Vision: The future of work in 2040
--
[Article written on May 21, 2023 by Jeremy Lamri with the support of the Open AI GPT-4 algorithm for about 20%].
In a constantly evolving world, where environmental, social, and economic challenges shape our future, Léa, a talented young professional, navigates the complex landscape of work in 2040. Follow Léa’s story as she explores various aspects of her career and learns how to adapt to a world of polycrises, all while believing that innovation, creativity, and adaptability are keys to overcoming obstacles and creating a better future for future generations.
WARNING: much to my regret, I found that for some people, reading such an article could provoke strong emotions, related to the role technology plays in it, and the discrepancy proposed with the current reality. This prospective article is by no means a perfect or ideal vision of the future, but rather a vision oriented in light of the current advancement of technologies and uses. It should be seen as a kind of anthology, allowing in a single article to review multiple innovations.
Because it can never be said enough: YES, humans should remain at the heart of HR, business, and society, and NO, the machine should not replace humans in what they most treasure. If despite this clarifying paragraph, it seems necessary for some to express their refusal to see such a future occur, I can only recommend that they make their voices
Recruitment in 2040
In the near future, the recruitment and selection process will be profoundly transformed by the combined and reasoned use of cutting-edge technologies. This transformation will create a more balanced, even reversed, relationship between candidates, managers, recruiters and even existing employees, taking into account the expectations of Generation Z and cultural parameters.
Let’s imagine the story of Lea, a recent graduate looking for her first job. Lea uses a recruitment platform based on blockchain and AI, which analyzes resumes and online profiles to find the best job opportunities suited to her skills and aspirations. Thanks to the secured and transparent verification of her qualifications and professional experiences via blockchain, Lea is assured that her profile is accurate and up-to-date.
Lea is invited to participate in a virtual job interview with a company that interests her. The interview takes place in an immersive mixed reality environment, where Lea, recruiters and even some company employees come together to discuss and assess cultural fit and technical skills. Thanks to augmented reality, participants can visualize and interact with projects and examples of work done by Lea, while AI analyzes and predicts Lea’s future performance in different work scenarios.
During the interview, Lea also has the opportunity to ask questions to managers and employees of the company, thus reversing the traditional relationship and allowing a mutual assessment of expectations and values. The company makes it a point to promote collaboration and to factor in the expectations of Generation Z, by adapting its recruitment process to include a balanced exchange between all stakeholders.
Once hired, Lea receives a work contract in the form of an NFT, guaranteeing the authenticity and security of her employment conditions. The company also uses a decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, to manage organizational decisions, enabling employees, including Lea, to actively participate in decisions that concern them.
During her orientation, Lea benefits from mixed reality training and the tracking of her process through blockchain. Additionally, automation and robotics enable Lea to focus on higher value-added tasks, thus promoting her creativity and professional development.
This smooth story illustrates how the incorporation of emerging technologies into the recruitment process can transform the experience of candidates, managers and recruiters, creating a collaborative, inclusive work environment that is adapted to the expectations of new generations.
Professional development in 2040
After a few months in the company, Lea begins to participate in training to develop her skills and strengthen her expertise. The company uses virtual reality to create immersive and interactive training environments, allowing Lea and her colleagues to learn in a more effective and engaging way.
During a virtual reality training session, Lea works on a group project with colleagues located in different regions of the world. Together, they solve complex problems and share their knowledge in real-time, despite the geographical distance. Artificial Intelligence continuously analyzes the performances and progress of Lea and her colleagues during the training, identifying the areas where they need improvement and recommending additional training resources or actions to fill these gaps.
For example, after analyzing Lea’s performance data in a virtual reality training session, the AI recommends an additional module on time management and task prioritization to help her be more efficient in her daily work. Lea follows this module and quickly notices an improvement in her productivity and job satisfaction.
Thanks to blockchain, Lea’s training and skill development information is tracked and stored securely, ensuring an accurate and up-to-date record of her progress and achievements. Lea can also share this information with her managers and colleagues, thus demonstrating her willingness to learn and improve continuously.
The company acknowledges and rewards Lea’s commitment to her professional development by offering her bonuses in the form of cryptocurrencies, which she can exchange for benefits or services. Lea appreciates this innovative and flexible approach to employee recognition and valorization, which strengthens her sense of belonging and long-term motivation.
In summary, Lea’s story illustrates how the integration of technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and blockchain in employee training and skill development can transform the learning experience, promote collaboration and continuous improvement, and contribute to employee satisfaction and talent retention.
Performance Management in 2040
During her career in the company, Lea discovers that the management of performance and rewards has also been revolutionized by technological innovation. The implementation of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and virtual reality creates a more personalized and engaging approach to track and improve employee performance.
The company uses AI to analyze real-time employee performance data, including Lea’s. This analysis allows identification of the strengths and areas for improvement of each employee, by providing personalized recommendations for enhancing performance. For instance, the AI suggests Lea to work on her leadership skills by participating in a virtual mentorship program in mixed reality, where she can interact with seasoned mentors and other employees with similar goals.
Blockchain is used to securely and transparently store information on employee performance and rewards. As such, Lea can access her performance profile at any time and consult the details of her achievements, future goals, and the rewards she has received. This ensures that data are accurate, up-to-date, and accessible at all levels of the organization.
When it’s time for Lea to review her performance with her managers, the company uses virtual reality to set up virtual performance meetings. These meetings allow employees and managers to gather in an immersive and engaging environment, where they can discuss performance and goals using interactive visualizations, simulations, and real-time work scenarios.
