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Staying Relevant in the workplace - Rachel Falzon

18 May 2020 09:30 | Anonymous
THE MICROSCOPIC COVID-19 WROUGHT HAVOC ON OUR PERSONAL LIVES AND THE BUSINESS WORLD. ORGANISATIONS HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH EXTENSIVE RAPID CHANGES TO WHAT THEY DO AND HOW THEY OPERATE, WITH REMOTE WORKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING BECOMING THE NEW NORMAL. HOWEVER, CORONA IS NOT THE ONLY DISRUPTOR TO OUR TRIED AND TESTED WORK PRACTICES.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (or Industry 4.0) is here and has been disrupting the world of work for some time. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Survey 2018 predicts that 75 million jobs will potentially be displaced by a change in the division of labour between humans and machines and some 133 million new roles created. Is it an exaggerated figure? No prediction can be 100% accurate but it seems reasonable to assume that some jobs will be affected by automation. We already know, for example, that some routine tasks in low-skilled jobs are being automated.
According to the Gartner Hype Cycle (2019), there is a tsunami of technologies out there waiting to be adopted. To mention just a few, think of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality, drone technology, nanotechnology and the Internet of Things.
Are we prepared for continuous disruption stemming from technology?
AI enables computers to learn from experience and carry out tasks previously carried out by humans more efficiently by processing large amounts of data and recognising patterns. It is already being used in some business functions. For example, the marketing department may be using AI to analyse customer data to design sales offers based on customers’ preferences while HR may be using AI to recruit and screen candidates.
BECOMING A LIFELONG LEARNER
Where does this looming technology disruption (or innovation, depending the way you look at it) leave the workforce? Given the fast-changing scenario, the shelf life of technical skills will become shorter and shorter. In order to stay relevant, we will need to keep up-to-date to ensure our skills do not pass their sell-by-date in areas relevant to the Accounting profession such as financial reporting, business and financial management, professional reputation and ethics, for example.
For professional accountants, keeping up to date to extend their warrant and professional memberships is a given part of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and critical to ensure that professionals in the accounting sector are up to speed with latest developments in their profession.
But is this enough? Corona is enough to show us how fast we have to adapt – we are suddenly remote working, leading and managing teams virtually, relying on video conferencing for collaboration and meetings, amongst other tasks. Have you ever considered, for example, how AI may impact your current job? Which tasks may be automated? The truth is that we will all need to employ lifelong learning strategies and to be continuously updating our capabilities to create value for our employers in future.
DEVELOPING THE RIGHT MINDSET: A FOCUS ON GROWTH
Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University and author of ‘Mindset: The New Psychology of Success’, has studied learners for over 30 years. She found that individuals’ mindset about learning will have a considerable impact on how much they learn. Mindset is very much about how people view their own intelligence and abilities to learn. Learners with a growth mindset (as opposed to having a fixed mindset) are characteristically not afraid of failure or criticism, believe that true potential is unknown and embrace challenges as an opportunity for personal growth. Given that job security can no longer be assumed, and the fact that a job for life is unlikely since we are living longer, investing in our personal development and growth is critical. The more we upskill and reskill, the more valuable we are in the eyes of our current and future employers, and the more prepared we are for future twists in our career progression.
SKILLS OF THE FUTURE
With these insights, it’s worth reflecting on whether we should continue developing expertise in only one area or whether we should move outside our comfort zone, broaden our horizons and expand our areas of expertise. Trends in organisational design point to having more team-based working, where we can expect to contribute our different skills dependent on project exigencies (as you can find in professional services firms, for example), which makes the case for diversifying skillsets.
According to the report 2020 Workplace Learning Trends Report: The Skills of the Future by Udemy, which offers a large selection of online courses, the most sought-after technology skills in 2020 are AI, data science skills, web development, cloud computing , quantum computing, the internet of things and other IT certifications. Udemy quote the fastest-growing skills in financial services in 2020 as being IT skills like AWS cloud and networking as well as customer relationship management tools such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics while learners working for companies offering business services such as management consulting, marketing and advertising firms are focusing on IT skills such as cybersecurity and networking as well as Agile Scrum and customer relationship management tools like Salesforce.
In parallel, apart from technical skills, with the rise of technology the human element will become important. We will need to draw more on soft skills, often referred to as ‘human’, ‘core’ or ‘21st century’ skills like creativity, EmotionaI Intelligence, flexibility, adaptability, and critical thinking.
BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP
If the organisation you work for isn’t taking the lead with proper strategic workforce planning, start thinking of your own skills mapping. This is basically a visual representation of the role you foresee yourself filling in the future and what the technical and non-technical skills for this role will be. Then you can compare the desired ‘future’ skills to your existing skill base and identify skill gaps.
When you have determined your skills gap as benchmarked by your future career direction, it is important to align your learning to the areas of improvement you have identified. There are plenty of learning opportunities available and once you acquire the knowledge, try to find opportunities to apply the learning.
Once you have identified the content, decide on the format that suits your learning preferences best: face-to-face or online courses, listening to podcasts, watching videos or You Tube clips and reading articles or blogs. Technology facilitates learning to occur in the flow of work (nothing stops you from looking up and learning as you are at work), allows for a more personalised learning pathway and can be self-paced. The rise in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) offer a multitude of courses that are extremely well presented and offer the opportunity of obtaining certification for a minimal fee. Additionally, there are online learning communities on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Linked In if collaborative learning is more for you.
To sum up, identify any gaps in your skills that are likely to prevent you from achieving future career goals, stay focused, be curious and just keep learning.


Rachel Falzon is an HR Consultant and founder of ReWired. She is passionate about developing people and building stronger organisations.


               

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