The Changing Workplace

The workplace has changed dramatically over the last 50 years. Computers are on every desk. Work is almost completely computer driven. The number of telecommuters is increasing. The connectivity of the world is allowing people to work from home and not miss a beat.

The other night I was flipping through TV channels looking for something my kids could watch before bed. We try not to watch a lot of television but occasionally we will watch a show before bed for something special. I came across Hanna Barbera’s The Jetson’s. This is a show I watched as a child and I enjoyed sharing it with my kids.

The Jetson's

The Jetson’s was created in the early 1960’s and is about a family in the future. The technology that the shows creators imagined was truly amazing. The flat screen TVs and video phones are things we can do today while the technology of flying cars is still a ways out. But what I got the most kick out of was the view of George Jetson’s workplace. George just sits in front of a huge computer and pushes 2 or 3 buttons continually much like his recent counterpart, Homer Simpson.

The creators of the show expected people of the future to be running computers the size of a room with very mundane tasks. Instead, computers are quite small but very powerful and well connected. There would be no need for George to commute to work when he could just log in at home. This is obviously a change that was not expected.

My point is that the workplace has change drastically over the years. The opportunity to work in a way more suitable to you is available. Don’t continue a path that is making you unhappy. If you can do your job from home, ask your boss for a change. If you can’t, consider other options that may give you the flexibility that you desire.

The corporate world should be about adaption and innovation. If you are in a rut innovate. Don’t just follow a work plan established many years ago, take charge of your work life.

Tags: Changing Workplace, innovation, simply your life, working environment

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 7:21 am and is filed under Living in the Corporate World, Take life in your own hands. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.