The only thing certain about work and your career is change. Think about it. How the workplace looked in 2020 (completely remote, prioritizing work/life balance) looks completely different than now in 2024 (hybrid work models with the push for full-time in-office, go-go-go pace). With constant change comes new and evolving workplace challenges. But which workplace challenges have the biggest impact of keeping you from advancing in your career? And better yet, how can you overcome them? Keep reading.
For more career clarity and to shape a brilliant workplace where everyone thrives, contribute to my first-ever Career Advancement Report, coming end of year. Take a quick 7-minute, anonymous survey to share what’s top of mind for you at work while forging a space where people can live out purposeful work and make their career dreams a reality.
Common Workplace Challenges People Face Today
There isn’t a limit to the number and types of workplace challenges people experience today. Whether you’re an employee, manager, or director, your obstacles may look different, but after thorough research and observing my clients, here’s what I’m seeing:
- Burnout and disengagement.
- Remote and hybrid workplaces.
- Digital presence.
- Artificial intelligence (AI).
- Upskilling.
Let’s do a double-click.
1. Burnout and Disengagement
Burnout and disengagement aren’t the same thing, but boy are they related.
- Burnout: It’s not just feeling tired. It’s living (surviving) in a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, often caused by long-term stress.
- Disengagement: withdrawing from particular activities.
Now imagine—you’re at capacity mentally, physically, and emotionally. One more item added to your plate will tip you off, sending you into tears. I get it. I see you, and it’s no wonder completing the day-to-day of your role, like meetings and project management, now become lackluster.
Burnout causes disengagement, and what you were once invested in and found exciting now spoils into something that’s flat, boring, and stressful.
Workplace Impact
Now, how does this show up at work and how is it impacting the workforce right now?
Our well-being is made up of 5 elements:
- Career.
- Social.
- Community.
- Financial.
- Physical.
According to Gallup’s Work Summit analysis: “career well-being—liking what you do every day—has the strongest impact on overall well-being.”
If you’re burnt out and disengaged, chances are you’re not enjoying your daily work anymore, and it impacts your health on a higher level.
Data from Gallup also shows that managers experience higher levels of stress and are more susceptible to burnout compared to individual contributors/employees.
For instance, for those surveyed:
- 33% of individuals were engaged in their work while 31% of managers were.
- 27% of individuals often felt stressed or burnt out at work while 33% of managers felt this.
- 49% of individuals were seeking a new job while 55% of managers were.
This isn’t to say that employees aren’t susceptible to burnout and disengagement, but it’s more prevalent within management.
2. Remote and Hybrid Workplaces
In 2020, COVID-19 put a halt to the world, allowing everyone to slow down and reprioritize what matters most, placing an emphasis on work/life balance. Places became completely remote, and people were working virtually.
But between 2021-2022, another shift shoved the workplace into hybrid workplace models, with some employees coming back to the office for a couple days a week.
Now enter 2024 where people are pushing for full-time in-office environments.
Remote and hybrid work is an acquired taste, and while it showed promising results for businesses, it’s not for everyone.
However, it is for the majority: 98% of people want to work remotely.
But here’s the catch… remote jobs get 7x more applicants than in-person jobs.
Workplace Impact
What does this mean for your work and career? If you are in the 98% who lean toward a remote or hybrid role, one of the hybrid workplace challenges is having a whole heck of a lot more competition.
Not only that (and this may be a tough pill to swallow), working in these environments diminishes your career advancement opportunities:
- You’re 31% less likely to be promoted compared to in-office workers.
- 90% of CEOs say they prioritize in-office employees for career advancement promotions and raises.
This doesn’t mean you can’t stand out and make your career dreams a reality hybrid or remotely; it just means you’ll need to take advantage of an essential tool (keep reading to learn what it is).
3. Digital Presence
It’s no secret that we live in a digital world. From social media, to email, to having a website, there’s a lot of ground to cover and take up space. And if you aren’t online and strategically amplifying your presence, you’re missing out on a whole lot of networking, influence, and career advancement opportunities.
