The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the way we work. The pandemic has turned the world working upside down and most of us spent a huge chunk of 2020 away from our work colleagues and logged in each day to greet each other from our living spaces, homes, or other workplaces.
However, this year we are making the adjustments toward the new normal and we are slowly transitioning toward a hybrid working environment.
One thing is sure the new remote working environment that was quickly created by the events of the 2020 pandemic will not go away soon. Working from home at least partially looks like it is going to be in the future for most companies.
While larger businesses might better comprehend the technical problems than they did at the start of the year, there are still multiple issues that have to be addressed if the new normal is going to become successful.
Below are some of the changes we are likely going to see in the new normal and some of the changes we can expect to see.
Digitization of the workplace and smart offices
The new virtual offices have quickly become a solution for the pandemic in 2020. In this kind of workplace data and technology drive time, providing exciting opportunities for employees to balance their performance and productivity while encouraging employee engagement.
Analytics have assisted companies to increase their management and workflow. With AI assistance, workflow management tools, and analytics solutions businesses can get rid of tedious unwanted processes in traditional workplaces. This way organizations can foster a new era of digitization in the new work environment.
Organizations can use predictive analysis and workforce data to offer high-quality and personalized experiences to their workers such as learning from personal experiences, rewards, and benefits with explicit and tacit preferences.
Companies can use AI-powered coaches that can identify the experiences and skills each employee needs to feel challenged and suggest improvements.
Smart offices have become more connected through the use of IoT and some procedures in the office have quickly become automated through smart devices such as smart switches, smart lights, smart home assists, and smart locks among many others.
Value of freelancers
Remote work might have an effect on the global distribution of the workforce after the global pandemic. Now that workers are empowered to work anywhere in the world, the majority of them might decide to move to a different part of the world.
Most companies are now capable of handling remote work in terms of the talent they would like to hire. Today the majority of them are considering hiring people from different parts of the world, especially when the work can be performed remotely. Organizations have become open-minded in working together with freelancers for short tasks and are embracing more flexible employment.
Welfare-driven leadership and technology
Companies will be required to think about their office space in light of the possibility of their employee working from home the majority of the time or at times. This will force them to think about how they can retain some of the benefits of having a shared working space for communication and collaboration. Companies will require to combine empathy leadership skills with technology to increase productivity.
Technology has remained stable proves there is evidence of some improved productivity, collaboration, and agility. As the days become shorter and the restrictions go on the pandemic has started to affect the mental health of people.
The magic of collaborations feels like it’s harder to find. Human leadership and empathy are vital to increasing the well-being of employees in the workplace. The line managers and the leaders have to be considered to care for the well-being of employees. This should be a direct reflection of the company culture.
Consolidation of reskilling, upskilling, and roles
Many companies have set their main goal to survive the pandemic which has been followed by the exodus of workers. The demand for tech-related skills has grown as organizations have switched to cloud capabilities, cybersecurity and automation. Companies in 2021 will start to think about how they can combine the needed skills into super-specialized roles that can handle multiple business-specific processes remotely.
Employees will also have to be able to upskill in certain areas without the need for external employee training. This will grow their prospect of employment and allow them to transition into new tech-based roles. Reskilling will be required where employees specialize in roles to perform specific tasks.
