Future of Work
The future of work describes the general history of what organizations and individuals foresaw as the workplace of tomorrow. The future of work has been a popular topic since the Industrial Revolution.
History
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the period of time from approximately 1760 to 1840. New technology and manufacturing processes in the United States and Europe allowed for mass production. These changes led to job loss and stagnant wages for decades.[1] The initial decrease was countered by the demand for British textiles and handicrafts.[2] Wool spinning, a significant source of income for many women, became automated. At the same time, demand for factory workers increased tenfold. Employers' need for skilled labor led to newly unemployed women seeking regular wages in factories.[3]
1940-1959
A major concern of this era was the risk of communism to American capitalism. The rise of agricultural and industrial production in the Soviet Union and Communist China was seen as menacing to the American way of life, to which the answer was to outproduce rivals in the free market.[4] A push was made to increase ingenuity among U.S. corporations to create new technologies that would increase production without an increase in the labor force or manpower.[5] There was a push by many industrialists, such as the president of Lincoln Electric and the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to offer workers more freedom to expand and explore new markets, ideas, and development in new industries with rewards such as higher wages and bonuses.[6][7] The overall notion of hard work and individualism of American workers was set against stories of famine and oppression of communist countries by public figures such as William E. Jenner.[8]
1960-1979
The rise of electronic data processing (EDP) which began in the 1950s reached widespread use in the 1960s and 1970s.[9] American Sociologist Ida R. Hoos noted that employees from top executives all the way down to low-level workers were negatively affected by the change.[10] She observed that lower-level employees felt "chained to the machine" while managers were left with little to do as their human workers were replaced by technology or quit.[11] She pointed to increased communication between social scientists and "operations research and management science people" as a topic that could improve productivity and employee satisfaction.[12]
1980-2000s
Employees in this period began doubting the value of long-term commitments to their companies and placed increasing value on work-life balance.[13] Casual Friday became popular, dot-com companies grew to prominence, and e-commerce companies Amazon and eBay were created.[14] Rivalry among world powers to gain advancement through new technologies created fear that employers would favor automation over human employees.[15] Newsweek predicted that technology and healthcare jobs would be in demand and automation would "vaporize" bookkeepers, typists, and related occupations.[16]
2010-Present
Futurist Jerry Kaplan cited the number of times humanity has seen rapid advances of technology as a pattern that workers adapt to.[17] However, Kai-Fu Lee argued that the future of AI is only rivaled by immense technological shifts, such as electricity and the steam engine, which would shift workforces in unknown directions and be more difficult to recover from.[18] A current estimate by McKinsey & Company is that by 2030 hours worked that could be replaced by automation range from near zero up to 30 percent.[19]
Post COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many employees to work from home and employers to shift their business models. In the wake of the pandemic, large corporations such as Microsoft,[20] Apple,[21] Google,[22] and Ford[23] shifted to hybrid working models. Factors that led to this change extending beyond the pandemic are beliefs that:
- Leveraging flexibility can lead to greater employee commitment and productivity.[24][25][26]
- Employees, especially millennials, will quit if flexibility in their work environment is unavailable.[25]
- Allowing employees flexibility will improve their work-life balance.[26][20][24]
Popular Discussion
- Three-part broadcast production by PBS, titled Future of Work with the original air date of September 1, 2021.[27]
- Allwork.Space podcast titled "Future of Work Podcast".[28]
- Podcast titled "The Future of Work with Jacob Morgan".[29]
References
- ↑ "What can history teach us about technology and jobs". McKinsey Global Institute. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ↑ Allen, Robert. "Lessons from history for the future of work". Nature. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ↑ "Spinning Machines - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com.
- ↑ Armstrong, James (1959). "Dealing in futures: The shape of things to come". Vital Speeches of the Day. 18 (25): 572.
- ↑ Whittemore, L. F. (1948). "The more abundant life". Vital Speeches of the Day. 14 (14): 424.
- ↑ Clark, Neil (1943). "How much are workers worth?". Saturday Evening Post. 216 (4): 16-52.
- ↑ Whittemore, L. F. (1948). "The more abundant life". Vital Speeches of the Day. 14 (14): 424.
- ↑ Jenner, William (1957). "Communism is a lie". Vital Speeches of the day. 23 (21): 662.
- ↑ Goldsmith, J. A. (14 June 1958). "Choosing your Computer". The Accountant.
- ↑ Gavett, Gretchen (8 February 2016). "Today's Automation Anxiety Was Alive and Well in 1960". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ↑ Hoos, Ida (1960). "When the computer takes over the office". Harvard Business Review.
- ↑ Hoos, Ida (1960). "The sociological impact of automation in the office". Management Science. MT-1 (2): 10–19.
- ↑ Noble, Barbara Presley (19 September 1993). "At Work; Dissecting the 90's Workplace". The New York Times.
- ↑ "A 2020 Retrospective on the History of Work - Infographic". Atlassian.
- ↑ Leach, J. J.; Chakiris, B. J. (1985). "The dwindling future of work in America". Training & Development Journal. 39 (4).
- ↑ Kessler, Sarah. "The History of the Future of Work | CIS - Corporate Information Systems". www.cis.com.au.
- ↑ "In the age of AI". Frontline. Season 2019. Episode 9. Event occurs at 47:20. PBS.
- ↑ "In the age of AI". Frontline. Season 2019. Episode 9. Event occurs at 48:00. PBS.
- ↑ "What the future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages: Jobs lost, jobs gained | McKinsey". www.mckinsey.com. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Embracing a flexible workplace". The Official Microsoft Blog. 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ Liu, Jennifer (2021-06-04). "Apple adds 2-week work-from-anywhere benefit to hybrid office return—will it catch on?". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ "Google Approves Most Staff Requests to Relocate or Work Remotely". Bloomberg.com. 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ Rugaber, Tom Krisher, Christopher. "Ford Motor Co. tells 30,000 employees they can work from home indefinitely". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Leveraging workplace flexibility for engagement and productivity" (PDF). www.shrm.org. SHRM Foundation's Effective Practice Guidelines Series. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "More than half of employees globally would quit their jobs if not provided post-pandemic flexibility, EY survey finds". www.ey.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Kossek, Ellen Ernst; Gettings, Patricia; Misra, Kaumudi (28 September 2021). "The Future of Flexibility at Work". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Future of Work | PBS".
- ↑ "OUR EPISODES". AllWork.Space. 6 November 2019.
- ↑ "The Future of Work Podcast With Jacob Morgan". Jacob Morgan.
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