The annual My Career at UTS event calendar facilitates professional development through workshops and seminars for all UTS staff. One recent event, run by Jayne Lee, senior manager at Hays, revealed the 5 trends that will shake up the workplace of the future. These trends are both social and technological, and will change the way we work, teach, and learn. Some of these trends are already prompting new ways of working at UTS

 

1. Multi-stage Careers

As the age of retirement becomes less and less fixed, our working lives becomes longer. This means that we need to select employers who are able to accommodate our needs as we move through the different stages of our working lives. This might mean flexible working hours, or the ability to work from home. As we move to cloud-based technology, this is becoming more and more common at UTS. 

 

2. Multi-Generational Workforce 

We’re working for longer, and that means more generations are working alongside each other. By 2020, five different generations will be in the workplace at the same time. We should be mindful that certain digital skills or styles of communication can come more easily to some generations, and that programs like reverse mentoring (where a younger person mentors an older person) or workshops for soft skills can help keep everyone on the same page.  

 

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3. The Rise of AI

Don’t Panic! AI is here and it’s here to stay, but it isn’t going to replace us. Instead, it will change the way we work by automating a lot of digital processes, and helping us do our jobs more efficiently. It already is at UTS. As the computers take over the process of automation, we’ll have more time to focus on soft skills and working together. In the future, collaboration is a must.  

 

4. Intuitive Learning 

Learning from textbooks or manuals is a thing of the past. Instead, you might have noticed that more and more you’re learning just by trying new things, or by taking short courses online. This is intuitive learning and it’s a great way to keep pace with the extraordinary pace at which the technology around us is evolving. Instead of having to update your skill set once every few years, we’re already learning in smaller chunks more frequently.  

 

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5. Change Mindset 

The technology is always changing, and that won’t stop or slow down in the future. In fact, it’s going to get faster and faster. This landscape of constant change is the final trend that Jayne identified and the one that underpins them all. In the future, we’ll be better at adapting to change and picking up new programs because we will have developed a change mindset.  

 

This was just one of the many great workshops and presentations making up the My Career at UTS event program. Head to the My Career at UTS website for more information. Jayne Lee’s powerpoint presentation is also available for download from the My Careers at UTS site.  

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