As Baby Boomers retire and Millennials and Generation Zers take over the majority of new jobs, there is no doubt the makeup of organizations is shifting rapidly. With this fountain of youth, says training company Fierce Inc., “comes a fearless, public, and often tactless communication style that is impacting the workplace in real ways.”
Fierce Conversations outlines five trends it believes organizations will focus on in 2019:
1. Increased accountability for corporate bad behavior. Sweeping problems under the rug or ignoring them altogether are not real solutions. Leaders will work to gain a deeper understanding and connection to the people who make up their organization. This means the popularity of employee training and engagement programs will rise and cover a range of topics such as diversity, unconscious bias, ethics, and inclusion.
2. Fewer organizations will suffer from a “culture of nice.” In these environments, people are afraid to disagree or speak up, refuse to address problems, rarely challenge the status quo, and don’t provide productive feedback. This year, organizations will aim to improve their conversation skills as they pertain to feedback—and provide more of it.
3. Generation Z will no longer be ignored. An estimated 61 million Gen Zers will apply for jobs in the U.S. this year. Organizations will be forced to adjust to this new reality in 2019. To be successful, they will need to find innovative ways to invest more heavily in their training from the get-go, including providing the right resources to this tech-savvy generation to help them succeed both in the short and long term.
4. Companies will move away from hierarchy and toward more agile teams. With this shift will come an increased need for communication skills, as it will be imperative that managers are well-versed in both delegation and decision-making.