Take LinkedIn for instance.
- 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to source and vet job candidates.
- LinkedIn reports that people with 5 or more skills listed on their profile are contacted up to 33x more by recruiters and other LinkedIn members, receiving 17x more profile views than those with fewer skills listed.
Workplace Impact
We live in a time where your online presence is more powerful than a resume, and this can be a digital workplace challenge for some.
It’s scary (but necessary) to share your thoughts and values online, especially if you’re new to it. But it’s important to bolster as this is where customers, recruiters, and colleagues make a lot of important decisions.
4. Artificial Intelligence
With the advancements and evolution of AI, like ChatGPT, this means it can replace more roles, and if not roles, tasks, that would typically fall within people’s responsibilities.
Workplace Impact
How this looks will be different based on industry but data shows that two-thirds of occupations can be replaced by AI automation.
Which industries will be the most impacted by this?
- Office and administration.
- Law.
- Architectural engineering.
This isn’t to say AI is coming from your job. It’s a push to reflect on: how can you stand out beyond AI and how can you leverage it to shine in your role?
5. Upskilling
Have you ever heard of the saying: what got you here won’t get you there? The skills that got you to your current career step won’t get you to where you want to go. Chances are you’ll need to acquire new skills or develop and grow upon what you already know.
For example, I worked in financial services, HR, and leadership for 25+ years. I was mainly a sales leader, helping my team hit our targets. But during a company event, a past colleague of mine walked on stage to teach and present, and I said I wanted to do that too. But I had skills gaps I needed to fill. So, I got extra education in Coaching and Adult Learning Development to not just support people’s sales skills, but their career and leadership development too.
Workplace Impact
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future of Jobs Survey, people’s reskilling focuses reside in:
- Analytical thinking.
- Creative thinking.
- AI and big data.
- Leadership and social influence.
- Resilience, flexibility, and agility.
At Finka Inc., we’re working on our own report that will inform you of the skills to prioritize to soar in your career, and we’d love to have you participate.
For more career clarity and to shape a brilliant workplace where everyone thrives, contribute to my first-ever Career Advancement Report, coming end of year. Take a quick 7-minute, anonymous survey to share what’s top of mind for you at work while forging a space where people can live out purposeful work and make their career dreams a reality.
A Solution to Workplace Challenges
Now that I’ve exposed you to prevalent challenges that can stall your career advancement, I’ll tell you the solution.
Personal branding, or rather Your Brilliant Difference Brand.
Your Brilliant Difference is a cutting-edge personal branding method that flips the script from “me” to “we” so you can focus on the transformations you deliver for those you work with.
Your Brilliant Difference Brand is made up of 3 pillars:
- Authentic Integrity: who you are, what you do, the unique talents and skills you bring to the table.
- Empathetic Communication: how you communicate and present your values, talents, and skills.
- Courageous Action: the transformations you deliver to others through putting your values and talents into action.
But how does it counteract each challenge?
- Burnout: reminding yourself of who you are, how you uniquely deliver value, and the difference you make because of those elements can help replenish your energy and investment in your work.
- Remote and hybrid workplaces: likewise, being aware of these elements lets you know how to present yourself and organize your resume and portfolio to nail your next interview and get a promotion.
- Digital presence: by having a Your Brilliant Difference, you’ll know exactly what to say online, how to say it, and who to say it to, becoming an inspiring thought leader in your industry.
- AI: you’ll know exactly what you bring to the table that no one else can, not even AI, so you can better advocate for your talents and skills.
- Upskilling: by knowing the elements of your Brilliant Difference, you can upskill in areas that align to your integrity and purpose, to help you make the most meaningful impact and get noticed.
In the Face of Challenge, I Hope You Shine Brightly
And there you have it—5 prevalent workplace challenges and a cutting-edge tool to help you rise and shine despite them: Your Brilliant Difference.
As you read through the article, did you resonate with some (or all) of the challenges?
I’d love to hear your unique perspective. Continue the conversation by contributing to my Career Advancement Report.
