COVID-19 has changed the world. Every element of our lives is different, from how we engage with family, friends and colleagues, to how we work. In early May, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella summed it up, “We have seen two years worth of digital transformation in two months.”
How we work post-COVID will be forever changed. Here are five areas in the workplace that we expect will be impacted:
• Remote Work is Here to Stay
Perhaps the biggest impact will be the percentage of employees working from home. According to Gartner Research, 74% of CFOs are expecting to transition a number of on-premise employees to permanent remote work, post-COVID.
• Increased Reliance on Technology
This pandemic has focused our attention on the importance of video and collaboration tools. Technology has become a necessity during the lockdown, and as some of us return to office work, we’ll continue using these communication and collaboration software tools in ever-expanding ways.
• Video is Part of Everyday Life Now
Video has become a fully integrated element of our workday. Most of us got used to using video quickly, and now there’s no turning back.
• Offices Are Restructured
For employees and businesses returning to office life, expect to see dramatic changes. A “new normal” office may include directional arrows on the floor, barriers between workstations, and might require health and temperature checks before returning to the office.
• E-Learning For Everyone
Up-skilling and right-skilling are essential for innovation. Companies will increasingly incorporate e-learning platforms to ensure teams are building the new skills needed to compete in a post-COVID work world.
It’s not about if traditional ways of working will change, it’s about how much they will. Preparing your team for a remote future, whether it’s your entire workforce or not, means setting your team up to survive and thrive in these difficult times as we continue to navigate the post-pandemic new normal.
