Essay: Changes in today’s workforce

There is no doubt that in today’s world the workforce is rapidly changing. The U.S. economy is expected to improve in the upcoming years with unemployment declining and new jobs emerging (Schawbel, 2017). Trends in the workplace can help an organization in many ways, but they can also be their downfall. One must wonder how upcoming trends will effect the economy and workforce in the next few years? Generational differences in the workplace will be a big factor with the baby boomer generation nearing retirement age and the millennial generation starting their careers. With so many new jobs emerging, will the rate of burnout and turnover in the workplace also increase? Finally, social media in the workplace is becoming more common and taking on more roles than just keeping in touch with family and friends.
Generational Diversity in the Workplace
People born in the same era commonly expect and believe in similar things (Patterson, 2007). According to ’10 Workplace Trends You’ll See in 2018’, “About three in every four Americans plan to work past retirement age and almost two-thirds said they will continue to work part-time.” This accurately describes the baby boomer generation. Baby boomers can be characterized as born between the 1950’s and 1960’s. They tend to be optimistic, believing in the glass is half full motto (Lancaster, 2004). Baby boomers make up the majority of our workforce, and most don’t plan to ever fully retire. Generation Y/Millennials, those born between the 1970’s to the 1990’s, are just starting to enter the workforce at full time employees. This generation leads with meaning and contributing to a larger picture (Lancaster, 2004).
Bridging the generational gap in the workplace will have its challenges. Leadership roles, maintained by baby boomers, will not be readily available to millennials who want to move up in their organization (Schawbel, 2017). Companies will have to seriously consider the specific skills needed for the job versus the seniority of the employees. This conflict can be seen in healthcare on the regular. Staff with twenty plus years of experience continually take leadership roles and receive higher bonuses because of retention. At the same time, younger staff are picking up more hours and have little to know benefit in staying with the particular company. Encouraging communication, understanding and knowledge of the differences between the generations will be essential. Flexibility of learning style and preferences for work environments will also need to be taken into consideration (Patterson, 2007).
Burnout and Retention
Work stressors in the current workplace climate can cause employee burnout. These stresses are formed by task demands, the development of careers, work hours, and compensation conflicts (Book). Employees experience burnout while companies post profits (Schawbel, 2017). Almost half of the cause of workplace turnover can be attributed to employee burnout. (Schawbel, 2017). Companies need to come up with better incentives for working longer hours, or figure out how to make current compensation worth the work and effort being put in by employees.
Not only can workplace burnout cause retention problems, but it can also effect workplace decision-making in employees. A study at the University of Surrey suggests that employees risky decision-making is determined by their professional inefficacy (Michailidis, Banks, 2016). Professional inefficacy is directly related to employee burnout. This could be detrimental to any organizations, specifically healthcare. Healthcare is a field where burnout and turnover tend to be high. If burnout in employees is causing risky decision-making in nurses and medical professionals, peoples lives could be at stake. In the study mentioned above there was a direct correlation between stress and the avoidant style of decision making. Employees chose not to make decisions because it was more stressful (Michailidis, Banks, 2016). Risky decision making has no place in a healthcare related field where life or death decisions happen on a regular basis.
Social Media in the Workplace
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn are new social norms in every day society, but are also finding their way to the workplace. Research shows that people spend, on average, twenty percent of their time on social media websites (Blacksmith, Altima, 2013). One has to assume that some of this time is spent at the workplace. Organizations are also implementing the use of social media websites for advertising purposes, recruitment tools and for education of employees. LinkedIn, providing professionals employment and networking opportunities, is commonly used by employers to recruit (Hearing, Ussery, 2012). YouTube is often used, especially in healthcare, for educational opportunities and quick resources for workers.
While the use of social media in the workforce can be beneficial to both the employer and employee, there can be som negative ramifications of implementing it on an every day basis. Employees can be distracted with the personal use of websites like Facebook and Twitter during work hours. Employers walk a fine line with the use of social media for hiring and firing purposes, bringing about multiple legal issues (Hearing, Ussery 2012). The workforce needs to come up with policies for the appropriate use of social media during work hours and respect the personal use of social media when not in the workplace.
There are many trends emerging in the workplace over the next few years. Generational diversity, workplace burnout and retention, and the use of social media will all have impacts, both positive and negative, for organizations and employees. It is important for organizations to set healthy boundaries and policies and to provide the appropriate knowledge to workers about the emerging trends. In the same respect, it will be essential for employees to understand the current workplace climate.