We haven't stopped talking about the great resignation of 2020, even two years after the start of the other “great,” the pandemic of 2020. When the first businesses closed during that march of 2020, I don’t think any of us—myself included—saw the writing on the wall.
That writing on the wall has mirrored a revolution that changed the way people live, work, and play. I’m not sure if I can say that change has all been a bad thing. Maybe we, as a society, are just looking for something different.
Death of the 8-5
The 8-5 work week was introduced by Henry Ford during the industrial revolution, but it was not until the Great Depression that standards were placed on the work week in the United States. It was during this period that many labor standards were established to protect the health and safety of workers.
The rise and grind of the 2000’s
“Rise and grind”
“Always grinding”
“ The hustle”
People often use phrases like these to describe their work weeks. The thought that we must constantly be working, “hustling” even, in order to be seen as successful and productive is one that makes many people exhausted and sets unrealistic expectations.
The robot will take our jobs
I happened to see a group of social media users concerned with a restaurant recently, after it announced plans to install self-ordering machines in its locations. The main point of discussion centered around the thought that machines would take jobs away from people who needed them. But does it really?
Post COVID19, food service demands have changed. The demand for home delivery services is expected to increase. In fact, grocery delivery alone is expected to increase by 32%. (Statistica.com) Businesses in the food service industry had to find ways to innovate, which allows for opportunities of transferable skills and upskilling the workforce. Businesses in the food service industry can benefit from innovation, which allows for transferable skills and upskilling of their workers.
Transferable and “up” skills
Current employees and employers will need to source transferable skills or even upskill their employees to do the work required for tomorrow's consumer. In the future, I expect that automation will become a more widespread practice in many industries, including the foodservice industry. The future workforce will need to develop software and hardware skills in order to service increasingly complex machines. In addition, employers will rely more on critical thinking and problem solving skills to work through the complexities of these programs.
Remote work. The new wave of the future
Remote work is normal. It’s not a new normal. While there are challenges of working remotely (e.g., not being able to unplug), the benefits clearly outweigh them with shorter commute times and an increase in productivity.
New technologies (and a global pandemic) have pushed society to evolve. The hustle and grind culture is gone and has made way for better work conditions, balance and new opportunities. Let’s embrace the “out with the old and in with the new.”
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