The workplace has somewhat failed to really leap into the 21st Century. Of course, there has been a lot of progress on all fronts. But it has still been slow, especially in comparison to certain aspects of life. We now live in an on-demand world where everything is efficiency and delivery matter more than anything, yet the workplace hasn’t kept up. Then there is the technology side of things, which is leagues behind the domestic tech, a realm that has seen a boom so powerful we now have terms like the Internet of Things. Of course, we haven’t even touched on the issue of gender equality and the pay-gap, a topic that will no doubt get more coverage in the coming months of Trump’s administration.
Basically, businesses have been dragging themselves into the 21st Century instead of bursting into with the same vigor as other aspects of life. Of course, big companies like Apple and Google, have exceeded expectation and led the way with what is possible. They have led the way in terms of understanding new trends and establishing new tech, but even they aren’t moving as fast as we would like.
The reason this is important is simple; those companies that fail to move with the times will surely fail. We’re not saying that absolute transformations need to be made in one night after all Rome wasn’t built in a day. But the sooner changes are embraced the safer you will become. That is where we come in. We’re here to offer you some advice on where and how you can bring your business up to date and fit in with the times. So sit back, pull out a pen, a pad of paper and start making notes.
Millennials
Yes, Millennials now make up the majority of the workforce. What is a Millennial? Well they are widely cited as anyone born between 1982 and 2000. But it isn’t the age that really sets them apart and makes them a fundamental part of this list; it is their characteristics. Millennials are almost entirely different to those in the Baby-Boomer Generation. While it was once a matter of getting an education and then getting yourself a job that you would stay in for your entire career, climbing the ladder on the basis of time spent at the company instead of merit, before retiring with the white-picket fence and security; these days have gone. Millennials want more of a purpose. They care about who they work for. They want to know about the work-life balance. They want to know what causes their company partners with. They want to have a purpose, feel appreciated and feel like there is more. They are the people that have progressed society from archaic ways and now believe in equal rights, environmental issues, responsibility and much more. As such, it is important your business caters to this audience, whether they be customers or employees. They are the now, so doing anything that sways away from their values would be redundant.
The Cloud
Top Five Reasons to Use the Cloud (and Four Things for SMBs to Consider)
While the buzzword seems to be relatively new, it has in fact been around since 1996, and in that time it has become more and more important to businesses. Essentially, it is the manner of sharing and storing information on the internet instead of on a hard drive. For many businesses, this has been, quite simply, a revolution, and those companies that have concentrated on selling Cloud services have excelled, namely Apple’s iCloud service. If you aren’t using the cloud, then that needs to be amended immediately. So drop everything and do what you have to. We recommend that you check out our other posts on the topic to find out everything you need to. Of course, it may help if you knew a bit more, so here’s a quick breakdown of what the cloud offers:
- Third-party cloud providers can store information so you don’t need a data center
- Data can be accessed remotely, allowing employees to work more freely
- It promotes flexibility, collaboration, affordability and reliability
So if you are looking for ways to modernize your business and bring it up to speed, this should be your first port of call in terms of change.
Equality
Equality & Diversity in the Workplace
Yeah, we touched on this briefly, and it is to do with the pay-gap between the different genders. This is the 21st Century and that means everyone should be given a level playing field. There are no prejudices. That has been one of the most incredible and justified movements in history and defining part of where we are as a society. There are no different races, just the human race, and that covers gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and everything else. However it is important that everyone be compensated fairly based on their contributions, equal rights does not mean equal pay, that idea is communism which is not good for anyone. If you don’t embrace common sense and believe it then you are going to fail to succeed as a business. If you want your company to be modern and to be fair, then equal opportunities need to come into effect right now but with logic behind it.
Responsibility
The Importance of Business Reputation
This is part of the Millennial need. The rise of the information age has allowed everyone to see more clearly, and a big part of that was realizing how morally corrupt businesses tended to be. There was an obvious correlation; the bigger the business the more morally crippled. But it isn’t just about being responsible for attracting a better level of employee, it is about doing the right thing, about understanding standing up and using your position of power to do good, and with that will come a much improve brand image. People will want to associate with you. And That will do wonders for your revenue. Associating yourself and helping good causes will show the world that you don’t simply care about your profits or your shareholders, it will show that you care about something much bigger and much more important, and that is a huge trend of modern times, and right across the board too. When we were at school, not caring about stuff was cool. Today, caring is cool, and that has transpired to include businesses and just about everything else.
