Changing Aspects of the Nature of Work

Given the significant time that people spend over the course of their lives at work, it is important for us to understand the nature of work. Jobs are increasingly changing in regards to how they are structured and work is accomplished, affecting worker job satisfaction, employee-employer relationships, and the sense of job security experienced by employees. Only by understanding the effects of these changes can we begin to understand their influence on our economy. While America’s workforce is in a constant state of change, the speed and types of changes occurring in the workplace today are significantly different than previously experienced. Today’s organizations are characterized by increased workplace flexibility, an increase in employee diversity, and unique employee-employer work arrangements. To identify significant changes in work today, we conducted a literature review in which we examined the changing nature of jobs and the effects that have occurred and will occur as a result. We highlight four important trends in how work is accomplished today. Two of these trends are freelancing and telecommuting. Freelancers are individuals who manage their own careers by working a series of temporary jobs, while telecommuters are individuals who use technology to complete work from any location. Each of these allows for increased flexibility in how and when work is accomplished. We also discuss the increase in individuals holding multiple jobs at one time. Lastly, we discuss increased employee diversity, including the growing representation of multiple generations, minorities, and a growing number of women represented in our current workforce. We then discuss the implications of these trends not only for organizations, but also for individual workers and to our broader economy. By better understanding the current and changing nature of work, individuals and organizations can better respond to and benefit from these changes