Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Workforce Future
Workforce Future
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Technology Changes
Just as the traditional car mechanic has been replaced by electronically-savvy car technicians, a
recent Rand Study argued technological advances are expected to continue to increase
demand for a highly skilled workforce, to support higher productivity growth, and to change the
organization of business and the nature of employment relationships; more rapid transfer of
knowledge and technologies, and mobile populationsis partly the result of inexpensive, rapid
communications and information transmission enabled by the Information Technology
revolution. Technology advancements are also occurring in biotechnology, materials sciences,
nano-technologies and many other areas that will impact the water industry. These
technological advances will create new jobs and cross-disciplinary skill requirements that will
challenge current job design.
The rapid pace of technology changes will tax slower organizational processes for re-skilling the
workforce, rapid procurement of needed resources and flexibilities in moving staff to short-term
assignments in and out of the organization to leverage new technologies and collaborations.
Other issues include:
management of resources and improvement in value of funds used to secure the future of the
workforce.
Future Challenges in Total Compensation
Developing cost-effective alternatives to rising healthcare and benefit costs
Competitively positioning compensation to attract and retain key talent and high
performing employees as competition for talent increases
Redesigning compensation practices that will foster a pay for performance philosophy
and differentially incentivizes and rewards high performance of both individuals and
teams
Ensuring employees understand the total value of the compensation and benefits they
receive and have increasing flexibility to tailor benefits to fit their personal needs and
lifestyles
Establishing incentives and accountabilities for employee performance
Using HRIS to provide people-related information where and when it is needed in a
cost-effective, user-friendly manner which supports sound business decision making
Ensuring up-to-date job profiles and reinventing the job evaluation system
HR Information Services (HRIS)
Compliance with record keeping requirements
Timely access to records and analysis while protecting confidentiality
Cost-effective, optimized systems and development of HRIS processes
INTEGRATED TALENT MANAGEMENT
The workforce for the future will require a significant investment in people. Many components of
a talent management system must work together to ensure that Metropolitan has the right
people for the right jobs with the right skills at the right time. These components require a
coordinated and consistent approach that accomplishes the intended results without increasing
exposure to litigation or violation of regulations while also ensuring that Metropolitans
investment in the people it hires yields engaged and enabled employees who continuously add
value to the business throughout their careers. Some key objectives for these talent
management elements include:
Organization Design
An efficient and effective organization with clear responsibility, authority and
accountability
Work that aligns with business goals and future needs
Workforce Planning
Proactive planning on key issues that will affect workforce
Assessing current and projected demographic trends
Linking workforce strategies to business outcomes
Ensuring ability to fill critical skills and positions
Strategic investments in developing existing talent to meet future needs
Attracting, developing and promoting talented people
Ensuring well-rounded and knowledgeable managers and employees
Addressing and respecting diversity goals
Creating a succession pipeline
Ensuring fast, agile and supportive HR processes
Ensuring workforce planning and talent management are priorities
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Talent Acquisition
Attracting and hiring high quality talent
Establishing a Metropolitan brand in the talent marketplace
Expanding Metropolitan's use of internet-based sourcing tools
Providing speedy and flexible staffing solutions for future vacancies
Improving defensible testing and selection tools
Readiness to address skill shortages
Retention
Engaging, informing and motivating throughout the employee lifecycle
Making Metropolitan a compelling and productive place to work
High Performance Standards
Defining the behaviors and results that are important and measuring them
Fostering a culture of high standards of performance
Valuing contribution and success
Addressing low performance
Learning and Development
Focusing on the right skills and competencies
Preparing employees for future business needs
Defining critical managerial competencies
Fostering continuous learning
Reducing cost impact and time away from job for training
Leadership Development
Defining leadership competencies
Establishing an Executive development program
Providing mid-management development
Providing front-line manager development
Creating a pipeline of future managers
Succession
Determining future workforce needs
Assessing critical positions and capabilities
Determining bench-strength needs and timing
Leveraging existing talent and critical knowledge
Creating a pool of internal candidates ready to fill future positions
Developing critical leadership capabilities
HR EXCELLENCE
The role of the Human Resources organization is also changing as companies shift to
knowledge-based environments. Providing credible and responsive HR customer service
requires the HR team to possess critical competencies that encompass traditional HR roles but
also add key elements that enable HR to have a key role at the executive table.
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Over the next 30 50 years, large-scale shifts in workforce demographics, both locally and
globally, as well as shifting global economics will lead to changes that affect the future
Metropolitan workforce. While the exact timing of anticipated changes is uncertain, there are
many changes predicted in the literature for the future workforce. These changes have a
number of practical implications for Metropolitan.
2021- 2040
2041 - 2060
ANTICIPATED CHANGES
Focus on performance
Talent and experience
shortfalls
Baby boomers delay
retirement
Rise of Asia
24/7 information
Short-term focus on career
advancement
Shortened retirements
Global technical expertise
marketplace
HR as decision science
New labor market mix
Self-managed teams
Lifelong learning
People are the last frontier
for organizational
performance and
differentiation
Global competitions and
dominance change
functional specialties
HR executives increasingly
in CEO roles
Anytime, anywhere
collaboration
HR becomes transparent
Human Resources
becomes the bedrock of
national economies
Labor Unions as partners
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WORKFORCE IMPACTS
Rigorous accountability systems
Labor shortages
Leadership shortages
3 generations in workforce
Global competition for local talent
Work-life balance and flexible
benefits issues
eBay labor markets
Pension planning changes
New generation of older workers
New 21st Century skill requirements
Flexible work arrangements
New class of managers
Data on everyone
Diverse workforce
Accountability systems
Competency-based systems
People are valued as key
organizational assets
Virtual organizations
HR experience critical to CEO
advancement
Reconfigurable legal entities change
government practices to match
business peers
Management does the visible HR
work
Conclusion
Preparing Metropolitan for the Workforce for the Future will require a coordinated effort by
management, employees and the Board. Processes which foster internal discussion and
external research on workforce trends in different industries, trades and professions will enable
Metropolitan to proactively compete for and retain talent, re-skill the current workforce, energize
high performance and cost-effectively deliver responsive customer service. Change will come
in many forms over the next 50 years.
Knowing what to do, as history evidences, is not enough to implement the changes necessary
for a workforce of the future. Three factors will be critical to Metropolitan's success: (1) strong
leadership that expands the foundations of high performance workplace practices, ensures
management practices that evidence effective people management and a strong financial
responsibility ethos that permeates the organization, (2) a commitment to budget for the tangible
investments required to ensure that a high quality workforce is both hired and developed to
ensure Metropolitan's future and, (3) management sponsorship that generates passion and
urgency throughout the organization about making these changes happen. Together, these
factors will ensure that the workforce changes outlined here translate into proactive,
cost-effective work that supports the needs of Metropolitan's many stakeholders.
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