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Research
Identifies Future Workplace Trends and Skills Necessary for
Success
The future office will be increasingly mobile, with technology
enabling employees to perform their jobs from virtually
anywhere, according to Office of the Future: 2020, a
research study recently released by OfficeTeam. But greater
control over where and how people work won’t necessarily
translate into more free time. Forty-two percent of executives
polled said they believe employees will be working more hours in
the next 10 to 15 years.
OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in highly
skilled administrative professionals, created Office of the
Future: 2020 as a follow-up to its previous research project,
Office of the Future: 2005, released in 1999. Trends
identified then are a reality today, including the use of
multifunctional, wireless technology to conduct business from
various locales. Administrative professionals also are now
playing a greater role in activities such as Internet research,
desktop publishing, computer training and support, and website
maintenance.
With Office of the Future: 2020, OfficeTeam examines
trends that may impact the workplace in the next 10 to 15 years.
In addition to interviews with workplace and technology experts,
futurists, and trend watchers, OfficeTeam surveyed workers and
executives at the nation’s 1,000 largest companies.
“Technology will continue to reshape the workplace, changing how
and where we conduct business,” said Diane Domeyer, executive
director of OfficeTeam. “As a result, flexibility and
adaptability will be sought-after attributes in employees at all
levels.”
Among the findings:
• Technology tools to provide even greater flexibility —
Miniature wireless devices, WiFi, WiMax and mobile technology
will continue to allow a company’s staff to work outside of the
office with greater ease. Additionally, virtual environments and
web-based conferencing services will provide off-site employees
with real-time access to meetings, reducing the need to travel.
• Telecommuting to rise — Improved wireless connectivity will
allow for an increasingly flexible workforce. Eighty-seven
percent of executives surveyed believe telecommuting will
increase in the next 10 to 15 years. Telecommuting enables
employees to work where it’s most convenient, but it also
challenges their interpersonal skills. They must build
relationships with coworkers while having fewer in-person
interactions.
• Staff to put in more time — Forty-two percent of executives
surveyed by OfficeTeam think employees will be working more
hours in 10 to 15 years. Only 9 percent said they would be
working fewer hours.
• Workers will stay in touch while on vacation — With the
proliferation of wireless technology, staff will be expected to
remain in close contact with the office while they’re away.
Eighty-six percent of executives surveyed said workers will be
more connected to the office while on vacation in the future.
• Companies/employees take a new view on work/life balance —
People may put in more time, but they will do so using tools
that provide more control over their schedules and enable them
to better balance priorities. There will be an increasingly
blurred line between work and other activities; people will need
to multitask to meet all of their obligations efficiently.
After concluding research and pinpointing future workplace
trends, OfficeTeam and industry experts identified six skills
professionals will need to prepare for success in this new
environment. The skills form the acronym ACTION. They are:
Analysis: Analyzing information and exercising good
judgment
Collaboration: Establishing rapport and facilitating team
building
Technical aptitude: Selecting the best technical tools
and using them effectively
Intuition: Identifying and adapting to the needs and work
styles of others
Ongoing education: Engaging in continual learning
Negotiation: Participating in business discussions that
produce positive results
“In the future office, there will be added pressure to adapt
quickly to change, work smarter, increase productivity and
perform duties outside of one’s job description,” said Domeyer.
“The good news is that emerging technological tools and
educational opportunities will better enable professionals to
meet these challenges.”
Some additional information from the OfficeTeam project relating
to administrative professionals...
New Administrative Roles
With the transformation of the workplace, the role of
administrative professionals will continue to evolve. Following
a trajectory that began within the last 20 years as secretaries
turned into administrative professionals, careers within this
field will become increasingly complex and specialized. Many
positions will require sophisticated skill sets and experience
in specific areas such as technology, human resources and
business processes. Here are several key trends that
administrative professionals can expect:
Entrepreneurial approach — Administrative professionals will
take an increasingly entrepreneurial approach to their jobs and
careers. Those most successful will possess knowledge of
business management principles, technical aptitude,
sophisticated interpersonal skills (or "emotional intelligence")
and an almost intuitive understanding of the needs of an
organization. As more functions become automated, the importance
of using interpersonal skills to anticipate needs, respond to
concerns and provide a "human touch" that computers lack will be
paramount.
New skill sets and responsibilities — To advance their
careers, administrative professionals will pursue
business-focused training that emphasizes negotiation,
delegation, budgeting, supervision and planning skills. Other
useful knowledge areas include library science, for organizing
and storing text and data used by groups; desktop publishing,
for the creation of newsletters, presentation materials and
other corporate documents; and electronic communications, an
emerging field concerned with ensuring the security and
integrity of electronically transmitted information.
