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The workplace of 2019: Experts predict this year’s trends

Written by: Marc Schultz
Published on: Jan 18, 2019

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The new year is upon us, and with it, as always, is a fresh crop of opinion pieces about what the next 12 months will bring. Below, we present links to a few that are worth your time as an HR and employee leader, along with one of the most interesting forecasts from each piece.

CNBC: 5 of the biggest workplace trends to watch in 2019
“You’ll start seeing software strategies, solutions, and training trickling into your workplace, because if your organization doesn’t offer them, Gen Z will find an employer that will… The flipside [of Gen Z workers] will be a decrease in soft skills such as professional written communication and, somewhat ironically, an emphasis or preference for in-person meetings versus electronic.”

Entrepreneur: A Survival Guide to Global Workforce Trends in 2019
“Some businesses, instead of trying to keep employees around longer, are reducing turnover costs by embracing the new, shorter lifecycle of employees… putting more effort into cost-effective onboarding, training, and offboarding processes to get the most out of employees while they’re still there. Some businesses have shortened the hiring process to a single interview, or done away with interviews entirely.”

Forbes: Five Ways Workplaces Will Change for the Better in 2019
“We’ll be hearing more about ageism, as we continue to discuss ways to bring more women, people of color, LGBTQ, and other underrepresented groups into leadership. As the population ages and workers delay retirement, companies will realize older employees have plenty of relevant skills and knowledge and, yes, they can be lifelong learners who are continuing to grow professionally too.”

Forbes: Three Education Trends That Will Revolutionize the Workplace in 2019
“Workers expect to be able to learn on-demand, getting the skills and knowledge they need in that moment, to be able to apply it as soon as possible. Moving fluidly between working and learning, without having to take time off to go to – or back to – school will become non-negotiable.”

HR Dive: 10 trends that will shape HR in 2019
“HR execs can’t afford to overlook one of their biggest tools in building an engaging culture: front-line managers. Employers will be looking for ways to put insights in managers’ hands so they can lead their teams to greatness. ...To ensure success, managers must be trained to have the right conversations.”

Inc.: The (Millennial) Workplace of the Future is Almost Here – These 3 Things Are About to Change Big Time
“Speaking to emerging needs for independence and employee/employer trust, company culture will start to bend towards flexibility. According to a Deloitte study, nearly 75 percent of Millennials believe that a ‘work from home’ or ‘work remotely’ policy is important.”

Inc.: How Generation Z Will Transform the Future Workplace
“Generation Z’s top platform to learn more about a company is YouTube, followed by Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter, and then Glassdoor. Generation Z’s job search approach is a lot different from Millennials’, who prefer to use [job listings] websites… followed by specific company employment websites.”

The Washington Post: Five workplace predictions for 2019
“As the labor market remains tight… companies have to dangle more to lure in new workers, making pay disparity grow between workers who’ve been in a job with a company for years and those who’ve been newly recruited. [And] as pay transparency becomes more common… the problem could lead to morale issues between workers and headaches for managers.”

Marc Schultz is communications editor at Work for Good.