• The future of tourism work

The future of work

International research suggests the future of work will be a challenge for many leaders and workplaces of today.

The simple, repetitive jobs will be done by computers, freeing us humans up to focus on bigger more complex challenges, which will be run in mainly project form.

What will become of the FTE?

Many workplaces will work with contractors, often working externally from anywhere on the planet, who independently contract their services to organisations where their skills best suit.

By 2030, 43% of the work force will be working in a remote capacity and leaders will effectively be professional project managers. Resources that many companies now enjoy inhouse, such as HR, finance, IT, sales and marketing will be contracted and not be working in a centralised office.

This presents significant challenges for today’s leaders. Imagine not being able to call the entire team into the meeting room on a Monday morning and go through the weekly WIP list? How on earth will you keep track of where things are at and who is doing what?

Well, thankfully the machines are also developing systems that will help us in managing offsite work programs, and the boom in online meeting places means connectivity has never been easier and will only be better in another 10 years’ time.

BUT, tourism is still a people business.

It isn’t all doom and gloom as we still need staff for the frontlines, meeting and greeting our valued visitors and ensuring they have a great stay. Technology should and will only help those people deliver better experiences in the future. There will be an even greater need to invest in developing and training these people to make the jump from frontlines to leadership in the very near future.

So, if you’re a leader today, or an aspiring leader of the future, then start thinking about how you can develop your project management skills. How are you going to manage teams that are remote and don’t work for your company? Keep an eye out for development opportunities for yourself and your team.  As we see it, the group needing the most development between now and 2030 are our leaders in preparation for the future of work.

@tourismtalentnz

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