Do You Have What It Takes For Today’s Modern Office Environment?

5 mins read

Do You Have What It Takes For Today’s Modern Office Environment?

The nature of the workplace has changed, make sure you’re up to speed.

Offices have changed dramatically in the past few years. Not only have we moved further away from the traditional 9-5 that dominated the 20th century, but we have adjusted our values and priorities as employees.

In part, these shifts were precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced many companies to embrace remote work models and offer additional flexibility in response to the ongoing crisis.

Other changes, though, are the result of shifts in our societal values. For example, LinkedIn’s 2021 Talent Drivers Survey data shows a 7.3% increase in demand for inclusivity in the workplace, one of the three fastest-growing priorities post-pandemic alongside work-life balance and flexible work arrangements.

Many People and Culture experts have pointed out that the power dynamic between employees and employers has never been so tipped in favor of the former. Amid the Great Resignation and a wave of people embracing the YOLO approach to life and their careers, this is arguably the best possible time to seek a new position.

Equip yourself with these three things

While the onus may be increasingly on companies to provide a modern, flexible working environment that’s inclusive and diverse, employees still need to make themselves as attractive as possible to employers.

For instance, you wouldn’t stand much chance of being employed at a tech-savvy company if your tech age dates back to the first cell phones! (Not sure of yours? Find out with this fun technological age quiz).

The modern office environment is technologically advanced, respectful, flexible, and in touch with the times. Here’s what you need to secure a dream position in the new work landscape.

Up-to-date tech skills

There was a time when basic knowledge of Microsoft Word was enough to get by, but those times are now quite far behind us. Most digital natives (those born and raised with technology around them) find it easy to adapt to different software tools and processes. If you don’t fall into this camp, consider updating your tech skills to match.

Of course, how much you need to know is dictated by your industry and field. Still, as a bare minimum, you should be comfortable working with the Office Suite, Google Docs and Sheets, collaborative work platforms such as Monday and Asana, and video conferencing tools like Zoom and Skype.

Data literacy is another thing to consider. As most companies worldwide are increasingly focused on harnessing the power of big data to drive better business decision-making and remain competitive, data skills are in hot demand.

You can upskill your data knowledge or start from scratch online. Unstop offers a range of courses designed for people new to the dataverse. You can learn SQL, a must-have language for communicating with relational databases or delve into the Basics of Python, one of the most popular languages for data science.

A willingness to embrace flex

People work in different ways. What works well for Leticia might not necessarily work well for Luke and vice versa.

To tap into greater productivity, modern office environments are increasingly adopting flex work strategies that promote a better work-life balance (a key employee priority in 2022) and offer a whole host of business benefits, including reduced attrition and increased profits.

Whether you’re a team leader heading back to the office post-pandemic or a recruit just getting started in your career, it helps to understand how truly flexible workplaces operate. If you’re a leader, you’ll need to learn how to manage a dispersed workforce effectively without micromanagement- If you’re an employee, you’ll need to learn how to work around colleagues’ schedules and preferences as well as setting your own.

The flex-work platform Beamible (which boasts Google, Thrifty, and McDonald’s among its customers) offers a free guide to the principles of flexible work that can get you up to speed with flex.

The right attitude

In 2022’s modern office environments, there is no place for discrimination of any kind, be it based on sex, gender, gender identity, sexuality, race, or ethnicity. This is not to say that discrimination has suddenly disappeared (don’t we all wish it had, though!), but that there is increased emphasis on equity, equality, and the rights of people to express their identities freely.

Social movements such as Me Too, Black Lives Matter, and others have lasting impacts. These impacts have trickled into workplaces with many organizations taking a good, hard look at their diversity and inclusivity (D&I) initiatives and practices.

It’s not entirely altruistic, though. Data from McKinsey and other think tanks show that diversity is good for business; companies with a diverse workforce perform better financially on average. Smart corporations know this and are moving with the times. The right attitude is key to happily slot into a modern office environment.

So brush up on your technical abilities and delve into some data, learn more about the principles of flexible work, and bring an open mind - you’ll be ready for today’s modern office environment in no time.

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