2022. Work from the office, work from home, merry-go-around?

In this uncertainty, it is really hard to predict what to expect from work in 2022, especially with the recent health developments and the new lockdowns.

Summer was relatively good, weather was nice, travel was a little easier, however, and despite many employers’ expectations, a full-time return to office-based work is looking highly unlikeable in 2022, as the omicron variant pushes back to work-from-home again millions of people. And, given the way the current employment market shifted power to the people, pre-pandemic work structures and norms are likely to become a thing of the past. And during a continuous change in circumstances, it’s hard to pin down where we might find ourselves in 12 months’ time.?

How will work be affected in 2022? WFH, WFO? Here are some trends which might dominate this year.

1) Personalized employee benefits?

Pandemic, lockdowns, parents working from home, kids studying at home, changes in consumer behaviors. This means employers may need to take a different tactic when hiring workers – and retain them – than they did in the past. In 2022, we might see some companies finally ‘’waking up’’ and see employers accommodating more to the needs of their employees so they can engage their current workers and attract top new talent.?For example, instead of one-size-fits-all training or development programs, companies have started investing resources into co-crafting tailored made career paths with individual workers. And this is not only good business sense – flexibility and focusing on what really matters is becoming the new normal for companies.

2) Choice of work location?

When it comes to where we work, three main models will continue– unified workplaces, decentralized remote organizations, and the hybrid method. Probably in 2022 workers, will have a choice where they prefer to work rather than being forced to.

3) Creating a culture of adaptability and accountability?

Since the pandemic forced employees to work from home, managers asked it, or at least thought, “Are my employees really working?”. Trust seems to be scarce. According to a recent survey, (https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/expressvpn-survey-surveillance-on-the-remote-workforce/ ) 78 percent of companies are using software to measure and monitor employee productivity. However, responsibility in the post-pandemic era is a lot more than monitoring keyboards and laptops screens. Adaptable working is now a thing, so we need to accept that and build a culture to support it. And it's not just the front-line employees. The C-Suite will have increased corporate accountability and responsibility. Organizations will need to hire and develop people from the group up. They will need to pay equally, they will need to create an inclusive and diversified work culture, they will need to take stands on social issues, they will need to fight climate change. If they don't, those organizations will risk losing on talent, reputation, clients, and revenue.

4) Leaders to accelerate their pace of learning?

To keep up with the constantly evolving work environment, leaders can't sit back and think, ‘’I know what I need to know’’. As Marshall Goldsmith famously wrote in his book: ‘’What got you here, won’t get you there’’ and how relevant that is in today’s business world? Covid has shown everyone the reality check. Unfortunately, some leaders failed to develop suitable strategies in response to the pandemic because nobody was prepared to respond to such VUCA situations. Moreover, compared to the past decade's work culture, employees are now less committed to jobs, which means that employers must do all they can to retain their top talent employees in the workplace. The best leaders out there always have a student mindset.?

Organizations and leaders face another year of enormous challenges and now must hone a new set of skills as they enter the new year. As a final thought, I would suggest that executives listen and pay attention so they can find opportunities for people?throughout the organization and to meet with employees one-on-one?once per month, to talk about their interests and development possibilities.?

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