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The changing workplace

Learn how to write about changes in the business workplace.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Reading text

What skills will the workforce of the future need?

As technological innovations continue to change the workplace, we are seeing more industries entrust their operations to new gadgets, software and programs that can transform the workplace. One such technology that has the potential to revolutionise workplaces in the coming years is RPA (Robotic Process Automation). With more industries starting to embrace RPA software, RPA robots would be able to handle mundane, repetitive tasks like some of the clerical work normally dealt with by administrative staff, thereby lowering running costs and increasing productivity.

There is a common concern that companies employing technology like RPA are only interested in increasing their profit margins through cost reduction, and that this trend would eventually leave most of the workforce jobless. However, while it is true that the menial tasks of administrative and clerical jobs are likely to be taken over by automation, the demands on the average office worker will evolve to include more creative work, managerial duties and communication with clients and suppliers.

With this shift in focus, the skills required of future workers are also bound to change. Moving away from basic data entry skills, the worker of the future will be expected to have transferable problem-solving and critical thinking skills that will enable them to tackle any difficult situation and work independently to find solutions.

The ability to adapt and be agile would also be essential in a world that is likely to become increasingly volatile, uncertain and complex. Having such flexibility, coupled with the desire to keep learning and the initiative to step forward, the successful worker of the future is one who will be able to use their skills to seek out opportunities, make improvements and take on new challenges wherever they'll be working.

By equipping our future generation of workers with such business skills, we can ensure that when automation fully takes over, our workers will have the survival skills to become better employees and leaders of the future.

Tips

  1. It is helpful to start with a more general statement before narrowing it down to talking about a specific example, e.g. technological advancements will continue to change the workplace → one such technology is RPA.
  2. Use clauses to show if a change is going to happen:
    • over a period of time, e.g. As technological innovations continue to change the workplace, ... / With more industries starting to embrace RPA software, ...
    • at some point in the future, e.g. when automation fully takes over, ...
  3. Connect new paragraphs to what was previously written in order to achieve better cohesion, e.g. With this shift in focus, ... / The ability to adapt and be agile would also be essential ... / By equipping our future generation of workers with such business skills, ...
  4. When talking about future trends, use a variety of phrases to show the different levels of probability of things happening, e.g. to be likely to, to have the potential to, to be expected to, to be bound to.
  5. Conclude with a summary of the main points of your article.

Task 1

Exercise

Task 2

Exercise

Task 3

Exercise

Discussion

How do you think the workplace of the future might change? What business skills do you think will be necessary for the worker of the future to be successful?

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Language level

Advanced: C1

Comments

qtn03's picture qtn03 replied on Australia

The place we are expected to work in the future will be likely to have more automatic machines doing repetitive, mundane works. Those technologies are not only able to free up employees from menial jobs but also make cheaper, higher class products more than the time when they are not equipped. That means these employees are going to have more time to develop their own skills, work less, do multitasks, and enjoy their lives with full high class products outside. However, with low skill, not agile, and old employees, if they are not going to be willing to learn, there will be some struggles which will push them out of workforce in case of the worst scenario. I trust the such scenario is not potential to happen in developed countries where are having good education, managerial mechanism and critical researches.
To thrive in the future, I think the workforce need to develop some business skills which can't be done by machines themselves. The robots can work more exactly or productive, but they can not trouble shoot themselves so that they need help from the employees. Moreover, by the process of using the robots, the employees can think how to upgrade them more efficiently for their works. Another thing that can't be done by machines is personal issues. How could a machine understand nuances of customers' smiles or tackle with employees' troubles? Can it be programmed to deal with a thousand of subtle personal situations in lives? Well, maybe the answer is no, so that is the time for the employees sparkling on stages.
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Rereading the reading text, I saw that I just somehow mainly rephrased it.
Practice writing, anyway. :)