A third of employees ‘excited’ about the future of work

By 2040, most traditional salaries will no longer exist and deskless workers will have ‘intelligent uniforms’, according to a Future of Work study from Virgin Media O2 Business.

In partnership with futurist Tracey Follows, its research found that 36% of workers are concerned about the impact of technological changes and what they might mean for them, and over a quarter (27%) feel they can’t keep up with the pace of change.

Deskless or transport workers were most likely to feel a loss of control over their futures, with 31% worried about the impact of AI on their jobs.

Half of respondents to VMO2’s survey aged under 50 do not know what job they will be doing in 20 years, and this rises to 66% for deskless retail workers, and 63% for transport and storage workers. Fifty-three per cent of frontline workers would like more communication from managers on how their jobs might change.

That said, 36% of deskless workers are excited about the possibilities technology could bring, and 32% think digital developments will make them more productive.

Follows made a number of predictions about the evolving nature of work, including that traditional paid salaries could be replaced by or supplemented with more innovative pay models.

Pay would be based on more decentralised, non-government-issued currencies such as blockchain, and employees would be able to choose how they are paid depending on their politics and ethics, she predicts.

Within the next 20 years, deskless workers will have intelligent uniforms that will respond to environmental conditions such as temperature, air quality and noise.

And in 10 years, she predicts, one in 10 deskless industrial roles will be in the safety sector.

This will happen thanks to an increased global focus on worker safety and compliance, as well as increased automation driving new roles that ensure safe human-machine interaction.

“Emerging tech presents many promising new opportunities to improve workplace safety, wellbeing, and empower employees through more personalised compensation structures. Instead of reacting with pessimism, we would do well to shift the narrative toward one of optimism and possibility for reinventing roles,” Follows explained.

Diego Tedesco, director of commercial, product and marketing at Virgin Media O2 Business, said that telecoms providers would play a crucial role in guiding employers and workforces through this “transformative phase”.

“From supporting hybrid work to powering safety devices in manufacturing environments, connectivity underpins the way we work,” he added.

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