Why Future-Proofing Your Workforce Takes More Than Just Skills and Agility

Is future-proofing your workforce looming on your quickly growing To Do list for 2025? You are probably well aware of all the needed ingredients, such as reskilling, upskilling, agility, and continuous learning to mention a few. Building these pillars of future-proofing within any organization can be a complex and slow process with frequent setbacks, or it can be smooth sailing. 

If your current approach to future-proofing your workforce feels like pushing several boulders uphill while experiencing increasing levels of gravity, you might be missing a foundational element. This often-overlooked element can turn your uphill-pushing-boulder initiatives into a smoothly running project that finishes on time and below budget. 

A misleading term: "Future-proofing your workforce"

Let's explore why many companies miss this crucial ingredient when attempting to future-proof their workforce. Our first clue is the term "future-proofing your workforce" as it is somewhat misleading because it suggests the sole focus is on changing the workforce. However, this overlooks a critical step that squarely falls under the company's responsibility.

As President John F. Kennedy famously said, "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country." Applied here, it means: "Ask not what your employees can do for you – ask what you can do for your employees." Sounds counterintuitive? Keep reading. 

The employer-employee relationship is an exchange of values, both monetary and non-monetary. UKG research shows that many employees feel as if they are getting the short end of the stick in their relationship with their employers. Growing numbers of employees don't feel seen, heard, or connected because their non-monetary expectations aren't being met–and those expectations make up 63% of today’s employees’ wants. This disconnect has contributed to the resurgence of unions, with workers organizing at a pace not seen in decades. This trend has also further eroded the critically important foundation of trust between employers and employees. 

Future-proofing shouldn't result in additional demands on your employees

Employers aiming to future-proof their workforce often place additional demands on their employees, expecting them to learn new skills, embrace lifelong learning, adapt quickly to changes, and tackle new challenges, all while maintaining high engagement and productivity. In the absence of a solid foundation of trust between employers and employees it isn’t likely that employees will respond positively to additional demands placed on them, especially when many employers fail to understand and address employee expectations at the same time. Suddenly, what could have been a win-win initiative for both parties becomes an "us versus them" struggle, as employers lose the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of their employees.

Once trust has eroded and the benefit of the doubt is gone innocent actions and remarks are seen as potential threats and signs of deceit. The result is a toxic environment that breeds competitiveness, cynicism, and escalation of conflicts, all contributing to declining productivity and engagement, as well as higher levels and stress and burnout. High-trust environments, on the contrary, have 74% less stress and 40% less burnout than low-trust environments. High-trust environments also have 76% higher employee satisfaction and engagement.   

The six pillars of future-proofing your workforce

To effectively establish the six pillars of future proofing your workforce, companies must first build a strong foundation of trust with their employees. 

When a high-trust environment is in place, it becomes significantly easier to partner with employees in efforts to reskill and upskill. Trust is the essential ingredient that helps employees understand how reskilling and upskilling will benefit both them and the employer in meeting the rapidly changing demands of the business, driven by technological advancements and evolving job requirements.

Reskilling and upskilling also align with the second pillar of future-proofing your workforce: fostering a culture of continuous learning. A strong foundation of trust between employers and employees makes it easier to encourage employees to continuously seek new knowledge and skills. In a high-trust environment, structured learning programs and leadership's commitment to employee development are embraced with open arms by the workforce.

With a culture of continuous learning established and structured reskilling and upskilling initiatives in place, companies are well on their way to creating a more agile workforce that can quickly adapt to changes. This also promotes internal mobility, as more employees will have the skill sets to address various needs.

Change is difficult for most people, and agility and mobility often require significant adjustments for employees. However, when these changes are provided within the framework of a high-trust environment, employees feel safe and protected. As a result, they are more likely to go the extra mile, apply their discretionary efforts to adapt quickly to changes, and take advantage of internal mobility opportunities.

This brings us to the last two pillars of future-proofing your workforce: proactively leveraging advanced technologies such as AI and automation to streamline processes and improve efficiency and encouraging creative thinking to drive innovation. Innovation is a prime example of why a high-trust environment is imperative for future-proofing the workforce.

What does it take to innovate?

At the most basic level, what does it take to innovate? Trying something new. What is likely to happen when people try to do something that they haven’t done before? There is a good chance that they will fail and that they will have to try a number of times before they achieve the desired outcome. After all, failure is an integral part of the innovation process.  But if employees are afraid to fail because they don’t trust their environment, they will be substantially less likely to try something new. Consequently, they are less likely to innovate.

The ABCs of Trust

So, what does it take to build organizational and personal trust? Let’s start with personal trust. 

Organizational trust research has identified four variables that are required to be seen as trustworthy in a business setting. 

1. The individual needs to have the prerequisite achievements and accomplishments.
2. It is critically important that individuals have integrity, which means they walk the talk and be their word.
3. Individuals who want to be seen as trustworthy need to demonstrate that they deeply and genuinely care about others.
4. Points 1 – 3 need to be displayed consistently. 

Here is what the ABCs of trust look like in short format:

A = Accomplishments/Achievements

B = Be your word – integrity

C = Care about others

C = Consistency 

Despite the simplicity of the ABCs of trust, many individuals get it backward by heavily focusing and maybe even leading with A, their accomplishments and achievements, but this can backfire and lead to an erosion of trustworthiness. Always start with C and demonstrate that you genuinely care about others. This isn’t breaking news either, because well over 100 years ago President Theodore Roosevelt said, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” 

To truly future-proof your workforce, start by building a strong foundation of trust. Trust transforms uphill battles into smooth journeys, fostering a culture of continuous learning, agility, and innovation. Lead by example by embracing the ABCs of trust and start with C — care about others. On a company-wide level, understand and address employee expectations, so that your employees will feel seen, heard and connected. Take action now to create a high-trust environment and unlock your organization's full potential.