Specialized roles — The administrative professional will be a
specialist rather than a generalist, with job descriptions
focusing on the technical and managerial aspects of day-to-day
business operations.
Demonstrated experience — Administrative professionals will
need to demonstrate to potential employers concrete evidence of
specialized skills and abilities, such as technical expertise
and industry experience.
The future office will be increasingly mobile and flexible as
companies swiftly assemble the resources necessary to meet
changing business needs. Core teams will manage employees
working from diverse locations — from home offices to temporary
business spaces to cafés. A premium will be placed on staff
members who possess a combination of technical and interpersonal
skills, and can adapt quickly to change. Professionals who are
able to create new products and services and identify more
efficient ways to work will be among the most marketable as
innovation continues to drive business. Following are key
findings indicating how the workplace is expected to evolve in
the coming years:
Emerging technologies will allow a company's staff to work
off–site with greater ease. Geographic location will matter less
as businesses shift human and material resources around the
globe in response to market opportunities.
Increasingly, companies will depend on temporary, instant
"plug and play" offices that can be established wherever needed
— in commercial spaces that are fully wired and readily
adaptable to the needs of business tenants, for example.
The concept of going to work will be redefined as employees
use portable, wireless tools to communicate from any location.
For business, investment in technology will be offset by
substantial savings on traditional overhead expenses such as
leases, property taxes and facilities maintenance.
Ubiquitous wireless connectivity will permit people to easily
collaborate with their colleagues. Advanced electronic
communication devices will eliminate traditional time, distance
and language barriers, facilitating communication and preventing
lags in production.
A greater number of people will telecommute to work. In fact,
87 percent of executives polled by OfficeTeam predict there will
be increased telecommuting in the coming decade.
While technology will make employees more flexible, it doesn't
appear people will work fewer hours. Forty-two percent of
executives surveyed by OfficeTeam said they believe employees
will put in more time at the office during the next 10 to 15
years; only 9 percent anticipated spending fewer hours on the
job. Likewise, 86 percent of respondents said employees will be
expected to stay more connected with the office while on
vacation.
The concept of "emotional intelligence" will grow in
prominence. This phrase refers to those skills and abilities
that enable people to interact well with those around them,
respond to others' needs and priorities, and adapt to a rapidly
changing business environment.
Key skills — The most important skills and abilities for
administrative professionals can be summed up with the acronym
ACTION. This stands for Analysis, Collaboration, Technical
aptitude, Intuition, Ongoing education, and Negotiation.
New Administrative Roles
Given the multifaceted roles administrative professionals will
play in the next decade, the current designation,
"administrative assistant," may not be sufficient to convey the
scope and depth of their skills and expertise. As a result, new
titles that reflect greater specialization will emerge. By 2020,
administrative personnel will likely fulfill many of the
functions identified below:
• Resource Coordinator — Virtual offices that employ numerous
contract workers will rely heavily on individuals adept at
bringing together the right human resources for a given project
— much like movie producers assembling a cast, camera crew and
production team.
• Workflow Controller — This individual will serve as "mission
control" for an organization. Whereas the resource coordinator
will assemble project teams, the workflow controller will ensure
these professionals have the support and resources required to
do their jobs. This position also will facilitate interaction
among teams and coordinate the transfer and use of company
resources such as computers, communications equipment and other
technological tools. In smaller organizations, the same person
may perform workflow control and resource coordination.
• Knowledge Manager — In the more fluid and project–based office
of the future, this central figure will serve as a repository of
institutional information, history and best practices. The
knowledge manager will ensure continuity and consistency, and
help new employees and project professionals adapt to the
organization's culture. In addition, the knowledge manager will
perform a function similar to that of a librarian, assisting
people in locating the documents or data necessary to perform
their jobs.
• Telecommuting Liaison — As the number of off–site workers
increases, companies will designate a telecommuter liaison to
connect remote workers with each other and management. In some
instances, individuals in this position will work with senior
management to develop telecommuting policies, including helping
to determine which positions are suited for off–site work.
Day–to–day responsibilities will include managing telecommuting
schedules and providing technical support and updates to
telecommuters regarding changes in operational procedures and
company policies.
• Virtual–Meetings Organizer — This person will help employees
schedule conferences and set up the necessary equipment. The
virtual–meetings organizer will be technically proficient and
trained in the use of cameras, projection systems, electronic
whiteboards, meeting software, audio equipment and related
tools.
Visit
www.officeofthefuture2020.com to find additional research
findings, survey charts and video clips, and to test your ACTION
skills.
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