The future of work
The future is becoming increasingly unpredictable, it took us at least three years to adjust, unlearn, and adapt to the new normal. The question remains; how do we future proof ourselves as leaders and prepare for the future imperfect?
Themed leading in an imperfect future, guest speaker Sthembiso Phakathi, an experienced business adviser and Director in the Human Capital practice at Deloitte Consulting, empowered leaders to reimagine and re-organise the workforce by creating meaningful jobs through the application of skills-based models to meet the demand for agility and equity.
“One of the things we have been struggling with as professionals/leaders is around workforce skills or work force mobility. When talking with clients, one of the things that comes up often is why young people are jumping and shifting from job to job. What are they looking for and what do they want in the workforce? What are the push and pull factors?” Questioned Phakathi.
The other topic, he said, is around leading with kindness… what is the role of leaders in this uncertain future?
We need to think differently
So, what are the people looking for when it comes to job opportunities? According to Phakathi, executive leadership and employees are looking for a new approach to work, they are looking for the skills-based approach and leadership that values empathy and kindness over power and ‘toughness’.
“Research shows that jobs are slowly disappearing, and people and companies are thinking differently about how to accommodate preferences. It also shows that leaders think there is a big shift towards skills representation. Some organisations are starting to imagine how the skills-based approach is going to work out – 73% of employees say that skills based practices would improve their experiences at work, 66% of employers are more likely to be attracted to and remain at the organisation that values skills over jobs and degrees, 77% of business executives should equip their employees with the relevant skills to remain and become more employable and 90% of executives are now actively experimenting with the skills-based approach.
On another note, the top three things that people are running away from is their leaders (bosses), low or no salary improvements and a toxic culture, emphasised Phakathi – 57% of employees quite because of the boss, 32% seriously consider leaving because of their manager.
“So, how can organisations organise themselves to provide the things that people are looking for, because those that do nothing, will just become irrelevant and disappear. People no longer want to be managed, they want to be coached and mentored and have flexibility and choice. They are starting to look for different things. So, think about your role as a leader in the 21st century around coaching, mentoring and inspiring teams,” he added.
“Organisations are starting to focus on future skills, they are creating hubs and starting to organise themselves – moving from jobs to skills. So, we need to think differently about the future. If we change our mindsets from hiring for jobs, to hiring for skills, the issues slowly disappear, because we are hiring based on skills demand. Looking at the future, we need to transform and organise ourselves according to the organisations skills sets,” he concluded.
A discussion
We thank our table hosts (below) for accepting our challenge to facilitate discussions:
- Angela Jack, Head of Specialty (Aon South Africa)
- Audrey Husayihwevu, Treaty Executive (Aon Re Africa)
- Carlo Van Zyl, National Key Account Manager (Tracker)
- Dave Van Der Merwe, Senior Executive (Mac Consulting)
- Inge Sieberhagen, Junior Claims And Compliance Specialist (Camargue)
- Linah Mabena, Head Insurance Operations (Standard Bank Insurance Brokers)
- Marcel De Klerk, Managing Director (Innovation Group)
- Dr Nolwandle Mgoqi, Chief Executive (Standard Bank Insurance)
- Sthembiso Phakathi, Director Human Capital (Deloitte)
- Terashni Pillay, Chief Executive Officer (Swiss Re Corporate)
- Vanessa Kodisang, Head of People (Hollard Insurance)
In the feedback session, all the table hosts agreed with the comments that Phakathi shared.
Thank you
Thank you to all the delegates who attended this event, we hope that the session inspired you, as a leader, to reimagine and re-organise the workforce of the future.
Thank you to our main sponsors iTOO, Innovation Group and Santam, and co-sponsors Aon South Africa, Camargue, F&I Insurance, F&I Reinsurance, Standard Bank and Tracker for making this event possible!
