Modern Work Place vs Old Work Place: Why New Firms Are Taking Over

Brainstorming on why some companies in Nigeria are ahead of the others will usually lead to a laborious research and even sometimes involve questionnaires and taking samples. It even gets more complex when you are studying firms globally. Don’t worry that has been done for you and the following have been identified as things to be replaced as well as current trends that drive productivity in modern workplace.

Old things have passed away they say, and surely new things are meant to replace them.

Old way: Employees are the biggest risk.

New Way: Employees are the biggest asset.

Nowadays, most companies still see employees as their biggest risk thereby handling their welfare with levity. The whole idea of a new revolution in the workplace is about getting things right on employer-employee relationship. Check out companies who are currently leading the market and you would discover that.

Old Way: Top down Communication

New Way: Open Communication

Top down communication which simply means information is passed from the top of the organogram down till it reaches bottom. This information is most times different at different stages of the hierarchy, that is, you only get the amount and kind of formation you can handle within your position in the firm. A lot of companies practice this model and keep employees away from the main business and daily operations of the firm. Companies who lead various industries especially IT practice open ended discussions, talks, and interactive communication. In such organisations, any employee has direct access to the CEO or head of division. This kind of all inclusive communication is what is referred to as Open Communication.

Old Way: Skill over Behaviour

New Way: Behavior over skill

You be like are you kidding me? No, I am not barney. This is so factual. The best way to hire and keep right people is to give primacy to behavior over skill. Things have changed and technology has made it seemingly easy to learn any thing whatsoever at the shortest time possible. The idea here is to look out for people with soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, presentation and  personal branding, appearance and gesture as well as endurance. Attributes like this keeps an employee and makes him or her gives the best. Skills can be taught easily, by leveraging on, in house competence but it is extremely difficult to get employees to be patient, self-motivated or even communicate clearly.

Old Way: Manage Time

New Way: Empower Results

No doubt, one key thing for any serious person is to be able to manage time effectively. However, after little or more time spent, what are important most times in the long run are results. What has been done? What is left? What is the quality of the job?. The quality assurance or software testers or even customer are really not interested in the process involved or amount of effort but rather in the results obtained. Companies we look up to know this and have devised ways of reducing jobs of a single time and make people focus on what they really are good out. They also give reasonably enough time for tasks.

Old Way: Rigid Working Schedule

New Way: Flexible Working Schedule

It is so unproductive when you force employees to work during a specified time to deliver a task, but most firms are oblivious to this.  Top companies allow employees to work within hours they are comfortable with as long as results are produced. Work is meant to be fun and not some punishment or constrain. Having employees work actively in the early hours of the day and take a nap or play some game then go back to work after lunch.

Old Way: At your desk

New Way: Mobile

In most advanced countries, this is very common due to good network latency and enough bandwidth. It fast tracks productivity and makes work easier and fun for employees or even independent consultants. Most companies, however, are still stuck with having employees resume and close on their desks.

Old Way: Work for the Weekend

New Way: Do something you love

Well, if you love your job, this might not be correct for you. People who are working on what they love are the most productive in any organization. However, only a few companies allow employees to do what they love during weekends and off days. Most firms will load you with work that will require you to work during your free periods. This may come in form of mandating you to resume during weekend or connecting to a client via remote services. This will no doubt adversely affect employees’ performance during actual business hours due to inadequate relaxation of mental tissues and rest.

Is that all? Yes that is all. Are you a start-up or thinking of creating the next big thing, you should have a rethink on your organizational structure. Inspire yourself

Thank you.