Whose Job Is It Anyway?
People Matters|May 2019

We discuss the lack of meaningful discussion around what an individual employee can do to prepare for the future of work and why the workforce needs to be an equal participant in the discourse regarding automation and upskilling.

Manav Seth
Whose Job Is It Anyway?

Our understanding of work and the workplace is at the brink of being changed irreversibly and these changes are already evident in many aspects of our lives. As the debate around the future of work gains momentum, organizations and leaders are coming to terms with the complexity of the situation, and are racing to find innovative and sustainable solutions. But in the cacophony of this race and the many buzzwords that come with it, the voice of the workforce is struggling to be heard. Let us revisit a fundamental aspect of this debate and take a look at the participation of employees in shaping the future of work, the assumptions that leaders might have about the workforce, and what can an individual do to future-proof their career.

Sleepwalking through careers

In today’s day and age when leaders value proactive and agile workers, one might assume that employees are going out of their way to solve critical challenges and take initiative in their organizations. However, a recent ‘Career Pathway’ report by LinkedIn found that nearly every third Indian professional is ‘sleepwalking’ through their career. According to the study, conducted in 11 Indian cities with more than 5,000 working professionals, nearly 57% of the respondents would consider pivoting their careers to make it more rewarding but are held back by the prospect of lesser wages and lower designation. On the bright side, the report also found that employees in India want greater control over their careers and 86% of the respondents had a clear career trajectory over the next five years. While professionals today are more careful about their career choices, 80% of the respondents were of the view that their current skill set would allow them to pivot their careers easily, which indicates a false sense of security in today’s fast-changing world.

This story is from the May 2019 edition of People Matters.

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This story is from the May 2019 edition of People Matters.

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