2 The changing workplace
The world you inhabit today is very different from that of 60 years ago. Many of these changes affect the world of work and the teams you are part of in the workplace. In this next activity you will consider some of the ways the world has changed.
Activity 2 Thinking about change
This quiz is just to get you thinking about some of the major changes that have taken place in the last 60 years that have had an impact on the world you work in today. This quiz is not part of the assessment for this week so don’t worry if the answers you come up with are wide of the mark. If you are not at all sure what the answer may be, then take a guess!
A survey by Deloitte in 2016 reported that 81% of people in the UK now have a smartphone. What percentage of households do you think had a telephone in 1982?
Discussion
Only 50% of households had a telephone in 1982.
- Today you can buy a new desktop PC for a few hundred pounds, which is less than 1% of the mean income in most OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries. How much would a desktop computer have cost in 1965 in today’s money?
Discussion
In today’s money, a desktop PC would have cost a staggering £67 000 in 1965.
- What percentage of the working population was made up of women in 1975?
Discussion
Only 25% of the working population was made up of women in 1975 as compared to 47% today (Business in the Community, 2013).
- While most of us will use computerised or automated equipment today in the workplace, what percentage do you think worked with this type of equipment in 1986?
Discussion
Despite being relatively recent, in 1986 only 36% of jobs involved working with computerised or automated equipment.
Next you will look at how these changes have led to increased diversity in the workplace.