ABSTRACT
Many aspects of the employment situation are changing: values, attitudes towards profit, the age and sex composition of the workforce. Many organizations think it unsavoury or not quite right to employ people in anything but the traditional nine-to-five Monday to Friday slot. New industries such as information technology and old industries as well, are requiring increasing numbers of skilled workers, because of the proliferation of new technologies. In a seller’s market, employers will have to listen to employees’ demands, among which a desire for greater freedom is likely to be prominent. Once a terminal was installed in an analyst’s or programmer’s home, he or she had complete discretion over how and when they worked. The crucial element is a commitment to training, because it is the incorporation of new ideas that drives a company forward. There must also be a commitment to new systems and technologies, which provide the added value that customers will expect.
