The World Economic Forum estimates that 50 per cent of all employees will need re-skilling by 2025, as automation and AI continue to transform the workplace.PixelsEffect/Getty/AFP/Getty Images
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“Many workplaces are now using artificial intelligence tools to automate tasks such as data entry, billing and collections, customer service and scheduling. If that sounds like most of your job description, then should you be worried? The answer is ‘probably,’” says Merge Gupta-Sunderji, CEP of the leadership development consultancy Turning Managers Into Leaders.
“The World Economic Forum (in The Future of Jobs Report 2020) estimates that 50 per cent of all employees will need re-skilling by 2025, as automation and AI continue to transform the workplace. The same report has identified the top emerging job roles between 2020 and 2025 as being related to data, AI and machine learning. Specifically, data analysts and scientists, AI and machine-learning specialists and business development professionals with AI skills. Data analysis and interpretation are expected to be the key skills in demand.
“So yes, AI may steal your job. But all is not lost. Humans can’t compete when it comes to gathering and processing data, but we can differentiate ourselves elsewhere.”
Read more on how to position yourself to weather the AI onslaught.
How Emily O’Brien started a gourmet popcorn business behind bars
Emily O’Brien is the founder of Comeback Snacks, a gourmet popcorn company designed to give former convicts a second chance. After a series of bad judgment calls that landed Emily in jail, she learned firsthand about the challenges she and her fellow inmates would face in gaining employment once they were released. In this episode, Ms. O’Brien talks about the riveting origin story of her business, and the uphill battles she faced trying to scale it – fresh out of prison.
Check out the Better For It podcast for more.
Canada’s high-powered Debra Rathwell has ideas on how to fix the concert industry
One of the highest-ranking female executives working in the concert promotion business today, Canada’s Debra Rathwell is the New York-based executive vice-president of global touring and talent at AEG Presents, the second-largest promoter in the world. She recently oversaw the top-grossing tour of all time, Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. She spoke to The Globe and Mail in advance of her keynote appearance in Toronto at the industry convention Canadian Music Week, June 5-10.
Read more about Ms. Rathwell’s career journey and her insights into how the concert industry needs to change.
In case you missed it
Job-hunting women over 45 face double-barreled obstacle of gendered ageism
In an era of record labour shortages, with the rate of unfilled vacancies having risen 63 per cent since 2020, many employers may be ignoring a rich pool of talent due to a form of double-barreled bias: gendered ageism, a type of sexism that affects women in their 40s and beyond.
“Women experience more ageism [in the workplace], and they experience it at earlier ages than men,” says ageism researcher Ellie Berger, an associate professor of sociology and anthropology at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont., and author of Ageism at Work: Deconstructing Age and Gender in the Discriminating Labour Market.
Dr. Berger spoke to older job-hunters as part of a study – women who earned degrees later in life and thus had graduated recently. They reported being dropped from consideration as soon as employers learned their age, she says.
“[The women] said they were getting first interviews but, ‘When the employer sees me, I would never get called back,’” Dr. Berger says.
Read the full article.
Why understanding intersectionality is a crucial step in creating inclusive workplaces
Many companies are taking a hard look at their business – the way they operate, the charities they support, the people they hire, the values they hold – to determine how they can make progress on their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals.
Intersectionality often gets overlooked in the process.
Sarah Saska, co-founder and CEO of Toronto-based consulting firm Feminuity, says organizations have tended to focus on one aspect of a person’s identity when thinking about how to support them. For example, when organizations focus on supporting women, the women who often get the most support are white, non-disabled and cisgender – leaving many others behind.
Feminuity recently released a new report, 40+ Dimensions of Diversity and the Many Intersections, that aims to shed light on the infinite intersections that compose people’s identities and “unpack the challenges and biases people with different identities face” in the workplace.
Read the full article.
Ask Women and Work
Question: I am starting a new job at a new organization and it is much more senior than I am accustomed to – more team members working under me, more responsibility and higher expectations. I am beyond thrilled to have been given this opportunity, but I am also low-key terrified! How do I get past the nerves and imposter syndrome as I start this position so I can just excel?
We asked Toronto-based executive coach Rachel Weinstein to tackle this one:
Stepping into a new role with many unknowns – a new work environment, new relationships and new expectations – is bound to come with strong emotions. It’s entirely normal to feel nervous, especially when it’s a stretch role. You’ve decided to prioritize professional development and growth over feeling totally at ease. I encourage you to challenge the assumption that you can’t excel if you’re nervous. Of course you can! Just think back to an intimidating exam that you aced in your past, an overwhelming project you rocked or a nerve-racking presentation for which you got glowing feedback.
‘Impostor syndrome’ is an internal narrative that says you don’t actually deserve this job, which can increase self-doubt while you’re trying to get your footing. To head this off, debate the negative thoughts when they show up. Do you really think a big mistake was made in choosing you for the role? Did they miss something? Did you mislead them? What’s the truth? Many high-achieving people overlook or mentally dismiss their capabilities and accomplishments – the ones you surely spoke of in the interview – as they focus on the ‘level’ of a new position.
In your case, while you haven’t yet mastered leading a bigger team and demonstrating success with increased responsibility, surely you do have proven successes under your belt. Pay attention to what you focus on. For example, if you focus on the opportunity to learn and grow, along with the reasons you’re likely to excel, you’ll fuel more desirable emotions. In fact, that optimism and clarity of mind is more likely to lead to better performance.
As soon as you start your new job, look for ways decrease the elements of uncertainty as quickly as possible. One of the most difficult aspects to suss out in advance is the human element, so filling in the ‘who’s who’ can make you feel more in control. Make time early on to meet with managers, peers and direct reports. Ask questions to get clear on how those to whom you are accountable will be measuring your success. Understand what your peers are working on, what’s important to them and whose support you need to do your best work. Build trust with the team you’re managing by asking them about their interests, expertise and preferences. In all these meetings and in daily interactions, listen carefully for where you can make the biggest impact, both in the short and long term.
Congratulations and best of luck!
Submit your own questions to Ask Women and Work by e-mailing us at GWC@globeandmail.com.
The Globe and Mail