Whether it’s a growing startup or the industry leaders, we see organisations across-the-board are embracing changes and advancements to streamline and enhance work experience for both current inbound teams alike. To sustain that goal, many have integrated new trends into their daily operations that results in a culture of progress that not only attracts sought-after talent – but nurtures and retains them as well.

So, what trends can we expect to drive change in an office space, now and in the future? Last year was a year of monumental change. While in 2018 we heard more about the concept of having a multi-stage career path, and what this means for employees and employers alike, it is evident that balancing automation with human workers, the impact of AI and a widening talent mismatch are among the top trends that shape workplace ecosystem in 2019.

Constant digital disruption as a norm

Keeping up with technology constantly can often be daunting.  However, employees today expect a high level of digital sophistication. Employers must address this by adopting the right tools and technologies, helping employees manage their use and expectations around technologies and the leadership to help the company adopt and adapt to emerging innovations in the industry.

Train — anytime and anywhere

When companies don’t offer meaningful opportunities to learn and progress, employees move on. Relevant, timely and on-demand training opportunities will be an important retention strategy for 2019 and beyond. Dedicated learning experience platforms is also poised to become more popular as employers realize the benefits of employees engaging with a holistic learning environment to help them advance.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

While organisations today do incorporate technology a formal part of their workforce, 2019 will witness organisations rapidly trying to embrace AI. Agile workers and AI are the fastest growing workforce segments in the industry at the moment, however, far from replacing humans in the workforce, AI opens up more job requirements, delivering even greater value.

Diversity and inclusion (D&I)

Given the recent changes in cultural and socioeconomic cultures, it is imperative that businesses must focus on D&I to entice a broader talent pool. Introducing wide-ranging perspectives is a key ingredient in innovation and can often drive better business decision-making.

The company culture

The state of workplace culture is key for candidates evaluating job opportunities. Candidates today look out for opportunities that allow them to grow, but in a healthy and empathetic work environment. It’s important for companies to share external messaging that accurately and authentically captures their work environment if they aim to entice a talent pool.

Generational Shifts

Over the last five years, millennials have taken up leadership roles and strategic positions, across companies and organizational levels. In 2019, the first line of Gen-Z professionals is set to enter the workplace. At the same time, Baby Boomers are being outskilled and are retiring at rapidly, leading to a significant skills shortage while introducing leadership challenges.

Outsourcing HR and Talent Management

Organisations amidst of delivering great products and services often have little time to hire and train new recruits. The need for quality candidates who fit in changing job roles and the work culture is on the rise. Businesses are making huge investments in HR, but the huge gap between understanding and implementations of recruitment practices has given rise to a sense of dissatisfaction in terms of the quality of the recruits. As a result, businesses will continue outsourcing HR activities to talent transformation partner or associates which provide a powerful, scalable, all-in-one solution to eliminate the lack of technical knowledge of HR professionals which often leads their inability of gauging and assessing the workforce during and after recruitment.

Every year, evolving employee requirements reshape and reinvent how an organisation approaches workforce management. For 2019, a digitally-savvy workforce coupled with change in work environment will be among the top determining factors for a strategic rethink. Only workplaces that continue to evolve and prioritise agility and inclusiveness, and remain steadfast on long-term sustainability will withstand the challenges of the modern-day workplace.

(Keshava Raju is the CEO & Co-Founder of IIHT)