Five predictions for the future world of work
Over the course of the past few months, the Coronavirus pandemic has significantly impacted our personal and professional lives. From social isolation to the adoption of company-wide homeworking and the introduction of the furlough scheme, businesses and employees have had to adapt to ways of working that would previously have been unimaginable.
As we move into the next phase of economic recovery, there is little doubt that these changes will have a lasting impact on the future of work. Business leaders will need to rethink the business model, the changing needs and expectations of their employees as well as how to engage and motivate a remote workforce.
Here are our top 5 predictions for work in a post-Coronavirus world:
The role of the office
Coronavirus has forced organisations of all sizes to take part in what has proved to be the biggest ‘work from home’ experiment to date and while it has undoubtedly been challenging at times, it has also shown that employees are more than capable of carrying out their jobs remotely.
Going forward, leaders will need to think about what their employees want from their workplace and recognise that for some individuals, the events of the past few months will have shifted their priorities and changed their relationship with the office.
Video conferencing technology has made it possible for colleagues to connect on a daily basis and we have seen multi-national organisations such as Twitter, Google and Facebook announce that their remote working arrangements will continue for the foreseeable future.
But this does not signal the end of the office, which we believe will continue to hold value and purpose. A physical office provides a space for employees to meet, collaborate and connect with each other and creates an energy and atmosphere that is fundamental to innovation and creativity.
What businesses will need to consider, however, is how that office space is used. Will it be a hub of social interaction, a place for people to bond? Will employees prefer to use it as a quiet change of scenery from the distractions of home? Or will it be a place where teams come together to brainstorm? What is clear is that as businesses adapt to life in this changing world, the workplace will need to be redesigned to meet the evolving needs of its employees.
Blurred boundaries
With a large number of employees continuing to work from home for at least some of the time, the boundaries between work and personal life will become increasingly blurred.
Research has shown that 92% of employees working from home answer emails outside of working hours, but this inability to switch off can have a profound impact on people’s mental health. It’s important that leaders adapt their practices to manage and support remote working and encourage a healthy work/life balance.
Some organisations have addressed the issue by putting in place policies such as no emails outside of working hours or no meetings on a Friday, while others have encouraged employees to take regular annual leave.
Boundaries should also apply to employees’ physical space, particularly with many people’s kitchen table or bedroom acting as a makeshift office. Taking regular breaks and stepping outside is not only beneficial for physical wellbeing, but it’s vitally important for mental wellbeing too, helping to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and burnout.
To have the greatest impact, however, leaders must set a strong example. If senior management encourage authentic discussion around the importance of mental and physical wellbeing and support setting those boundaries, employees will be more likely to follow suit.
The role of the manager
Managers have a huge role to play when it comes to inspiring and motivating teams, with one study finding they are responsible for up to 70% of an employee’s engagement level.
What we have seen during this crisis is that managers have come under even greater pressure. They need to understand how their team members are performing as well as how they are coping working remotely, while also ensuring they have the right tools and working environment to do their job effectively.
It’s important that leaders recognise this added pressure and invest in their managers’ development and skills accordingly so that they feel supported and confident in their role.
Regular, open communication between senior leaders and management is crucial. Leaders should ensure that managers are given enough time to spend with each of their team members, particularly through times of uncertainty. If they feel exhausted, overwhelmed or stressed, it can have a direct impact on their team’s morale and performance too.
If possible, leaders should also reward their managers in some capacity. Recognition and appreciation are a vital part of employee engagement and can make a huge difference to a manager’s sense of purpose and motivation.
Employer reputation
As businesses seek to deal with the financial fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic, employer branding will become more important than ever.
Many leaders will be faced with tough decisions about profit margins, head count and the shape of the business going forward – and how they treat their employees through this period will have a huge impact on how they are perceived by clients, staff and future talent for a long time to come.
Fortunately, we are in an era of positive change, from gender pay gap reporting to the MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, where businesses will rightly be called out for bad behaviour. If leaders need to make staff redundant, they must do it in a way that is professional yet sensitive and empathetic to the needs and feelings of their employees.
Organisations now have an opportunity to reflect and restructure and leaders should revisit their values and make sure they are still relevant and resonate with their workforce. Now, more so than ever, employees and prospective talent want to work for an organisation that values its people and has an open, safe and supportive environment.
Leaders should take the time to really understand the culture they have created, how they’re faring with diversity and inclusivity, as well as how engaged and motivated their staff feel and what more can be done to support them going forward.
Increased opportunities to work flexibly
Before the pandemic, only around 5% of the workforce worked mainly from home, but going forwards, it’s much more likely businesses will need to embrace a combination of remote and office working.
The pandemic has made people question their sense of purpose and there will be growing demand for greater autonomy and agility, where employees are able to construct their own working arrangements.
Recent research found that 75% of workers want to retain the flexibility they gained over the course of lockdown and there is a strong business case for allowing them to do so.
Flexible workers enjoy a higher level of job satisfaction and are more likely to increase discretionary effort. They are also more likely to be engaged with their work, which can have many positive benefits for the business, including reduced absence, improved employee mental wellbeing and lower staff turnover.
Interestingly, the crisis has also shown that sitting at a desk for a set number of hours per week is not necessarily the most productive. More than two-thirds of employees (69%) would like their manager to assess their productivity on results rather than hours worked, while 76% of managers agree, signalling an end to the long-standing assumption that employees need to work a traditional 9-5 five-day week to get their work done.
Whether it’s spending more time with family, working around other commitments or simply wanting greater control over when to complete work tasks, business leaders will need to offer greater working flexibility if they wish to remain competitive in the future.
“Research has shown that 92% of employees working from home answer emails outside of working hours, but this inability to switch off can have a profound impact on people’s mental health”