Want to stay relevant in the workplace? As technology changes everything, this is a must-do for employees

Advances in technology have revolutionized the working world. Now many of us work from home or wherever else we can be productive. We can collaborate with teams across the country or around the globe, instantly sharing and updating our work.

It took some time—and a lot of learning—for businesses to embrace the potential of these new technologies, but now most of us can’t imagine working without them.

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In this time of unprecedented change and opportunity, smart people and the businesses they work for, are rethinking everything from the products and services they offer to the way they engage talent.

Organizations want their workforce to keep pace with change and employees are looking for ways to stay competitive as they grow their careers.

As technology continues to evolve, we can expect businesses to deploy digital resources like artificial intelligence alongside their traditional workforce. That means that employees’ roles will continue to shift and evolve.

To take just one example, digital resources give us faster and more accurate ways of analyzing data, freeing people to devote their time to higher-value tasks.

My advice: Understand that continuous learning is the mantra for success in this new world.  Whether we call it “reskilling” or “upskilling” or just plain learning, businesses need to not only offer it, but also enable employees to embrace and prioritize it.

For both employees and employers, the workplace evolution that we are experiencing will not lead to a fixed destination but will be an ongoing journey.

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So what does this mean for you? My advice: Understand that continuous learning is the mantra for success in this new world.

Whether we call it “reskilling” or “upskilling” or just plain learning, businesses need to not only offer it but also enable employees to embrace and prioritize it.

Many companies are already embracing the continuous learning model. I hope many more will be in the future.

At Deloitte, where I serve as chief talent officer, we have a long-standing commitment to ongoing learning for our employees.

Digital resources can be programmed to follow routines, so leadership skills, emotional intelligence and creative problem-solving will be crucial.  People who demonstrate curiosity, resilience, and agility will have a competitive advantage. 

We founded what we call “Deloitte University” almost a decade ago and have since replicated it across the globe with six international campuses.

At the time we created it, it seemed counterintuitive to some that we would create a physical campus when most development seemed to be shifting to online platforms.

But we created Deloitte University 10 years ago because we believed that no matter how technology impacted our work, the foundations of our business would always be to continuously develop the world’s best leaders.

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This is still true today for our 100,000 people across the United States and their colleagues around the world.

The learning and development programming at Deloitte University reflects our belief that the workforce of the future needs much more than technical skills.

Digital resources can be programmed to follow routines, so leadership skills, emotional intelligence and creative problem-solving will be crucial.

People who demonstrate curiosity, resilience, and agility will have a competitive advantage.

Job seekers with resumes that do not fit an exact job description or who thrive on out-of-the box thinking, are already seeing new opportunities in the workplace.

In addition to the more traditional degrees like accounting, businesses are looking for employees with nontraditional backgrounds from philosophy majors to physicians to people with military backgrounds.

Businesses are recognizing that diversity of experiences and thinking make an organization stronger.

Increasingly, people want to work for organizations that are committed to helping them grow their skills and best traits.

Whether you are an established leader or an entry-level professional, as you look to the future, I urge you to embrace continuous learning. You’ll continue to grow, become more valuable and stay relevant, no matter how much your workplace changes.

Stephani Long is Deloitte’s chief talent officer and oversees the talent experience that engages more than 100,000 Deloitte U.S. professionals. She also is a member of the U.S. Executive Committee, U.S. Management Committee, Deloitte Foundation Board, and Board Director of Deloitte Support Services India Private Limited.

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