Tackling Challenges and Innovating Engagement: How Leading Organizations are Embracing Technology and Reshaping the Future of Work

Over the course of just a few years, the workplace undergone a dramatic transition. From the tools we use daily to the people we work with, the global workforce is evolving rapidly as it bends to the influence of technology advancements and shifting work dynamics. The pandemic tripled the number of remote workers in the U.S. in 2020, sending individuals from in-office daily engagement to the isolation of their home offices, and today we’re back to something in between. But it wasn’t just our locations that shifted. Later, studies showed these changes caused rises and falls in engagement, productivity, and even employee happiness. We’ve all experienced the impacts in various ways. And as someone who’s seen it firsthand, I set out to explore the trends will shape the next chapter in workplace evolution.  

As you’ve likely experienced in your own organization, C-suite and business leaders across organizations continue to contend with these major shifts. However, it is technology companies that are truly at the forefront of this transformation, gearing up to lead the way in tackling the impact of these changes. By addressing these emerging trends, technology firms are not only reshaping the future of work, but also setting the stage for a more agile and resilient workforce.

Trend 1: Hybrid workforces grow across the globe

If you were a part of the workforce in 2020, the pandemic likely upended your work life in a ways you never imaged. You may have been told you would be working remotely for about two weeks that quickly turned into months, before it became permanent. Some companies never went back to the office. This one-in-a-lifetime global event significantly accelerated the shift to remote and hybrid work. As this new reality took hold, organizations seized the opportunity to expand their talent pools beyond geographic boundaries, resulting in more globally dispersed workforces than ever before.

While many companies rushed to update their technology stacks with virtual conferencing tools and collaboration platforms to facilitate work from their home offices, they were missing the root of the problem – connection. And not the online kind! In fact, it wasn’t until long after remote and hybrid work models were implemented that experts recognized the significant impact lack of connection was having throughout their workforces.  

With an endless amount of emails amassing over 8-hour workdays, many leaders are still struggling to grasp the attention of their own employees and data shows the misalignment between leaders and their workforce is growing. One technology company leading the way in re-building much of the workforce connection lost in the shift to remote and hybrid work is Axios HQ. Rooted in Smart Brevity, a formula to help communicators write concisely and clearly, Axios HQ’s AI-powered software is helping leaders reach their employees more effectively and build connections in their workplace.  

On top of a more geographically dispersed workforce, other factors at play – such as a wider generational disconnect in the workplace and the divisive political landscape creating personal (and personnel) rifts – have made maintaining connection in the workforce a challenge. As leaders must prioritize effective communications across the board to get everyone on the same page, platforms like Axios HQ’s are encouraging leaders to rethink how and what they communicate with their teams to help navigate the challenges of today’s work landscape.

Trend 2: Generative AI becomes mainstream

The public launch of ChatGPT marked a global turning point, one that some argue is as transformative as the invention of the Internet itself. Initially met with skepticism and caution, generative AI quickly gained mainstream adoption. As employees recognized the potential of generative AI to enhance their productivity and efficiency, the technology made its way into the workplace to streamline tasks. And while some applications like data analysis and note-taking lend themselves well to AI, others like content generation are proving to require a more nuanced, human-centric approach.  

The quick rise, coupled with the lack of enterprise preparation and formal AI strategies, has led to the haphazard use of generative AI by employees, without a clear understanding of the technology's potential risks. However, even with the proper policies in place, the use of generative AI creates inherent risk for businesses. For every use case of generative AI, organizations should put the proper measures in place to harness the benefits of the technology while mitigating the associated risks.

Take Acrolinx for example – the content governance platform born out of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence. Amidst the growing demand for content, Acrolinx offers AI guardrails to help enterprises remain compliant with their style guidelines when creating content. Whether it is circulating a formal AI charter within your organization or adopting new technology to safeguard your business from the risks of generative AI use, taking these steps will ensure that the technology serves as a valuable asset, rather than a source of potential problems.

Trend 3: Labor shortages across industries create hiring challenges

Industries across the board are suffering from severe labor shortages, and unfortunately, the tech industry is no stranger to these. In fact, more specialized fields such as cybersecurity and software development, are facing more roadblocks in filling their talent base. With these hiring challenges has come the realization that standard employee benefits and traditional perks are not enough to attract top talent in the fiercely competitive talent landscape.

To address this issue, technology companies must reassess their current approaches to workforce development and enact new strategies to secure and retain employees. Facing its own talent shortage in the semiconductor industry, GlobalFoundries has launched a student loan repayment program to help employees and new recruits pay off student loan debt, with the goal of easing the financial burden of higher education. And the company hopes its efforts will become an industry standard, believing these initiatives will help bring an end to the industry labor shortage.

GlobalFoundries’ Chief People Officer Pradheepa Raman says, “Through prioritizing the long-term well-being of employees, companies are not just enhancing individual lives, but investing in the success of the semiconductor industry as a whole.”  

Amidst today’s labor shortages and hiring obstacles, organizations must remember that people are the backbone of every organization, and securing top-tier talent is critical to the success of its business.

The tech titans shaping up the future of work

These three trends are some of the most prominent transforming the workforce today, and in turn, create a pressing need for businesses to address. Across industries, executives must evaluate which workforce dynamics are impacting their business the most and introduce initiatives to tackle them accordingly.

Looking ahead, future years will be no different – we can (and should) expect the disruption to our workplaces to continue. While it will ultimately be leaders and employees who are tasked with implementing initiatives within their four walls to address these forces upending the workplace, technology companies will pave the path for how to best do so and ensure organizations are well-positioned to navigate the challenges accompanying these changes.

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