8 Work Trends You’re Bound To See In 2019

Burst/Matthew Henry

When it comes to your career, it’s important to constantly understand how your industry is evolving. Every year, new workplace trends pop up that could help you lead a happier life at work. Even better, with new trends come new opportunities, which would help you land your next gig or finally get that promotion. Here are a few work trends you might see in 2019.

1. Gen Z will join your office.

According to the Pew Research Center, generation Z consists of anyone born after 1997. In 2019, the oldest members of that generation are turning 22 and graduating college. That means they’ll be joining millennials, generation X and baby boomers in jobs all around the world. It also means that 2019 will be a year when there will potentially be four generations working together in any one industry. And because gen Z has grown up with more gadgets than any of the other generations, they’ll create competition with their tech-savvy skills

What To Do: Freshen up your tech skills or learn something new through courses on General Assembly, Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning or GoSkills. Many offer free courses or introductory offers that make it super affordable.

2. Remote work FTW.

Burst/Matthew Henry

Remote work is already on the rise, but it’ll continue to grow in companies around the nation this year. What may change is the way employees juggle remote and in-office work. Forbes suggests we could see more in-office days for remote employees. One Gallup poll suggests this the balance of both work environments actually helps employees be more engaged than those who are 100 percent remote or in the office full time.

What To Do: If you haven’t been taking advantage of your office’s remote work policy, you may want to start. Discuss it with your manager and see if you can try a new schedule for a few weeks. It could lead you to higher engagement in the work you do, ultimately helping you achieve more in your job.

3. Diversity and inclusion will be top of mind.

The #MeToo movement and #TimesUp campaign made a splash in 2018, and it’s not set to slow down any time soon. In 2019, we’ll see more executive apologies, diverse leadership and more inclusive products, according to Forbes. And we agree. We believe companies will put more effort into equal pay, equality in the workplace and more.

What To Do: Get involved in helping to create a work environment that is equal and diverse. Connect with your human resources department and ask how you can help. You may be able to suggest ways to improve the company’s diversity and inclusion, which will not only make your company better, but it’ll surely help you stand out as a leader, too.

4. New tech and realities will come into play.

You may already know about augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence and mixed reality experiences. But in 2019, these technologies are sure to grow even more. Tasks may change to include more automated technology, and it could mean that your job description will change, too.

What To Do: Stay up to date on trends in new technology so you can be an early adopter if your company decides to implement anything new. Additionally, keep working on improving your skills that can’t be automated by technology — leadership, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and more.

5. Companies may finally help with student loans.

It started in 2018, and we believe (and are praying) it’ll continue into 2019 and beyond. Companies like Fidelity, Aetna, Live Nation and more are helping to pay back their employee’s student loan debt. And with the total student loan debt still on the rise — it’s now $1.53 trillion in the U.S., according to MagnifyMoney— we’re sure this will be top of mind for candidates looking for their next job.

What To Do: Ask your human resources department about this option. Oftentimes large companies have a lot of benefits, and you might not know about all of them. Tossing the idea out to your HR team could spark an idea for this benefit in the near future.

6. The use of social media may shift.

Burst/Shopify Partners

With so many data breaches, trust issues and social media companies in the spotlight in 2018, we think social media usage will surely change and evolve in 2019. Whether it’s fewer users on specific platforms or an increase in the use of messaging, social media may not be used the way it was in past years by both companies and customers.

What To Do: Stay up to date with new features on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and more. It’s always smart to be social media savvy. It’ll make you a great candidate for a new job or allow you to support other departments in your company.

7. New roles focused on ethics may be created.

While diversity and inclusion will be a focus in 2019, so will ethics in the office. We may see the rise of the Chief Ethics Officer role in companies, which will allow more of a focus on how personal data is handled and more. A focus on ethics will help companies create concrete values that they’ll stick to, which can help them also make smarter decisions for their customers.

What To Do: With the increased focus on ethics in offices comes potential new roles that don’t even exist yet. If you’re interested in this area of your industry, seek out others who are already doing it and schedule a coffee meeting with them. Ask how they got there, what their role entails and more. You could end up carving out a new title for yourself at your current company before the end of the year.

8. Corporate social responsibility will continue to rise.

We can’t help but love companies that put a focus on giving back to communities. And with so many companies in the negative spotlight in 2018, we think many will want to get back to the positive side of their business. Whether it’s quarterly volunteer days, partnering with non-profit organizations or matching charitable contributions made by employees, we think companies will definitely up their corporate social responsibility (CSR) game in 2019.

What To Do: If your company is already great at CSR initiatives, offer to help lead them. If it’s not, suggest a few ways that it can get more involved. It could be a simple food drive, sponsoring a non-profit’s event or asking for one day off per quarter to go and tutor kids at a nearby school.

What work trends do you think we’ll see in 2019? Tell us by joining our exclusive LinkedIn Group!

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