Working nine-to-five will be ‘obsolete’ by 2020

By the end of this decade, the traditional ‘nine-to-five’ job will be “obsolete”, a survey has claimed.

The study of more than 4,000 business executives from medium to large organisations around the country found that, by 2020, the majority of employees will work remotely and a work-life balance will be even harder to achieve.

More than one third of Irish business executives (37%) believe they will no longer need a desktop or laptop by the end of this decade as they will mainly use a mobile or tablet device, with more than one in four (28%) saying the majority of employees will work virtually — not tied to an office or location.

As a result, 29% of respondents believe that employees will be recruited solely on their skills, not their location. About half reckon that work-life balance will be even harder to achieve (53%) and the traditional nine-to-five job will be obsolete, with flexible hours the norm.

The survey also examined current workplace trends, with more than half of Irish business executives today saying they are dissatisfied with their job (58%) and one in four (28%) claiming they are actively looking for another opportunity outside their current place of work.

A third of women said they believe their job dissatisfaction stems primarily from the fact that they feel there is no opportunity for growth within their position; followed by no opportunity for advancement; feeling under-paid; and trapped in their current job.

Amongst men, feeling underpaid was the biggest cause of job dissatisfaction (39%); followed by lack of opportunity for advancement (35%); and feeling tired or burned out (32%).

A majority of professionals (56%) feel secure or very secure about their future career prospects in the current economic environment.

Nearly half of respondents (49%) have asked for, or negotiated, a pay raise, with nearly three quarters stating they were successful in getting the increase.

Head of talent and organisation at Accenture Ireland, Ryan Shanks, said the findings pointed to a future not defined by an office.

“Many Irish employees are imagining a world of work that increasingly is not bound by walls, time or traditional structures,” said Mr Shanks. “Employers need to be prepared for a rapid pace of change so that they can stay competitive.”