The world of work has changed rapidly. From arriving at the office via a ride-sharing app to employees talking about valuations and stock options, much has changed from the work environment your parents started out in. While there are much less stability and long-term promises from companies and employees these days, the work environment has changed for the better in many ways.
In fact, the modern business has moved so far away from traditional models, you can tell within a few minutes or hours what kind of business you are dealing with. Here are four easy tells to spot a modern business.
1. More than 20% of your office isn’t at the office
Remote working has been alive and well for much longer than ten years, but only recently has it fully become mainstream. With the proliferation of messaging apps and video conferencing tools, more and more companies are realizing they can get better talent if they release restrictions about how often someone needs to be in the physical office, if at all.
Some organizations still like everyone to be in the same place for better collaboration, but even these will allow work-from-home options and will usually bend a little if the right person for the job only wants to drive in one or two days a week.
Remote working isn’t easy, and the right collaboration and coordination tools need to be in place to make sure everyone is clear on what needs to be done, but for those companies who are more organized, remote working is a clear sign that they’ve passed into the 21st century.
2. You regularly use chatbots
Chatbots came of age super quick. Not that long ago, people would have been severely disappointed by the experience of speaking with a machine of artificial intelligence. However, within the last five years, two trends have created the perfect storm for a chatbot takeover.
First, chatbots have come a long way in picking up on natural language and deciphering the meaning from what a human types into the screen. Advancements in technology and the widespread availability of AI and machine learning have made bots smarter much faster.
But the second trend is that humans have become much more used to formulaic digital conversations. Most of us spend the majority of the day staring at a screen, and we’ve grown used to conversing with machines to the point where we can look past certain idiosyncrasies that might have bothered us in the past. We speak to voice assistants regularly and alter our language to get the result we want.
In the modern office, chatbots are already hard at work. They might be used by HR to find information on benefits or policies, or might be used to provide first-level support to customers. Chatbots are so easy to use now, that they’ve become the ideal way for people to access information.
3. Your processes are automated
Automation sounds like something that belongs in car factories or well into the future, but the modern office understands that its powers are fully available now.
Processes are the underlying infrastructure of any business. Everything runs on a series of work being passed from one person to another. Human-centric processes can easily be automated by creating a simple form and workflow.
Imagine you need to make a purchase order. In a traditional office, you would need to grab a paper form and sharpen your pencil. In the modern office, you pull up a digital form that already has most of your details entered, submit it, and never have to worry about it getting lost or having mistakes.
4. You don’t use titles
Titles are quickly going the way of fax machines at many modern offices. The traditional company keeps the straight corporate ladder of manager, senior manager, VP, etc, but modern offices have done away with most of that.
Part of the desire is to create a flatter hierarchy where everyone is accessible and no one is able to force their way unduly. But titles also restrict people from solving the most important problems. Titles can still be a sign to the outside world of someone’s ability to make a decision, but internally, reducing dependence on titles is key to a company moving towards the future.
Welcome to the future
The future of work is filled with all sorts of exciting elements. While many look back with fondness on staying with a company for 30 years and getting a pension, most of these things are well in the past. Modern companies are trailblazing a new way of thinking about how we work, why we work, and what is the best way to do it.
