The workplace is ever evolving, which can benefit employees in more ways than one. In preparation for the new year, job site LinkedIn has put together a list of predictions and ideas that will shape not only the workforce, but also the world in the coming year. Here are a few exciting changes it anticipates for employees going into 2020.
1. Time will become workers' most coveted perk
It's been clear for quite some time that today's workers crave flexibility -- shorter hours, condensed workweeks, and the ability to do their jobs remotely, whether from home or another location. In the coming year, LinkedIn anticipates a potential shift toward even more flexible schedules, which can not only benefit employees, but also the companies that employ them.
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Not surprisingly, working mothers are the most likely to benefit from these changes, says LinkedIn, especially since many have historically given up raises and promotions to retain a semblance of flexibility in their lifestyles. Ideally, in the coming months or years, flexibility will become increasingly commonplace -- so much so that workers won't have to sacrifice pay or career advancement to benefit from it.
Flexibility will also likely continue to serve as a key employee-retention tool. And in a competitive job market, that's a good thing for companies that loathe turnover.
2. Mental health will be more openly discussed in the workplace
The stigma attached to mental-health issues will hopefully start to wane as employers make added strides to support employees going through crises. Making mental health a more approachable topic can pave the way to employees getting the support they need to take care of themselves and overcome career challenges related to the issues they may be experiencing.
Furthermore, with any luck, a more open approach to mental health will help address the burnout problem. Burnout is a serious issue for professionals across a wide range of experience levels. Ideally, it's one that companies will take extra steps to address and prevent in the coming year.
3. Focus will become a much-valued skill
There are certain soft skills that tend to rank highly on hiring managers' lists, like time management, attention to detail, and communication. In 2020, the ability to focus on key tasks may prove to be the single most important soft skill out there.
Given the fact that so many workers are prone to distraction these days, whether due to chatty colleagues, chat apps, or their own dinging phones, employees who know how to focus offer more value to the companies that hire them. As such, we could see a growing number of employers investing in training along these lines.
There's something about the start of a new year that gets people riled up, in a good way, about changes in the pipeline. Though it's too soon to tell to what extent these predictions will actually come to be, based on existing trends, it's fairly safe to say that workers across the board have a lot to look forward to in 2020.
