Breaking the bonds of the traditional career
Too often career paths are rigid and inflexible, forcing us to adhere to outdated methods and traditions. Code Enigma’s Maygen Jacques is hopeful that, by 2025, we will have outgrown that reliance on the methods of the past.
Code Enigma has always had the policies and procedures in place to remotely manage projects and ensure our creative teams have the means of collaborating. When Covid came along, we were entirely unaffected, operationally-speaking. We deal with a lot of websites that will have been crucial during the pandemic and we're proud to say we kept everything running smoothly.
We did become more aware of the wellbeing needs of our staff. We were flexible around home-schooling, we offered furlough if it was more comfortable for people but we didn't insist that anyone take it. We tried our best to accommodate anyone's needs where they needed support. All in all, we got through it.
As for the next five years, we hope to help more people and companies transform into remote working. We deliver and support accessible web-based solutions with creative design and robust code on secure infrastructure; allowing clients to tell their engaging stories. We have a desire to help the public sector with digital transformation projects, in particular. We’ll be putting time into initiatives like LocalGov Drupal and local Digital so we can smooth the process for the public sector to go ‘digital by default’.
New roles and responsibilities
By 2025 agencies will step away from the corporate ladder and embrace the free-flow of ideas and career paths. Rather than going up a rung in a set upward direction, people can be more ambitious. They can go sideways and move into new networks easier. They can gain new skills and experiences this way. Always working on relevant transferable skills. We’ve already seen management layers flattening long before Covid; we get a more grid-like structure nowadays.
It’s the responsibility of the agency to facilitate this collaborative way of working so they can keep the best talent.
We’re used to seeing the names of big cosmopolitan cities. We assume the best jobs and talent are there. London, Paris, New York, LA and Tokyo. Chances are if you’ve ever wanted a ‘big’ job, you’ve had to think about moving to one of these hubs. This is changing now.
The major hubs have mostly been exhausted now. Technology is making it easier for people to live anywhere in the world and still be productive in their jobs. Google, Slack, Meet and other tools have made remote working an easy and secure reality. It no longer matters where your clients are based, you can still reach them.
We’re still in the middle of Covid-19 and many businesses are overcoming and adapting in response. No one wins when a chunk of the workforce have to spend 2 hours of their day sitting in traffic or on a train. There are many accessible alternatives.
It’s clear to see that those companies stubbornly holding onto their offices are losing the best talent. Many surveys asking people how they feel about flexible working have shown that it’s important to us all. It could be the difference between taking or leaving a job.
Micromanaging and workplace monitoring needs to stop. Again, technology advances mean it’s never been easier for employers to monitor what their staff are doing. They can even see how they’re feeling by asking them to wear health and fitness trackers.
Your employees will soon start to feel devalued and their privacy violated. It’ll be hard to retain good staff if you’re being overly-intrusive. Monitoring their workload is a sign that you don’t trust them to be productive and accountable. This breeds resentment and almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when productivity takes a dive, along with morale.
Maygen Jacques, marketing manager, Code Enigma
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