The acceleration of digital advancements has gone far beyond our initial expectation and the digital universe as we know it has become a global network of interchangeable skills and knowledge sharing.
In today’s world you can buy clothing from another country, watch your favourite musician through live streaming platforms and attend gatherings in the Metaverse. It’s not surprising, then, to anticipate that these shifts will extend into the employment sector and impact the future ways of how we work.
This has led to the rise of specialisation and in particular, the digital specialist – we’re seeing a change in how we approach getting a job done more efficiently.
However, as the need to specialise and be more efficient gets bigger, stress in general grows. Humans have been put under pressure to deliver at the same speed as digital growth! With the addition of pandemics on the rise, illnesses rife, work stress and politics it is obvious (and very necessary) that people will demand more balance within their personal lives.
According to Forbes, countries such as Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, UAE and Japan have begun testing a four-day work week in hope of assisting their employees with a better work/life balance. According to Mentalhealth.org, people should keep track of working hours over a period of weeks or months rather than days.
This will give a better picture of work/life balance. Burnout is often identified too late down the road when the damage has already been done; this is not beneficial to either the employee or employer.
A move to super-specialisation?
That said, what does it actually mean for us in South Africa? Are we moving towards an environment where people are beginning to hone their craft to become super specialised? Will people trade their craft or skillset (think in terms of freelancers) rather than commit to fulltime employment?
In my opinion, and based on the fact that global remote working is becoming increasingly easier and more apparent, I feel that a specialised skillset trade and a more balanced work/home life will become more popular in the future. A specialist will be able to finish the required brief quicker – without being bound to office or desk – giving them more choice and freedom of movement.
Coupled to this and very advantageous to the specialist, there is also a skillset shortage in certain countries that will encourage and enable this shift. According to the International Finance Corporation, 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills by 2030. In South Africa many graduates lack the basic and critical skills needed in the workplace.
Due to this, companies need to make considerations to sustain their business to acquire the skillset required and adapt accordingly.
People that work in the digital space where there is a lack of skillset should take advantage of the opportunities, there are many online platforms that provide free courses and tools in order to advance their learnings.
Companies that tap into a global network of employees will have an advantage as they can provide services over 24 hours a day allowing high efficiencies, it will also allow companies to provide employees with the balance that they require and flexibility.
Leila Byrne is digital lead at Meta Media.
