12 work personas to plan for in your future workforce

To help leaders and workers plan for the progression of work, Forrester grouped more than 800 occupations tracked by the National Bureau Of Labor Statisics into 12 automation personas.

Going forward, it is anticipated that every company will have a mix of personas. For example, there may be physical workers who install equipment; location-based workers who work from retail outlets, and cubicle workers who support back-office functions.

To win in the future of work, HR leaders can use the framework below to identify the qualities of each of the 12 personas, as listed in the whitepaper, The Future Of Work Is Still Being Written: But Who Is Holding The Pen?, compiled by Forrester Consulting, and commissioned By UiPath.

Knowledge work

Workers determine tasks, ideas, priorities, artistic contributions, and goals, with insights and decisions they draw from a number of knowledge domains.

Example: Emergency room physician

Persona 2: Single-domain knowledge workers

Workers determine some tasks, priorities, and goals and draw from a single knowledge domain for insights and decisions.

Example: Actuarial

Persona 3: Function-specific knowledge workers

Structured and semistructured tasks, e.g., compiling, categorising, calculating, auditing, or verifying information, are organised around a discrete function.

Example: Insurance underwriter

Frontline work

Workers perform physical activities that require arms, legs, and moving the body, such as climbing; lifting; walking; stooping; and scaling ladders, scaffolds, or poles.

Example: Factory worker

Persona 5: Human-touch workers

Tasks include personal assistance; medical attention; and emotional support to coworkers, customers, or patients. Physical contact often combines with oral communication.

Example: Massage therapist

Persona 6: Location-based workers

Workers depend on a unique physical environment, e.g., a retail store or a secured office building. Physical environments define their jobs.

Example: Retail store clerk

Administrative work

Tasks include administrative, staffing, monitoring, or controlling activities, e.g., for fleets or money spending, and providing information to supervisors, coworkers, or subordinates.

Example: Fleet manager

Persona 8: Cubicle workers

Workers perform repetitive and structured tasks in back-office and front-office positions, including workers in low-cost economies who generally perform contact center (phone) or BPO (data entry) functions.

Example: Accounts payable administrator

Emerging models of work

Workers believe that job satisfaction, work-life harmony, and alignment to their values and needs are important work considerations.

Example: Yoga instructor

Persona 10: Teachers/explainers

These workers know methods for curriculum design, teaching, and instruction for individuals/groups or can present machine logic and decisions.

Example: Knowledge-based curator

Persona 11: Digital elites

Enterprise architects, software development pros, and ML algorithm specialists use computers and data modeling to process information.

Example: Data scientist

Persona 12: Digital outcasts

These workers are unable to work effectively with machines or transition due to skills, attitudes, and ambitions.

Example: Finance and accounting clerk

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