The internet and mobile revolution has infiltrated every nook and corner of the workplace and digital technology has transformed the way we work. Communication, collaboration, productivity, decision-making and delivering day-to-day services are clearly facilitated by technology.

The most in-demand roles right now like social media managers, mobile app developers, big data analyst and more did not even exist a mere 10 or 15 years back. In fact, according to Pew Research Survey, a whopping 78% respondents cited that smart technologies have significantly altered their workplace.

With technology at the forefront of everything, it is no doubt that digitization is here to stay. Surely, An exciting digital future lies ahead of everyone.

Top 10 Workplace Trends You Need To Watch Out For In 2019!

1. Greater Co-Dependency Between Employees and Artificial Intelligence!

By 2020, the average person will have more conversations with bots that their spouses. While the global workplace fears the introduction of Artificial Intelligence removing their jobs, there is no need to fret. They will eventually have to work along with Artificial Intelligence technologies in order to be more productive.

2. Say Hello to Flexible Work Weeks!

In 2018, a New Zealand firm named Perpetual Guardian offered a 4-day work week to their employees without altering their pay. After a two-month trial period, employee stress level reduced to 7% and work-life balance increased to 24%.

We will be seeing more of such flexible work schedules for employees as work-life balance becomes a growing need of the hour. Digital tools will enable employees to work flexibly and put the focus on improved work-life balance.

Of course, flexible workweeks also have a serious flip side — read on to know more about it here!

3. Moving Away from Open Offices!

By 2017, most workplaces adopted to open office design because evidence cited that it improved collaboration and productivity. On the contrary, open-offices, when implemented, were shown to increase employee stress, reduce worker’s ability to concentrate and eventually lead to lower productivity.

In the coming years, it will be more of adjustable seating, sit-stand desks, ‘desk less’ offices, and other flexible office design that will attract more attention.

4. Greater Emphasis On Employee Wellness!

Employee wellness is one of the most important considerations job candidates make when evaluating an organization, so much so that it’s outranked by salary and job security.

It has become increasingly important for organizations to take care of their employees by offering improved healthcare and lowering their stress. For instance, Apple has launched primary care clinics called AC Wellness for employee wellness.

Sure enough, a healthy workforce increases retention, lowers turnover, increases better productivity and creates a better culture. It is time to put employees at the center stage where their core needs are well-accounted.

5. Focus On Gender Equality And Diversity!

While this is definitely not a new topic, it will continue to be a core issue as we head onto 2019 and for a good reason. More stringent steps will be taken to ensure that women get a seat at the table and break the prevalent glass ceiling.

Aside from being a fair move, it also pays off well for companies that adopt it.  A 2016 study from Ernst and Young showed that increasing the percentage of women in top leadership spots from 0 to 30% is associated with a 15% increase in profitability.

This will also bring racial diversity to the forefront as more companies will take to hiring a more-inclusive workforce that does not discriminate against minorities.

6. Paid Leave On The Rise For Both Men And Women!

Now, this is one good news! More companies are bound to beef up their paid leave policies that will help employees to take time off and be back better engaged. While only 13% of employees have access to paid family leave, look for more in 2019.

Expansion of parental leave policy with more duration of paid leave and bolstered paid-leave policies are something to look forward to.

7. Access To Natural Light And Views In Office Design!

Employees say that access to natural light and views enhances their well-being, work satisfaction, work performance, and commitment. As more millennials occupy the workforce, they value natural light in their office environment, break-out areas and a place to lounge.

8. The Pace Of Work Continues To Increase…

Work is accelerating, businesses are expanding rapidly, and contributors are expected to do more in less time. According to anonymized data from Wrike, the median completion time for a project has decreased by 50% since 2014.

With the increase in tools of collaboration work platforms, automation, AI, templates and other resources, it’s never been easier to work at a breakneck pace. The speed at which you work will only keep increasing and technology will help you to keep up to it.

9. Work Friendships To Deal With ‘The Loneliness Epidemic’…

Given the ever-increasing addiction to technology, staying away from family, and communities slowly falling apart, people are now lonelier than ever. This feeling of loneliness can impact the workplace with higher stress, low productivity, and hampered well-being. It is time that employers acknowledge this and take the right measures.

Organizations will continue to improve workplace relationships with more off-sites, social events, parties, team outings, and other team building activities to enable their employees to get to know each other.

10. The Surge Of Nano degrees…

With the constant need to stay updated due to the rapid change in technologies and tools, workers will need to hone their skills. Enter nano degrees that offer tech-specific degrees or certifications in the e-learning mode. With Coursera, Udacity, and similar sites, it’s very easy to update yourself and organizations also encourage this.

We see this trend continuing with the inclusion of more adaptive learning tools that will apply machine learning to map individual students’ strengths and weakness and then personalize their curriculum to them.

The workplace is constantly in a state of evolution. As of today, it is slowly moving towards a more fluid entity, with technology at its crux. Organizations need to make sure that they are ‘in tune’ with these trends to outlast the competition!