The Future of Work - Sweden 2024

In this post, I reflect on Gartner's 2024 Future of Work Trends and adapt them to Swedish conditions.

Many management consulting and HR service providers are looking at the global analyses of the 2024 trends and commenting as if they apply to Sweden. However, our country looks quite different. Last week, I listened to "Gartner's overview" of their 2024 Future of Work Trends, and in this post, I reflect on these trends in relation to us in Sweden.

Actually, I am writing this chronicle to make it clear to all of you that we do not resemble the image Gartner presents. Their report may be relevant for a few companies in Sweden, and instead, I recommend that you talk to me, or any other knowledgeable organization to prioritize your focus. This year, I was surprised that several trends in the report were so far from our focus in Sweden and our needs in 2024.

So let's break down what Gartner is saying in relation to Sweden and Swedish organizations. They have divided the 9 trends into four areas:

1. Employee expectations are increasing.

2. The role of managers is becoming more challenging.

3. The perspective on careers and career paths is changing.

4. Technology is reshaping work.

Overall, I agree with the importance of these four areas, but the details behind them look quite different in Sweden.

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Employee expectations are increasing

Yes, there is no doubt that Gartner is correct, i.e., that expectations are increasing from employees. However, our major focus in this area is on employee experience—digitizing and modernizing the employees' experience and leveraging insights from employee surveys to tailor our workplace to better retain and engage talent.

Gartner highlights three trends:

Gartner Trend 1: The cost of working at a workplace. That is, the return to offices negatively impacts the economy of employees. Costs for childcare, commuting, and work attire. Hmm, not really something on our agenda.

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Gartner Trend 3: A 4-day workweek becoming normalized.Not quite in Sweden. We can probably count the organizations that have experimented with a 4-day workweek on one hand. However, the curiosity is currently significant.

‍Gartner Trend 7: Climate changes impact our benefits. Major natural disasters affect what should be offered to employees, such as support physically, mentally, and financially during disasters. Here, I am curious if this is something you discuss if you have employees in areas where significant environmental disasters have occurred recently, such as floods, fires, etc.? But as one of the major trends in 2024 - no. Instead, I think our focus is on how we will meet the upcoming sustainability reporting and regulations regarding salary transparency.

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The role of managers is becoming more challenging

Yes, once again. Gartner is correct. "Leadership and manager development are the top priorities for Management executives in 2024." But our challenges in Sweden and Swedish organizations revolve more around our way of leading, the ability to lead in hybrid organizations and among younger generations, being personal, genuine, and attentive. We also load so many tasks onto our managers in the Swedish model that they don't have time to be leaders. Moreover, in many cases, they have excessively large workgroups to lead.

Leading is one of the most enjoyable aspects, but it takes time 🕰️

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Gartner Trend 4: Conflict resolution in employee groups is the next indispensable skill for managers. Here, they point to politics, polarity, and the reinforcement of these through social media as the reasons workplaces become much more conflict-prone. I think this is a very USA-centric trend. And while it is important to be able to resolve conflicts, I once again question Gartner's global perspective in their trends this year.‍

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Gartner Trend 8: Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion are not disappearing. It becomes the way we work. Here, I reflect that in some areas, we have made significant progress in Sweden, while in others, we have not made any progress at all. Feel free to listen to the podcast episode below for more insight into the matter. There is so much more we can do in this regard than we currently are.

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The perspective on careers and career paths is changing

This whole area is a big YES! Here, you should invest time and focus.

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Gartner Trend 6: "Skills take precedence over degrees as the traditional way of finding competence changes."

‍YES! Finally, a trend I agree with.

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Gartner Trend 9: "Career stereotypes change in line with workforce changes."

‍YES! We need to change our approach to recruiting, finding, and developing skills. We need to explore gaining access to skills in new ways, such as moving in and out of employment, gigging, and working at multiple workplaces simultaneously.

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Technology is reshaping work

Certainly! No doubt about it. But as a country and as organizations, we must leverage the technology available, with a focus on the internal aspects of the organizations. Not just to develop our offerings to customers. And here, we are lagging behind, as you are probably aware. AI is advancing rapidly, but if the focus in Gartner's report is on AI, it is crucial to build the foundation first, i.e., one's own competence and digital structure.

Gartner Trend 2: "AI creates, not diminishes, job opportunities."

‍Yes! There is significant concern throughout society about what will change. No one knows. And, of course, we need to focus on building competence in the field so that we can understand what and how we can evolve and where AI adds value.

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Gartner Trend 5: "GenAI experiments will provide tough lessons and painful costs."

Just like with all new technology, being a pioneer comes with a cost. The difference is that Gen AI is something that affects everyone.

Is this a trend we should devote energy to now? I think that organized entities that have already digitized can do so, while other organizations can use AI as an interest generator in the organization but be cautious about how much time is spent there, time that could be allocated to more crucial matters.

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Where should Business leaders in Sweden focus in 2024?

My opinion is that Business leaders in Sweden should focus on:

• Data, analysis, and technology understanding and utilization. And then AI.

• Invest time in modernizing their organizations and prioritizing employee experience, competence, and a sustainable organization.

• How do we secure competence? In what modern ways can each organization work on this based on its unique needs?

• And above all, a modern inclusive leadership throughout the organization.

• As a final part, Corporate Management must also be aware of security and data protection. With our recent entry into NATO and the recent hacker attacks, this has become relevant.

Have a discussion with me on how to develop your strategy based on your specific needs. And then GO - Just GO! 🚗