5 workplace trends for 2020

The workplace is constantly evolving, with new practices and emerging technology, and there are a number of trends that are set to dominate 2020, from employee monitoring and the hiring of retired workers to voice activation of devices such as Siri and Alexa. It’s an exciting time as businesses are changing for the better and becoming more profitable thanks to these trends.

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The hiring of retirees to fill the skills gap

It’s a myth that you can’t return to the workplace once you have retired. Retired people have valuable life skills which they can bring to any business. Many companies opt for part-time retirees, as there is less training costs involved too.

The rise of employee activism

Workers feel more confident to speak up now than they did a decade ago. Many feel empowered to protest against what they see as unsavoury business practices. They are also using social media channels to express dissatisfaction when their employers take steps they don’t agree with.

How voice is connecting the workplace

Next generation chatbots are the future, and they can easily answer employee questions, as opposed to the worker having to go through HR. Meeting notes can be taken with voice technology for example, but there are fears that this trend could lead to job losses. Advances in speech recognition by artificial intelligence bots mean that voice-activated technologies are becoming more adept at communicating just like humans.

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Employee monitoring is useful to combat poor performance

Employee monitoring allows managers to take steps if unwanted behaviour arises. It also means that mistakes can be reversed as soon as possible. Management can utilise strengths and weaknesses in the workforce, which will lead to increased productivity.

According to Training Journal, helping employees combat distractions and limit social media use will be an ongoing theme in 2020. Many businesses require PDF to Excel conversions and this is a quick and easy process which can be carried out at https://pdftables.com/.

The changing role of today’s business manager

To be successful, today’s managers must act as coaches, colleagues and counsellors. It’s essential that they create a supportive work environment while also using their influence to boost productivity. With the trend in technology, managers must make an extra effort to add a personal touch to emails sent, as well as creating time for face to face meetings.