New values and new jobs
Australian employees are already reimagining their careers and positioning themselves for a very different working life post COVID-19. Many are seeking to retrain for employment that aligns more closely with values forged during this crisis.
We've got through the 'zombie apocalypse' stage of the pandemic. People are now beginning to ask some bigger questions: what is it teaching us about ourselves and work? What matters and doesn't matter in our lives? There is a growing sense that we need to start creating the new world we want on the other side.
This is likely to have a significant impact on the way we work, and what we do for work in the future.
The initial brunt of the coronavirus disruption and subsequent lockdown has hit everyone, but perhaps most obviously those occupations that involve personal contact, such as hospitality, retail, tourism, the arts and sport. Those of us who are able to continue to work from home are learning to work in new ways. What does this mean for the post-COVID-19 world of work? What lasting changes will come out of this disruption?
If I were to make a prediction about how different occupations might be affected, I would consider how the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the disruption that was already happening to traditional ways of working. The increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI), flexible and remote working, technologies that accomplish routine tasks quickly and accurately – all of these innovations have already altered the nature of work in many occupations.
Working from home for an extended period may hasten the adoption of new ways of working, as we are forced to become comfortable with technologies that support remote working and shared online interactions.
It is likely that when we emerge from this experience we will want to reconnect, in person. Going to a concert, meeting friends for a meal, going to the hairdresser or the gym. The services that provide human connection will be in demand.
The changes that we are seeing in the work that we are used to conducting in an office may be where we see the greatest change. Now that we know it is possible to work differently, will we be willing to return to work the way it was? Will employers be considering the potential advantages to working differently? In this emerging work environment, what will we do and what skills will we need?
We have already seen this trend for ongoing professional development with a focus on enhancing critical thinking, problem-solving, emotional intelligence and communication skills. We have also seen a demand for short, tailored postgraduate courses that allow individuals to undertake study of subjects that provide very specific and unique combinations of knowledge and skills. This provides a competitive advantage in the workplace, but, more importantly, helps many people to realise long-held ambitions to forge an entirely new career.
Stripping away the superfluous 'stuff'
In Australia and indeed globally, momentum is gathering for us to make significant social and economic changes in response to the early, often painful lessons we're learning from coronavirus. It's not all doom and gloom. This once-in-a-generation event has stripped away much of the (now apparent) superfluous ‘stuff’ in our lives, providing rare clarity around what is essential to leading a meaningful and productive existence. With more time to think, and our personal safety under threat, we're becoming more certain about what it is we value.
If we are going to work in different ways in the future, whether from home or a traditional office space, an increasing number of professionals want that work to truly matter, to make a difference.
The government has been talking about how best to support education and training opportunities for people looking to transition into different roles, or adapt to new ways of working. I am in no doubt that individualised postgraduate learning is an effective way for people to not only imagine a new career but also to create one that is more consistent with their values, clarified in times of crisis.
By focusing on what happens next in our lives, and ensuring that it accords faithfully with who we are, we can start finding some positive lessons from this most negative of situations.
Airlie Bell is the Team Leader, Career Concierge, and coordinator of the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma Professional Practice at the University of New England.
