If you have been working in the industry for a few years, the chances are you will have seen some changes already. The world of business is constantly evolving, and it can be hard to keep up. However, falling behind with workplace trends or being resistant to change will make you less indispensable to your company and more likely to find yourself out of a job if your company makes changes or restructures. Here is a guide on how to keep up with changing trends in the workplace.
Embrace Change
Many people fear changes in the workplace or in their industry. Changes can lead to things such as company restructures and redundancy. However, if you don’t embrace change you will be seen as a rebel or a loose cannon and this will bring you to the attention of management for all the wrong reasons. It may be that if the company does restructure you will be one of the first to go if you can’t keep up with company changes.
Not all change is a bad thing. For example, the rise in technology in industry scared a lot of people in the 1970’s and 1980’s as they were worried that computers would take over their jobs. However, these days we know that it is possible to work alongside computers and that they can make our jobs easier rather than more difficult. Indeed, jobs that haven’t evolved are now obsolete. For example, we no longer need telephone operators, but they have evolved to become call center workers. However, there are a lot of new jobs that weren’t around in the past such as an App Designer or Social Media Manager which have replaced the jobs that have become obsolete and created new opportunities for today’s workforce.
The latest change to overcome the workplace is the work from home culture. This change has occurred due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the increase in technology making it possible for workers to give up the commute and work from the comfort of their home office. This is a great change for workers as it means they can have a better work/life balance, but it is also great for employers as it means that their overheads have been reduced.
Get Qualified
Millennials who are entering the workplace are better qualified than ever before with many of them obtaining post-graduate qualifications and master’s degrees before they step into industry. In the future, employers will look for further qualifications when they are deciding who to promote and not keeping up with the trends could leave you out in the cold at promotion time. Luckily, this is something you can change easily. Online MBA programs from Suffolk University can help to address this imbalance and help you keep up with some of the changing trends in the workplace.
Many companies who introduce new technology or new working practices send some of their employees on training courses to learn all they can and relay this to the rest of the workforce. If you want to keep up with changing trends, then you should volunteer for as many of these courses as you can. You will be showing your company that you can embrace change and lead your company in a new direction. It will also mean that you learn the information first-hand rather than having to learn it third hand or listen to incorrect rumors about what these changes might mean to the workforce.
Don’t Forget Your Soft Skills
As well as becoming better-qualified, millennials are also taking a different approach to soft skills and things that may have been acceptable in the workplace in the past have no place in modern industry. For example, you only have to watch an old movie to see huge differences in the way that women and minority groups were treated in the workplace. Mental health is another area that has made a huge change to industry with companies recognizing that employees can become stressed and burnt out easily and addressing these issues so that they don’t lose good employees. Business today is a lot more inclusive, diverse, and more understanding than it has been in the past and it will continue to be in the future. Soft skills such as empathy are becoming a lot more important, and you can no longer afford to ignore them if you want to stay abreast of changing trends in the workplace.
Learn on The Job
Learn as much as you can on the job, especially when you have just taken up the position. Most people know how to do most of their job after a couple of years and know who to turn to for advice about the parts of it they are less familiar with. However, becoming an expert at all the tasks you could reasonably be expected to perform will lead to you becoming well respected by your peers. You will be the person they turn to about anything they are unsure of and once you know your role inside out you can easily keep up with changing trends as there will not be a lot of new information to take in at a time. Make sure you don’t become set in your ways, though, or you could find that this technique is counterproductive.
Get IT Savvy
Many of the changes that occur in industry are IT or technology related. Becoming IT savvy will mean that you can keep up with the changing trends in industry quickly and easily. They will help you to embrace changes rather than shy away from them and help to make you indispensable in the workplace.
Pay Attention to Data
Companies produce a lot of data that can be used to assess things such as company sales, top performers, market trends and many other things. Paying attention to this data and remembering the numbers will help you to keep up with changing trends as you will be able to see what they are before everyone else does. Having these numbers at your fingertips will bring you to the attention of the senior management team for all the right reasons and make you well respected within your company. Your knowledge may even help management to make decisions meaning that you can help to create the changing trends in your company or even within your industry.
Network
Networking is important in any industry. It allows you to meet like-minded people and share knowledge and ideas with them. There are many ways you can network, such as participating in industry meetings, using social media, or even joining the local golf club. Once you have made connections don’t be afraid to follow up the introduction with an e-mail or invitation. The more networking you can do, the more you will be able to keep up with changing trends in the workplace as you will know what is going on in other workplaces and industries too and you can see how this might affect your own workplace. The added benefit of networking is that you get your name known in your industry and if there are redundancies in your company you will be able to reach out and find a new job more easily. Your networking skills may even lead to you being headhunted for your dream role.
Plan Ahead
Keeping on top of the changing trends in your workplace will make it a lot easier for you to plan ahead and make sure that you stay on top of company and market trends. It will help you to understand what you might need to do in the next year or even in the next five years to keep on top of the changes that will happen in your industry and adapt the way you work accordingly. It will also help you to realize the best time to jump ship and get a new job in a company that will best suit your ideal. It will also give you advance notice of whether industry changes will make it prudent for you to look for a second career. Of course, the plans you make are always going to be subject to change as your employer or industry will be prone to throwing you the odd curve ball every now and again but if you can adapt to change this doesn’t need to un-nerve you.
Keeping up with changes in the workplace may be more difficult to begin with as there will be more to learn, but as you get on top of these changes and learn to spot how and where they will occur it will become easier for you. Keeping up with changing trends in the workplace will mean that you are always ahead of the game, and you will grow in value to your company. This is a great place to be if you want to climb up the career ladder or stay with your employer for the long term. Follow this guide if you want to carve out the career you want within your industry.