The new realities of work are creating an unprecedented rate of change in the workplace—significantly revolutionizing the way that we work, the way that we live, the way that we think. And it is all happening now.
While the pandemic did disrupt the way we work, learn, and operate, it also gave us opportunities and avenues to experiment and change—be it with the working models transforming at an accelerated pace, or the increasing emphasis on skilling witnessed in the form of increased users across the many learning platforms. Essentially, the pivot into an all-virtual mode has uncovered a trove of vast new possibilities of “being digital”.
Work, workforce, and workplace
Every day, we bear witness to how technology is integrating into our everyday life, both on the personal and professional fronts. Each time we pick up our mobile devices to set a recurring reminder or open up that spreadsheet and input formulae to better understand what data is telling us, we are adapting to utilize technology to do work.
Just as new technology disruptions continue to come up, so do the requirement for the skills needed to work with those technologies. With increasingly changing ways in which we work, there are new realities of work taking shape and as a result, impacting the entire working model. This not only includes the work we do, but also the workforce and workplace.
The emergence of a new type of workforce, the augmented workforce, has resulted in a new category of ‘alternative’ workers—comprising gig workers, contractors, and freelancers in an ‘open talent’ economy. And when we look at the working model holistically, the aspect of where the work is done, as well as how the work is done, is gaining importance in the future of work discussions.
In essence,
The core of the future of work is to think about—in new and different ways—how we can harness the very best of what human talent can do, and combine that with the extraordinary capabilities of technology, to accelerate our journey to the future.
Learning transformation—the future is now
In 2020, the world saw an accelerated digital transformation amidst the pandemic. This was true not just for industry, but also equally true for the education system. Learners adapted across the spectrum to the transforming education environment—the significant uptake in online learning is testament to the learning transformation currently underway.
The concept of career and education has evolved drastically. When we talk about a career today, learning is at the center of it. In essence,
The education evolution has turned learning non-linear.
Constantly evolving job opportunities, emerging technologies, and a world that may require a different set of skills, are all leading to the unraveling of a non-traditional path of learning across career and education.
With the National Education Policy (NEP) introducing multi-disciplinary education, possibilities of multiple entry and exit points across the learning and work spectrum are opening up, thus paving the way for lifelong learning.
Given the pace and direction of changes, careers may evolve to more multi-skilled roles, thereby requiring individuals to develop a ‘learning’ mindset by accepting learning as a lifelong process.
From skills to capabilities
At a time when skills needs are changing ever more quickly, the question to ask is if there is any aspect of being human that we can use to our advantage, and if so, how do we tap into those aspects.
On that note, let’s think about the capabilities we develop as humans when we undergo learning in the education system and also the professional experience we gain through different job roles.
In a previous blog post, Future is purple, we established how human capabilities are the new currency in the future of work. What makes human capabilities enduring is the ability to merge the business and communication skills with the technical and analytical ones.
And it is these enduring human capabilities that serve to propel us into a “purple” future.
Building your “purple” future
To build your “purple” future, there are 4 key aspects we can hone in on—these can be coded as ASAP. Now you may be wondering why hurry or rush, because that is what comes to your mind when you think of ‘ASAP’.
Well, in this case, ASAP is an acronym for 4 key aspects:
- Adapting: to adapt to the ever-changing environment and continue to be an example of a resilient learner and individual
- Seeking: to seek increasingly more information and knowledge, curiosity is one of the most important capabilities
- Agility: to showcase agility and speed to technological changes and digital transformation required for adapting to the changes taking place around you
- Practice: put into practice the trends in your day-to-day activities
These steppingstones along with the pillars of skill, knowledge, passion, and capability are all aimed at building a future with the power of purple.
Learn more
To know how COVID-19 rattled India’s higher education but also opened myriad opportunities, explore the in-depth article on Deloitte Insights.
If you would like to share your thoughts or leave your comments around this, do write to us at vikasguptausindiauniversityrelations@deloitte.com
Key Contacts
Vikas Gupta
Vikas Gupta is a Human Resources leader with more than two decades of professional experience across diverse industries in driving people strategy. He is passionate about “reimagining human resources” to meet the needs of Industry 4.0. His areas of interest include technology, education, and research. His specialization spans diverse industries including manufacturing, telecom, financial services, retail, and professional services. In his current role at Deloitte, he is responsible for helping the organization to catalyze growth by leading change and creating avenues to position brand Deloitte internally as well as externally.