The Future of Work

​As 2020 comes to a close we now know the true meaning of digital transformation. Every organization, every employee, and every industry experienced transformation like never before. As we look to 2021, many ask what will the future of work look like almost one year into this pandemic. Many expect that the work from home era will continue as there is a high probability that many organizations will have employees work remotely well into 2021. A recent survey from the Wall Street Journal suggests that only about 25 percent of employees have returned to physical office locations across 10 major cities. Many expect that remote work will continue even after the pandemic crisis passes.  As you create your organizational priorities and strategies for 2021consider the following:

• Real Estate
  • What opportunities exist to repurpose real estate expenses (dollars spent on facilities)? Could these funds be used to help employees improve their home workspace?
• Employee Wellness
  • Many wellness programs were not fully leveraged by employees during this pandemic. Are there opportunities to further adopt employee wellness for the work from home era? Should additional wellness benefits be offered (physical, mental, financial and spiritual)?
• Virtual training
  • What opportunities exist to further virtual training in 2021 for employee development?
• Technology Infrastructure
  • What investments need to be made to further support streamlined technology for employees and customers? How can we continue to innovate at a pace to keep up with the digital economy?
• Flexible Work Models
  • Evaluate staffing models to see where there are opportunities to create or further expand on flexible work arrangements. 

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This pandemic crisis has given us an opportunity to have a new perspective on the talent acquisition process. As we head into 2021 HR leaders may need to be more open to resume gaps that could be caused by the pandemic. It is also important to ensure the hiring process is remote-friendly. Evaluate what worked well in 2020 and what could be improved for 2021. It will also be important to look at ways to continue to attract the hybrid worker by offering flexible work models. Flexible work models can be key in helping attract and retain top talent in organizations.
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2020 has taught us the importance of agility and resilience. Many of us have revolutionized the way we work with customers and employees. 2021 will undoubtedly have a new set of challenges for us. Let’s take what we learned through this historic period of time and further advance our organizations and our employees.