Work, as we know it, has and will continue to change. Advancements in technology and digitisation have enabled how, when and where work gets done. Workers can more easily navigate time and place to collaborate across the globe and accelerate “best in class” contributions aimed at the highest possible outcomes and “always on” business models.
For employees, this means creating environments that support work as something you do, not where you do it. Never have we experienced a time for such an acceleration of rethinking the workplace.
The workplace requires new thinking
Now, flexible
work is feasible,
practical and
increasingly desirable.
COVID-19 has clearly demonstrated that flexible work is feasible, practical and increasingly desirable, which for some is old news.
Some companies had already begun to embrace flexible work, allowing employees to flex their schedules between office or remote/home locations – viewed by many employers as an effective employee attraction and retention tool in the war for talent. According to the ONS, remote/home workers increased by 22% between 2008 and 2018, with some companies embracing at least partial remote/home working while others were still struggling to adopt the change.
The growth in remote/home working has exploded during the pandemic and as people return to a “new normal,” recovery requires an understanding of the new expectations of physical, financial, emotional and technological safety in the workplace. Employees who previously didn’t have access to more flexible arrangements are now voicing their expectations for flexible work, health and safety and improved work-life integration. Whilst recent polls in the UK indicate that only 15% of UK office workers would like to work from home full time, 86% would like to be able to work from home at least one day / week.
Digitisation combined with laptops and mobile connectivity allow teams and organizations to drive productivity in new ways. Artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and other technologies also change the nature of work. Employees are processing less paper, and often advanced technologies perform mundane tasks seamlessly, replacing the need for workers to spend time on more routine tasks. The nature of what we do at work is fundamentally changing.
Every organisation has a unique opportunity to accelerate the multi-generational workplace. Never has the requirement for digitally enabled talent, along with seasoned practice experience, been a fundamental requirement for business operations. Organisations recognise the opportunity to use the workplace as a catalyst and tool to attract and retain top talent, foster collaboration and engagement and ultimately to improve productivity and performance.
Employees and employers have choices in how and where work can get done. Networks of talented and skilled workers, including contract and contingent workers, along with onshore and offshore solutions, are brought to projects, programmes and initiatives in cost-effective yet productive new ways. Suddenly the ability to have 24/7 global work processes accelerates work productivity and outcomes.
