Workers want meaning, but few employers are prepared to offer it

Dive Brief:

Just 19% of respondents in Deloitte's 2019 Global Human Capital Trends report said they were prepared to be leaders in bringing meaning to the work of their industries. Deloitte polled nearly 10,000 respondents in 119 countries, a news release said.
Almost 90% of respondents said that reinventing the way people learn is important or very important. Nearly two-thirds of respondents rated the importance of automation in the same way.
"Over the last five years, issues related to productivity, well-being, overwork and burnout have grown," Jeff Schwartz, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, U.S. future of work leader, said in the news release. "As a result, organizations need to shift from the traditional employee experience to a new category we call 'human experience,' where relationships are enduring, learning is continuous, and work has meaning centered around human identity."

Dive Insight:

Employers have recognized that human skills remain critical in the age of technology, despite reports that new tech can produce work that surpasses human production in accuracy and efficiency. In some cases, the overwhelming demand for soft skills — which are uniquely human — over technical skills demonstrates the need for a human focus in organizational functions.

Redesigning jobs might not be an easy task, but research has said it might be a necessary one as HR prepares for the future of work. The rise in the gig economy and growing demand for contingent workers is one part of the redesign; a majority of HR leaders planned to convert a third of their full-time positions to contractor jobs in 2017.

But talent acquisition can't take all of HR's attention, according to Erica Volini, principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP. "As organizations' workforce needs drastically change, leaders should shift from focusing on acquiring talent to accessing capabilities," she said in the news release. "While the change may seem nuanced, taking a more expanded view of where skills can be found – whether it's in automation, the gig economy or current employees – can pay dividends in today's fast-paced and high-demand business environment."