During Lea’s performance meeting, her manager uses augmented reality to show how her leadership skills have evolved since she joined the virtual mentorship program. They review together the progress made and the areas in which Lea can still improve, setting clear and measurable goals for the coming year.
Moreover, as part of the NFT reward system tied to accomplishments and performance, Lea receives NFTs that she can exchange for bonuses, specialized training, opportunities to work abroad, or stakes in innovative projects.
This story shows how the integration of emerging technologies in the management of performance and rewards can create a more personalized, transparent, and engaging experience for employees, encouraging them to continually improve and actively contribute to the success of the organization.
The Management of Employee Well-being in 2040
Lea, now well integrated into the company, discovers that it is on the verge of revolutionizing employee engagement and well-being with an even more innovative and original approach.
The company is implementing a mixed reality (MR) work environment that merges the real world and the virtual world. Employees, whether they work remotely or in the office, wear mixed reality glasses that allow them to see and interact with holograms of their colleagues and projects. This creates a unique and engaging work experience, where the boundaries between the physical world and the digital world are blurred.
In addition, artificial intelligence is used to create personalized avatars that represent employees in this mixed reality environment. These avatars, called “IAmbassadors,” are capable of learning and adapting to each employee’s work style and preferences. The IAmbassadors facilitate communication and collaboration within the team, acting as intermediaries who translate languages and cultures, and ensuring that each team member’s contributions are taken into account.
The company goes even further in analyzing employee well-being by implementing biometric sensors and wearable devices that track employees’ physiological and emotional data in real-time. AI analyzes this data and proposes personalized interventions to improve each person’s well-being. For example, if the AI detects that Lea is stressed, it can adjust the mixed reality environment to create a soothing workspace with relaxing virtual landscapes and soft music.
As for rewards, the company uses blockchain to create a rewards ecosystem based on non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Employees receive unique NFTs for their achievements and engagement, which can be exchanged for exclusive and personalized benefits. For example, Lea could exchange an NFT for private mentoring with an expert of her choice, or to attend an exclusive networking event in a virtual space.
Finally, thanks to the in-place DAO, Lea is able to actively participate in decision-making regarding company wellness initiatives and policies. With her colleagues, she can propose and vote on ideas, and the DAO allocates cryptocurrency resources to fund projects approved by the majority.
In this advanced version of Lea’s story, the company pushes technology boundaries to create a work environment that fosters engagement, well-being, and employee fulfillment. By adopting this avant-garde approach, the company attracts and retains the best talent, while creating a culture of innovation and collaboration.
Working in 2040
It would be trivial to think that the above snippets of history are representative of Léa’s life. Indeed, by 2040, her professional life is as spectacular as it is challenging. Innovation, creativity, and adaptability have become essential to address the environmental, social, and economic challenges facing the world.
Léa now works for several companies at once, in a segment of the quaternary sector that focuses on intelligence, creativity, and knowledge management. Professionals in this sector are compensated based on their intellectual and creative commitment, using cryptocurrencies and tokens that reflect their added value and can be exchanged for goods and services.
In this world of poly-crises, collaboration between companies and freelancers has become crucial to solve complex and urgent problems. Léa and her colleagues regularly call on independent experts to strengthen their internal projects, using decentralized platforms based on blockchain to select the best talents according to their skills and adaptability.
Léa’s meetings are no longer confined to Earth: she regularly collaborates with teams located on an orbital station around Mars, thanks to a quantum communication technology that eliminates latency. Together, they work on projects aimed at developing sustainable solutions for space exploration and colonization, and mitigating the effects of climate changes on terrestrial resources.
However, life and work in 2040 are not without challenges. Léa must constantly adapt to a frenetic pace of technological innovations and face the pressure of staying competitive in an increasingly demanding job market. The boundaries between professional life and personal life have become blurred, with flexible work schedules and shared workspaces blending into living spaces.
Environmental challenges are also concerning for Léa. Although she and her colleagues strive to create sustainable solutions, the impacts of climate crises are omnipresent. Natural resources are increasingly limited, and companies have to compete for access to the materials and energy they need to function.
Despite these challenges, Léa is convinced that collaboration, innovation, and adaptability are the keys to overcoming obstacles and creating a better future. By working with diverse teams and adopting cutting-edge technologies, she hopes to contribute to solving global problems and building a more sustainable and equitable world for future generations.
Conclusion
Lea’s story illustrates the rapid and radical evolution of professional life in the near future, marked by the integration of emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and DAOs. These technologies have transformed all aspects of work and talent management.
In this future, collaboration, creativity and adaptability have become essential to address the environmental, social and economic challenges facing the world. The boundaries between companies and freelancers have blurred, fostering increased cooperation and a more balanced and personalized approach to work. Employees, like Lea, must constantly adapt and face the challenges of a world fraught with multiple crises.
Despite difficulties and uncertainties, Lea’s story offers hope and optimism. By adopting cutting-edge technologies and a collaborative and innovative approach, employees can contribute to solving global problems and building a more sustainable and equitable future for coming generations.
Lea’s story shows that, while technologies can bring about significant changes and unexpected challenges, they also offer unprecedented opportunities to create a more engaging, transparent, and personalized work experience, and to address the global challenges we all face.
[Article written on May 21, 2023 by Jeremy Lamri with the support of the Open AI GPT-4 algorithm for about 20%].
— —
If you are interested in the combination of web 3 and HR, I invite you to subscribe to the dedicated newsletter that I keep writing on the subject, and to read the articles that I have written on the topic:
