Bold and brave ideas in a 'No job for life' era. Preparing your organisation for the career revolution....

Workplaces are evolving, not just in terms of the technology and digital platforms being used, but also in terms of what employees are growing to expect and demand from their employers. Jobs are no longer for life. This shift in our new reality, will have significant knock on effects on the relationship between employer and employee.  The benefits and rewards offered to employees which were once desired and sought after are now no longer the incentives they once were. This short article aims to outline some of these changes.

The career revolution is being driven by a number of factors: our rising life expectancy and the need to work for longer; the rise of the digital technology enabled by the 4th industrial revolution and finally, the social norms that start to exist once change starts to gather pace. Humans – (whether you want to debate it or not) are greatly influenced by ‘what everyone else is doing’. It won’t be consultants or articles which change the mindset – it’s the rise of the industry disruptors who with their game changing technology, passion and innovation are changing expectations. Who are these influencers and what are they doing to adapt to a landscape where there is no job for life?  

Monzo Bank is one of the rising starts of the online banking world. With over a million customers already, they are scaling rapidly. One of their main employee benefits is a month off every year (unpaid) to study/pursue whatever form of learning is felt would be most beneficial. They (sensibly) want to create a culture where people understand it is their responsibility to prepare and develop themselves for their next job. 

But is Monzo big enough for anyone to take seriously yet? Let’s have a look at two more:

Airbnb: The culture of learning is again flagged up as one of the main benefits. Supported and paid volunteer time, enhanced maternity/paternity is again mentioned as is ‘personal time off’. The message is clear: we’re flexible, we understand you need your own time and support to do what is important to you as your needs change.

Google: before you see any mention or money or pensions, Google are keen to point out their ‘generous parental leave policies’, the chance to take time off to volunteer (and they match the donations made), the encouragement to take ‘personal time off’ (in addition to holiday allowances) but most importantly, they encourage employees to learn for themselves. They’ll offer support – even with things which superficially appear unrelated to the work they’ll be doing. The examples they give include learning to play the guitar or taking cooking classes. 

If the main drivers 10 years ago were security and stability, the new drivers are flexibility, autonomy, and trust as you take time to explore what your future job might be beyond the one you are doing now. The main change we are witnessing now, isn’t specific – it’s a sea change. Everything an organisation does needs to move away from being the adult to the child – and move toward being a trusted partner.  Here are some examples of how we’ll see the changes have impact.

We are at the tip of the iceberg – but the good news is, nothing above is calling upon deep wallets. If anything, the burden of providing a long term career path is lifted both psychologically and financially from organisations. 

In an era where peoples working careers will more frequently last longer than (in many cases) the longevity of the companies they work for, it starts to become obvious that acknowledging and supporting this new reality isn’t just a good idea – it’s a moral obligation.