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What Blade Runner Didn’t Tell Us About the Future (of Work).
20 de July de 2021
“I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”
This memorable monologue concluded one of the best science fiction films of all times. In his 1982 film, Blade Runner, Ridley Scott gave us a dystopian future that was set in an imaginary 2019. Flying cars, androids that were almost impossible to differentiate from humans, AI, cards instead of keys, surveillance at every corner...
This cult classic, besides giving us an amazing soundtrack, left us with some questions. We’ll start with the most evident one: What does the future hold for us? The best way to not be taken by surprise by the changes that are always coming our way is to be prepared. That’s why we wanted to have a chat with Roxana Suciu —Headhunter and Engineering, e-Commerce & Retail Division Manager— about talent acquisition and employability, so that she could give us some tips in order to prepare ourselves for the changes that are coming and have her give us the keys for the near future of work.
The Work of Tomorrow, Today.
Maybe it’s not the future that Ridley Scott had imagined, but something very similar is already here. Cars don’t yet fly, but the automotive industry has experienced huge breakthroughs. Automation, bots and AI are already part of our day to day, in companies and in our homes. The world is moving forwards.
The pandemic was the kickstart that increased the speed in which changes are taking place in the work environment. Health protocols have inspired ideas for new ways of working together in spite of the distance and, as a consequence, working from home will still be part of the companies of the future. Big companies like Deloitte have informed their employees that they now have the choice to work in the office or from their homes. According to Roxana, the pandemic has globalised work even more since working from home lets us connect from anywhere in the world, which brings nothing but a variety of opportunities. There’s a growing trend where profiles are being hired regardless of their location, which allows us to apply for jobs without having to worry about where they are.
The Androids
Another question that we may ask ourselves after watching Blade Runner is, “Are we going to be replaced by robots?” By 2022, it’s estimated that robots will carry out 42% of the tasks inside companies and 53% by 2025. But there’s nothing to be afraid of. Even though many tasks will be carried out by robots, the truth is that they and the new industries that they’ll give place to, will also create jobs. It’s estimated that, in relation to this, next year alone, 58 million jobs will be created. That said, we will have to get new training and further education. Roxana warns us: “In 2022, 54% of the workers will have to reinvent themselves”. Robots and their mechanisms require knowledge. So it’s important that we get the proper training and develop both hard and soft skills.
A Company’s Remake
For companies, adaptability becomes of utmost importance. “Organisations in our environment will centre their priorities around the definition of the employees’ future needs in order to transform their way of working”, says Roxana. The incorporation of technological innovation to the processes and the creation of 58 million new jobs drives companies to prepare their employees for the change. A clear example can be found in the automotive industry, where cars may not yet fly, but they are becoming electric. Because of this, currently, companies are reinventing their professionals in the mechanical sector into electric professionals through education and training.
The companies of the future are also more committed to their employees’ wellbeing — the new generations place a lot of value on the resources and the flexibility when it comes to where to develop professionally. That’s why more and more companies and recruiters try to attract workers with work conditions and not only projects.
Working from home brings about new challenges in organisations. The main one is to strengthen the motivation and happiness of their workers. Currently, there already are programmes to take care of the worker’s physical form, the creation of healthy habits, stress management and any other problem that working from home can bring about.The companies of the future, ultimately, worry more about creating nice environments for their workers.
The Humans
“Digital skills are important but, currently, our clients are looking for transformational profiles”
Roxana presents us with some of the characteristics we should develop in order to successfully perform in the companies of the future.
In order to prepare for the future, workers must manage their own personal brand. Social networks have already taken over our way of life and we must take advantage of this to showcase our professional profile. We must be active and share content related to the sector we want to address. This will help us become part of the companies.
Workers must develop adaptability and have an entrepreneurial spirit. Today there are many examples of companies that grow thanks to innovation from their employees. Many of these corporations create start-ups that are born out of ideas that came from employees. This is a unique opportunity for both the employee and the company: for the company because it’s a chance to grow and evolve into new areas and for the employees because they can carry out their project and see their ideas become a reality without having to risk having to cover the economic requirements. Thus, at this point, we can also add the need to be creative and innovative.
The employees of the companies of the future must know different languages, in plural and with a lot of S’s. Besides enhancing our cognitive development and being beneficial for our brains, in this globalised world in which we live and thanks to the transformation of the talent scouting process across the world, languages become essential. Roxana tells us that “the more, the better — we’ll fall short knowing just English”.
Transformative Digital Profile. “Digital skills are important but, nowadays, our clients look for transformational profiles''. Roxana links this to those profiles who make the extra effort in companies — new ideas, new knowledge. The demand for transformational profiles is on the rise.
Technological Knowledge. Digitalisation is important in every profile. By 2033, 66% of the active population will be Millenials and Post-Millenials, which means that they will have grown up with a tablet in their hands. Nevertheless, they will still have to get further education and training and acquire new knowledge. Technology moves faster than we do.
Roxana also tells us about some basic core skills that will be demanded in the jobs of the future and comments: “42% of the current jobs’ core skills will have changed”. Adaptability, resilience, teamwork, collaboration, flexibility, analytic capacities, communication and autonomy. How many of these do you currently have?
Now that you know how work will be carried out in the future, how we’ll coexist with robots, how the companies will behave and which will be the most in-demand profiles, you have everything you need to start working on yourself and make sure that not even Ridley Scott catches you by surprise.
Speaker: Roxana Suciu, Engineering, e-Commerce & Retail Division Manager at Compañía Catenon.