There will be a change in the relationship between work and society. Employees will be working to live' as opposed to living to work'. They will expect greater flexibility from their employers regarding personal issues, especially with regards to pursuing life interests and family obligations. This may affect the way human resource professionals do evaluations, performance appraisals and career planning. As self-employment and telecommuting rise, work will become less like a participation in a culture.
The percentage of working women will continue to increase as more families than ever are dependent upon women's incomes to survive. The number of single working mothers with small children will rise dramatically and human resource professionals will have to readjust policies, to better accommodate those individuals.
In the area of workplace development, there will be a shift toward constant learning in a just in time format using a variety of technologies. The skill level of the workforce will change as technology using a variety of technologies. The skill level of the workforce will change as technology de-skills 75% of the population. Varied skills and dept expertise may be valued equally and a new focus on performance measurement will shift emphasis away from skill building.
A change in the definition of jobs will take place as jobs get bigger and broader. This will decrease the importance of job descriptions and titles and increase the importance of competencies. As jobs become broader, generalized, challenging and independent, employees will be required to become more flexible and to product results, rather that just put in time. Human resource professionals will recruit less for particular skills and more for organizational fit.
There will be a growing importance for the strategic role of the human resources profession. A shift in focus to organizational performance is expected, and the profession will move into a leadership position as organizations come to the understanding of how much they depend on it.