The pursuit of opportunity isn’t just a proverbial horse and carrot for workers and employees. Even those at the very top of the business food chain must be concerned with seizing the day on behalf of their businesses. With an unprecedented amount of competition and a more globalized economy than ever, failing to anticipate, react to and ultimately commandeer the latest industry trends can be devastating.
Because of this, businesses must adapt. While elements such as automation may be improving efficiency without the need for additional labor, businesses must also anticipate which career fields are going to be the most effective in modernizing their operations.
While every business is different, many entities of a certain size either directly employ or rely upon their supply chains for a substantial number of professions and careers. In knowing which emerging and existing career fields provide the greatest benefit, businesses can make intelligent decisions with regard to hiring.
To point businesses in the right direction, let’s examine which career fields are worth expanding.
Healthcare
In the aggregate, healthcare is the largest industry and most rapidly growing segment of the economy. This can be felt everywhere; from personal friends and family members who work in the industry, to the strain that an aging population puts on public services in terms of cost. While many businesses are cognizant of the impact that healthcare has and often provide benefits to employees, many are overlooking important elements in the workplace.
For example, an on-site or on-call nurse or doctor can help mitigate any damage or illness that occurs on the business premises. Another smart investment that many brands are embracing is the inclusion of personal trainers, helping their employees to stay more mobile and avoid costly issues such as repeated stress injuries.
Some businesses are even going as far as to convert unused segments of the property into on-site gyms, encouraging their workforce to be both healthier and more productive. In most of these cases, expanding to provide such services can actually save money on healthcare costs long-term.
Lean Manufacturing
If there was one word that could sum up the long-term goal of any 21st century business, then it’d probably be “efficiency”. The production of goods – and just as important, the amount of waste generated – affects prices up and down the supply chain, ultimately determining profit generated for each and every business.
One area that addresses many of these issues is lean manufacturing. Designed to train employees in areas related to modern manufacturing processes, quality input and output, and waste reduction, those who have pursued this form of education are a valuable commodity for many businesses.
With options to develop these skills through traditional four-year degrees and/or a one-year lean manufacturing online masters program, both supply and demand for this vital category of worker is increasing at a rapid rate. Even businesses that do not deal directly in manufacturing can utilize this type of professional to improve both work-flow and efficiency in general.
Marketing
With more competition than ever before, businesses are under immense strain to outdo one another and stand above the rest of the pack. The world of marketing is an integral part of any business, yet many do not understand its value. Even in B2B situations, companies that invest money in both employees and marketing budgets generally outperform their competitors.
Technology has certainly made the concept of marketing more user-friendly and available to the masses, with a variety of newer marketing tactics and mediums to consider. At the same time, the increased ease of use and availability has made pursuing this strategy even more necessary.
Skilled marketers can shepherd immensely intricate and effective marketing strategies, from email marketing and social media to traditional print campaigns and guerilla advertising. As more and more businesses invest greater resources into this crucial department, it becomes more difficult for any business to skimp on this profession.
Human Resources
The management of any workforce is often perceived as a responsibility for managers, CEOs and bosses. However, most of the day to day operations under any business roof are handled by human resources personnel. This valuable yet often undervalued department handles everything from interpersonal disputes to salary dispersals and job training.
Many smaller businesses in particular do not feel as if there is a need for HR personnel, but even relatively tiny companies can benefit from their presence. What do human resources personnel do? Whether it is handling hiring processes, job training, safety, security and grievances (just to name a few responsibilities), HR staff are a paragon of office and business efficiency. Single-handedly, these office workers can be responsible for hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in added profitability and streamlining.
Social Media
In this day and age, businesses that do not show up where people are do not create loyal customer and client bases. Increasingly, social media is the place where businesses must have an active presence in order to be competitive. Businesses of all types and sizes – including both B2B and B2C businesses – have multiple reasons to establish and maintain a presence on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Social media managers and marketers actually have considerable overlap, but an increasing number of businesses have discovered that dedicated social media employees can produce a world of benefit for a company’s bottom line. By establishing a presence, growing an audience and using marketing to enhance both visibility and reach, even relatively small businesses can generate a huge return on investment.
Those with experience in social media management can either be hired directly or contracted on a continuing basis. Regardless of the method utilized, businesses absolutely must consider expanding their operations to encompass the range of possibilities that social media provides.
While not all of these career fields will be relevant or viable for every business, virtually every business will find at least one of these professions as a value-added proposition for their operations. The age-old adage of “you have to spend money to make money” applies here; in many cases, expanding operations to include a new, efficient segment of workers can actually generate more profit for the company than it consumes.
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