2 The changing workplace
The world you inhabit today is very different from that of 60 years ago. Many of these changes have affected the world of work, and the workplace teams you are part of are more diverse as a result. 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!
UK mobile phone statistics (Baker, 2024) report that 92% of people in the UK now have a smartphone. What percentage of households do you think had a landline telephone in 1982?
Comment
Only 50% of households had a telephone in 1982.
- Today you can buy a new desktop PC for a few hundred pounds. In 1965, how much would a desktop computer have cost in today’s money?
Comment
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?
Comment
Only 25% of the UK working population was made up of women in 1975 as compared to 71.6% today (ONS Labour Market Review, 2024).
- 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?
Comment
In 1986, only 36% of jobs involved working with computerised or automated equipment.
In this quiz you’ve looked briefly at factors such as advancing technology and the changing role of women in society, but there are many more influences that have led to significant change in the world of work. You’ll explore some of those in more detail in the next section.