Predictions for 2010: Five Changes in the Way We Work

Tammy Erickson

Here is an excerpt from an article that Tammy Erickson has just posted at the Harvard Business blog. To read the complete article, check out other articles and resources, and/or sign up for a free subscription to Harvard Business Daily Alerts, please visit dailyalert@email.harvardbusiness.org.

Predictions for 2010: Five Changes in the Way We Work
Tammy Erickson

The experiences of the past two years imprinted the workforce with a new understanding: even a “full-time job” does not (necessarily) equate to the equivalent full-time pay. As a result, expect to see these five characteristics of the way we work becoming even more prominent throughout 2010:

[Here are two:]

1. Two-Job Norm: More people will maintain two sources of income than ever before. Instead of relying on the onetime holy grail of employment — a salaried job with full benefits — workers will create a series of backup options. For many, especially those in creative or knowledge-based work, this is likely to include becoming entrepreneurs. A second job or even a small entrepreneurial venture provides a safety net, giving workers a small measure of control over their fate in an increasingly unstable environment.

3. Competition for Discretionary Energy: Engagement has been a hot topic in talent management circles for the past decade. But its benefits have focused primarily on attracting and retaining employees. Increasingly, managers’ focus will shift to competing for an employee’s discretionary energy — competing with other priorities in the employee’s life, including other options for work — but also competing against employees who are only “going through the motions.” More and more of the work in today’s economy cannot be done rotely — success requires a spark of extra effort, creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

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Erickson has authored the books Retire Retirement, Plugged In, and What’s Next, Gen X? She is the co-author of four Harvard Business Review articles and the book Workforce Crisis.

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To read the complete article, check out other articles and resources, and sign up for a free subscription to Harvard Business Daily Alerts, please visit dailyalert@email.harvardbusiness.org.

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