Evolution of work

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Today’s workplace has undergone some changes over the last tow decades. It is important to note that change has to take place whether it is for good or bad. The fundamental changes that have taken place in the workplace over the last 20 years include entry of generation X and Y into the workforce (Kelly, 2013). Baby boomers are still actively involved in the workforce today. Two younger generations are currently sharing the center stage with baby boomers in the workforce: generation X and Y. Gen X includes people born between 1965 and 1983 while Gen Y includes people born between 1984 and 2002. Gen Y employees are prone to job hop compared to Gen X and hence cause an inconvenience to the HR departments.

Another change in the workforce is the level of education. Currently, there are so many people graduating from colleges and universities who are seeking employment (Kelly, 2013). The change has impacted human resource sin that there is a larger pool of educated and qualified people seeking employment. Therefore, there are many qualified people ready to take up jobs. An individual’s education level directly impacts the salary they expect to be paid. The Human Resource Management of organizations has now been forced to do reviews on employee salaries based on an individual’s level of education.

Changes in technology have also taken place within the last 20 years (Brown, 2009). There have been major technological developments in the workplace with introduction of new and improved technology. It is now a requirement that individuals stay abreast with the emerging technology in order for them to remain relevant in the job market. The human resource in organizations is now charged with the duty of training their employees on new technologies. Without the training employees would be unable to cope with the changes in technology and hence end up loosing their jobs.

References

Brown, W. (2009). The evolution of the modern workplace. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

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Kelly, J. (2013). The Evolution of the Modern Workplace – Edited by William Brown, Alex Bryson, John Forth and Keith Whitfield. Industrial Relations Journal, 313-315.