertheless, if you want to start building your future job, you can check out some of our job opportunities here.