The current workplace environment is so different compared to that of the past century. With the introduction of new technology and the rising of remote working, a majority of organizations have adapted to suit the changes in needs of employees. Firms have adapted to suit the changes in working styles. Over the past century, people could not expect nations like; China, India, and Japan could rise and be among the most productive countries (Beaudry, Green & Sand, 2016). People never imagined that they could communicate and work using electronic gadgets without visiting the workplace physically. The world has become a village where people can work globally without being their physically present. There are various ways in which workforce shifts have occurred over the past century. The Human Resource managers must develop strategies to fit the tremendous changes in workforce shift.
Between 1900s-1980s, the existing generations had a life-span of 35 years but the current generation has a much longer life-span. Company managers thus should comprehend the type of impacts the current generation has on the overall performance of their organization before the development of management strategies. Just a century ago, radios were employed as the primary mode of communication in various nations. Majority of people passed messages by writing letters with telephones being in individual homes where one was shared in the whole neighborhood to deliver long-distance messages faster (Caligiuri, &Bonache, 2016). At workplaces, there were no printers and photocopying machines to generate copies only typewriters were available. The ancient workforce mainly consisted of men with the companies' staff being male-dominant.
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In the traditional workforce, employees labored to earn little income to sustain their families. The employees did not know the importance of savings and investments since they did not care if they were stuck in poverty. There was a tremendous shift in the workforce and types of jobs in the time of World War II. During that wartime, men had to quit their jobs and take part in warfighting. This resulted in women taking up the jobs done by men and hence dominating the workplace. Later women became aware that they could not accomplish the entire task carried out by men since they had to balance between household chores and workplace roles. As a result of this, women were thus forced to learn how to multi-task (Beaudry, Green, & Sand, 2016).
Due to the various effects of the Second World War, there was massive growth technologically. Corporations introduced the use of computers in carrying out critical office tasks. Companies were able to carry out more functions in comparison to the past as a result of technological development. Back in the 1900s, education and all educational privileges were meant for the rich, but then later it was available even for those with low living standards (Caligiuri, &Bonache, 2016). Employees of 1960s were highly skilled compared to those of 1900s. There was the invention of electric typewriters which enabled corporations to create many copies easily as wanted. Later, there were supplementary shifts in the workforce for example; new systems had been developed to inspect organizations' policies, store information and manage employees' benefits. Development of technology led to people being able to complete their tasks quickly, and people had more time for recreation activities than earlier on.
There has been a significant shift both in the workforce and types of jobs. The change began with the Agrarian revolution through the Industrial Revolution and now the modern Creative Generation. Over a century ago, a majority of the workforce was employed with the percentage of people decreasing over time. Currently, a less percentage of people are employed since the majority of the workforce has turned to self-employment. Previously, employees were semi-skilled worked on a full-time basis, but currently, the workforce comprises of; full-time, part-time and contract workers who are super skilled (Beaudry, Green, & Sand, 2016). This has tremendously changed the quality of output in comparison with the past century. Some jobs that are currently available involve technical and professional skills hence require a high level of knowledge and creativity. Countries are thus expected to educate and train its citizens to get them ready to deal with the challenges and shortcomings that they are yet to encounter in this creative generation.
Corporations are expected to upgrade their practices by developing partnerships with governments and education centers to prepare and equip their employees with crucial skills and experience to help them in the present and future. The Human Resource department is thus expected to develop a workforce that is fully capable of meeting the demands of the current generation of employees. The Human Resource managers are expected to acclimate to the rapidly changing employees' characterization. For instance, with the rise in the number of females getting into the workforce hence the HR department should be prepared to contain a new breed of employees (Caligiuri, &Bonache, 2016).
Workers qualifications have changed over the past 150 years hence the human resource (HR) managers must be able to examine carefully job contingency of applicants to ascertain if they meet the current organizational criterion. The present generation and employees working in modern organizations are supposed to confer where the workforce has come from and where it is headed. The HR managers are thus expected to recognize the various skills owned by the employees and exploit them adequately and productively. This will enable both the organization and its employees switch efficaciously to changes they may encounter along the way. For any firm, the HR department plays a vital role in enhancing company's image and financial growth.
References
Beaudry, P., Green, D. A., & Sand, B. M. (2016). The great reversal in the demand for skill and cognitive tasks. Journal of Labor Economics , 34 (S1), S199-S247.
Caligiuri, P., & Bonache, J. (2016). Evolving and enduring challenges in global mobility. Journal of World Business , 51 (1), 127-141.
