In my Problems Facing the Future of Work Post, I identified three significant issues facing the future of work in New York City. These problems were the unsustainability of a traditional work setting, lower wages for both blue-collar and white-collar workers, and the unemployment rate in the country that particularly affects college graduates recently out of school. While these problems provide major tests for us as a nation to consider and conquer, there exist small solutions to each that can place us in the right direction.
While the traditional workplace is proving to be an unproductive environment for workers, there have been certain innovations that have transformed the way we look at work. Institutions such as the Center for Social Innovation and the Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator Program are just two of many examples of how workplaces are reforming to fit the needs of the employees, group together brilliant workers from different fields of study to cooperate in one environment, and make important social innovations that benefit the whole world. A related solution I found to some traditional work problems is the creation of rentable office space with companies such as Regus that rent out office space for starting businesses to keep their expenses low and make a profit faster. Regus for example can personally claim to “help newer businesses be more flexible, more cost-effective and more agile – and better able to face the unexpected challenges of business in the 21st century” (Regus). This can help traditional workplaces become more nurturing and provide assistance for businesses that are either starting out or are too complex to have a strict structure and repetitive requirements.
In terms of lower wages, one possible solution is to regularly update the minimum wage in accordance to the cost of living in that particular location. New York City is a costly city to live in, and when grocery prices go up and the MTA unjustly raises the metro card price for the billionth time, it becomes necessary for the government to intervene and help the consumers. According to the White House website, raising the minimum wage can be good for both the people and businesses because these hikes” “increase earnings for millions of workers, and boost the bottom lines of businesses across the country” (White House). While this solution is pretty wide-scale and difficult to accomplish, there are certain things that individual workers can do to avoid being paid lower wages in their respective professions. According to Quintessential Careers, these solutions include identifying transferable skills, finding the best employers based on their needs as an employee, building networks, and going after different educational opportunities to help shape their skills. I personally think the most important of this list of solutions is network building. Because of the ridiculous amount of competition in finding and keeping great jobs, people really must learn how to network themselves and gain a large web of people who provide essential resources. Only then can a worker make sure he finds the best possible occupation that pays and treats him well for the quality of work input he produces. The easiest way for a worker to achieve this is by “expanding your network — through community organizations, classes, volunteering” (Quintessential Careers). Thus although these solutions appear to be small, they are stepping-stones for much more impactful transformations of the future of work in New York City.
Works Consulted:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/raise-the-wage
http://www.regus.com/products/index.aspx
http://www.quintcareers.com/surviving_low-wage_jobs.html
