Mastering Future Skills: Navigating the Evolution of the Workplace with Professional Skills

The future of work is the term used for anything that relates to what the workplace, employee experience and work-life balance might look like in the future. The term is growing in popularity amongst those trying to anticipate the changes that are occurring and the skills needed in the professional sphere…and indeed to keep up with them.

Naturally then it’s a hot topic.

That’s because we need to prepare for the future but no one quite knows what that future will be. Will we move away from the workplace altogether? Will skills become more important than a qualified education? What role will AI and technology play? Will we move to a 4-day week and therefore need to adapt to the challenges and benefits that will bring?

Perhaps all of the above?

Current trends of course give us an indication to try and accurately predict what it will really look like. What are our conclusions then?

It’s fairly safe to say that hybrid working is sticking around and with it the emphasis on flexibility with our employment. Where we get our efficiency from is also a relevant theme that we are seeing in conversations around the future of work.

Future-Ready Workforces: Prioritizing Professional Skills for Tomorrow's Success

All of this matters most for 2 types of people; Learning and Development (L&D) directors and those within their umbrella.

L&D directors are desperate to ensure their workforces are fit for the future. In particular, they’re looking for certain priority skills that they know will mean their workforce can adapt successfully to the changes and therefore lead their organisation into the future of work, whatever that may be.

In a recent McKinsey study on reskilling, the majority of those surveyed said that re-skilling is the best way to support significant changes to business priorities and how we get work done. 67% said that they are already feeling the benefits of an emphasis on re-skilling (McKinsey, 2021)

This all feeds down to those in the workforce. We will all need to provide real evidence of the skills identified as priority in order to excel in the eyes of those hiring.

What are these all-important skills then, we hear you ask. We’ve compiled a handy list below.

1. Mastering Communication: The Key Skill for Success in a Globalized Work Environment

Communication is the skill that comes up most frequently in the hiring process and its usefulness cannot be understated.

In an increasingly globalised world, we need to be able to communicate up and down the management chain, across organisational borders to work best with stakeholders and finally, internationally as companies reach higher heights with their international customers and supply chain.

Communicating with the future organisational network chain is critical.

2. Mastering Professional Skills: Navigating the Future Workplace with Adaptability and Flexibility

It’s already been said but the ability to adapt to changing conditions and requirements is a must in the future of work.

To address the “elephant in the room”, recent global events such as the pandemic and economic crises have meant that a workforce needs to adapt to work in different environments, at different paces and with different people and not have this change affect their efficiency and productivity in their role.

And who knows, with our current technological development trends we could be looking at adapting to work with AI front and centre of the business world!

3. Elevate Professional Skills: Mastering the Art of Innovative Thinking in the Future Workplace

There is so much going on out there and things change so quickly that the ability to innovate within one’s company is a gold standard in the eyes of hiring directors trying to equip for the future of work.

Companies need to be the first to think of that new process or new way of doing something so they are constantly at the top of the game and don’t lose their position in the business.

But this is perhaps the hardest skill to master. How do you keep the idea flow going and how can you present those innovations to management effectively?

4. Igniting Professional Skill: The Key to Thriving in the Future Workplace of 2024

Creativity will never lose its place amongst the top skills that L&D directors are looking out for. Why? Because it is the foundation that businesses are built on.

Designing the new best-selling product, solving business problems in different more efficient ways, developing the next best marketing strategy all mean that an organisation can outlast its competitors and survive in the future of work, whatever that may look like.

2024 is the time to invest in improving those skills. If we don’t keep up with the demands of the future of work, we’ll get left behind in an old workplace environment that simply doesn’t exist anymore.

The good news? There are so many ways to upskill.

The University of Cambridge Online(Opens in a new window) helps professionals upskill to meet the standards of the future of work. All of our courses cover the priority skills mentioned above and apply them to different fields of business so there is something for everyone. Discover our courses: https://bit.ly/3Zg50mY(Opens in a new window)

References:

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work(Opens in a new window)

De Smet, A. Reich, A. Schaninger, B. ‘Getting skills transformations right: The nine-ingredient recipe for success.’ McKinsey & Company, 4 Oct 2021. ‘https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-organization-blog/getting-skills-transformations-right-the-nine-ingredient-recipe-for-success(Opens in a new window)’ accessed 6 January 2023.

Mugayar-Baldocchi, M. Schaninger, B. Sharma, K. ‘The future of work: Understanding what’s temporary and what’s transformative.’ McKinsey & Company, 17 May 2021. ‘https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-organization-blog/the-future-of-work-whats-temporary-and-whats-transformative(Opens in a new window)’ accessed 6 January 2023.