Future of work: capitalizing on the digital humanities

When the working world changes, the workplace must change, as must the employees’ working conditions. Flexible, digitalized and connected, companies which have anticipated this change will stay ahead. Here’s a look at the situation in Switzerland.

The Swiss job market is doing very well, with low unemployment, high wages, a skilled workforce and a record high job offer rate since the beginning of 2022. However, work pattern and employee customs are evolving and new challenges are being brought to light. Companies are reorganizing in a disruptive world and are going from surviving to thriving.

Disruption and digitalization

Often attributed to technology, disruption is also affecting the world of work. The insurance brokerage sector has not been spared by this revolution. Forced overnight to work from home, some employees embrace it and are now asking their employers to radically change their workplace.

Though this thirst for freedom and independence is growing, the conditions cannot always be met by the employer – the employee then takes a leap of faith. The American phenomenon of the big quit is now affecting Switzerland. Radical life changes are being observed, some people move abroad, while continuing to offer their services in Switzerland and internationally. The borders of the professional world are falling.

The digitalization of companies is also going to accelerate the acquisition of new skills. With the simplest tasks being digitized, there is time to acquire high added value knowledge.

Health at work

With a globally anxiety-inducing environment due to Covid on one hand, and the Ukrainian conflict on the other, health management at work is becoming increasingly important. New fears have arisen and are pushing employees to accelerate their lifestyle changes. The demand for part-time work is skyrocketing.

Entrepreneurs are facing an upsurge in employee depression, replacing the burnouts of the pre-Covid age. To cope with this, some employers are choosing to offer facilitated access to doctors to their employees. Companies must continuously adapt by developing human-centered solutions, notably through new technologies.

The future of digital humanities

The big challenge for company executives is to instill the company values to employees as soon as they arrive. It is crucial to organize regular team building events. The new generation has a real need to identify with the brand they join. Belonging to a group is key to fostering long-term employee loyalty.

As a society grows increasingly digital, so does the need for exchanges between humans. The digitization of some processes frees up some time for employees who can then develop their skills, go to events and interact with others. The time saved by machines can be used to focus on more human aspects.

Thanks to digitization, a large part of the insurance industry’s employees work independently, often at home and without fixed hours. The trend towards flexible working will therefore accelerate in the coming years but human interaction will always be at the heart of companies.