The future of many companies will be based on project organisation involving a small core of permanent staff and a large pool of freelancers. A typical work model for the future and the coming generations will be the project worker. Employees will not be hired on long-term contracts, but will work on different projects with a schedule of two to three years.
Every project will have a beginning and an end and each project team will be composed of different employees, who work together for a period of duration X, are highly motivated and take responsibility for their respective areas.
A modern ‘project rotation’ and thinking outside the box will prevail in the future. Team members are no longer assigned consistent tasks, but instead rotation will keep ideas fresh. This will happen not only within companies, but also externally and certainly in an international style.
Compared to today, the IT worker of the future will have to have not only IT expertise but also, increasingly, in-depth technical and process knowledge. He will have to understand what the business needs, as well as show a still greater willingness to independently take part in ongoing training in the technologies. In addition, a good understanding of all security-relevant questions relating to IT technology and legal security will be a basic requirement.
He must also implement timely, pragmatic and “creative” solutions and not waste time striving for perfect solutions.
The working world is in a state of flux. In the future, more companies in ever more areas will introduce project-based organisation. Only a small core of employees will be permanently employed. The majority of the team will be composed of a growing pool of freelancers. These project workers will serve different projects on a schedule of two to three years. Each project will have a beginning and an end, and each project team is composed of various employees.
These projects, and therefore the project staff, will be measured on their return on investment. A small basic salary will be agreed and a rewards programme negotiated after project completion, as well as during the project progress. Project staff have neither fixed working hours nor a permanent place of work. They are in charge of their own project planning. It is possible that they will be involved in the project for two years continuously without vacation, then take an extended break and – after a half a year of training – move on to somewhere else.
This flexibility and the blurring of the boundaries between work and leisure makes some tough demands on employees. In return, they are granted significantly more scope in the shaping and development of their professional careers, which increases their motivation to work. Of course, the companies also benefit. But only if they set themselves up for this new working future.
A key success factor will be the recruitment and especially the onboarding of employees. Project members must be able to start working productively as quickly as possible and remain so for the duration of the project. In future, HR departments will be decisively involved in the rotation of employees and release them back onto the market after the end of the project period as part of their post-employment marketing strategy. Even if they are the best of the best. This may also include transferring an appropriate number to another company to get them back a few years later.