The face of the workforce has changed since the 2000s. Redesigns of offices favor open layouts over individual cubicles. As we have seen since the beginning of the 2020 Pandemic, job security seems to be rapidly disappearing. You can’t look at the news without seeing stories about the increase in remote workers and the gig economy, and advances in artificial intelligence and automation. It is frequently increasing in the belief that schools are preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist or may no longer be needed. As a former college student, I recognize the many changes that have been made in education since I graduated high school in the early 2000s.

Disappearance of “entry-level” jobs

Baby boomers were used to entering a workforce and working up through the ranks of a company. Success was not equated to a diploma; instead, workers could achieve their dreams through sheer hard work and perseverance. Younger workers have not been able to find these same levels of success. It is nearly unheard of to get a job straight out of high school and with no experience. Studies have shown that 60 percent of employment qualified as entry-level positions require at least three years of experience and a college degree.

The Internet Brings in New Ways to Learn

There are more web-based education options. Computers are certainly not a luxury item at all. Most people have them and probably a tablet or two. Colleges cater to working adults by offering distance learning and educational work experience based programs.

Freelancers and Gig Workers Are Everywhere

In response to the Great Recession, more companies are turning to hire freelancers and gig workers to lower costs associated with employees. This environment makes work a more flexible experience.

Shifts Also Impact Businesses

Changes in the workplace have not only shifted employee roles it has also altered businesses. In order to remain competitive in the changing global economy, companies must be receptive to change.

Shattered the Glass Ceiling (Sort of)

The workforce has shifted from one dominated by older Caucasian males to a more multigender and multiracial representation. These changes have brought about new issues that management has had to learn to adapt to quickly.

Social Psychologist Kurt Lewin is sometimes believed to be the first person ever credited with an article on Human relations. He proposed Three Stages of Change that must be met continuously. Lewin’s Change in three steps model has the following three steps:

Unfreezing
changing,
refreezing

Unfreezing

In the unfreezing stage, old concepts and ideas are released, so there is room to learn new ones. At an office I once worked at, we had a whole room dedicated to 5-inch white medical folders. As the company was being sold, we were in the process of converting to entirely electronic medical records. This involved learning new software, breaking down those white binders, and inputting the data manually into the system.

Changing

The next stage is changing. This is the actual process where new information is learned. There was learning to use the software—learning which documents would be processed by which department. Also, we had many meetings as the executive staff had to brainstorm issues we had not anticipated.

Refreezing

The final step is refreezing, which is what has been learning becomes actual practice. When we had reached this phase, the binder room was no longer thought of as the binder or records room. Employees were used to finding data in the system. The employees could troubleshoot issues on their own.

Since the 2000s, the workforce has had many changes for both employees and businesses. Technology, education, and legislation have impacted how workers find work and businesses are operating. Social psychology concepts can help business managers understand how to navigate future changes.

Author Bio: Joe Ephgrave is the Director of Award-Winning Digital Marketing Agency WHR Marketing. He is renowned for his Digital Marketing Blog and skills including his SEO Strategy consisting of On-Page SEO (high-quality content, structure for SEO), and Off-Page SEO (effective link building and content promotion through social media).