Evolving the Workplace for an Evolving Workforce

The concept of work has evolved over the years, in turn shaping workplace requirements and subsequently, the type of talent that organisations look for.

We are currently in the middle of a strategic transformation for work (the what), the workforce (the ‘who’), and the workplace (the ‘where’). While the concept of remote-working might be new to many organisations, it is a sign that we are on the cusp of another evolution where successful organisations will be those that will be able to ensure that the workforce and the workplace enable the work to be done in the most effective way.

Driven by an increasingly digital economy and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are experiencing the 4th industrial revolution, which has also seen the entry of the 5th generation – the digital natives - into the workplace.

The pandemic has created a universal disruption, requiring all organisations to hit the refresh button to continue thriving. The truth is that the challenge is an existential one for most organisations, and definitely for certain aspects of work.

Today, work is no longer a place, but any space where an employee can be productive, and organisations and individuals with learning agility and adaptability will fare better in a truly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.

Organisations have had to adapt to ensure that employees have all they require to do their job at a time and place of their convenience as opposed to the typical 8-5 office setting. Such a shift not only allows organisations to access more talent, but also allows highly skilled individuals to monetize their skills more.

With no requirement to operate from a centralized location, organisations will not be limited by the location factor when recruiting. Similarly, there will also be an increase in ‘gig’ workers as organisations will recruit for certain skills on a need basis, while individuals with highly sought skills will not be tied down to a single employer.

Even as the workforce evolves, there is a need for strategies that recognise the unique needs of the various cohorts in the workforce. Today’s multigenerational workplace contains individuals from Gen X – perennials who have extensive industry knowledge and have had to adapt to change severally, millennials and Gen Z – the digital natives. It is critical to recognise their different needs and structure theemployment experience in a way that creates a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee.

At Safaricom, we have acknowledged that the future of work is here with us, and we are enabling our employees to work remotely through provision of devices, digital collaboration tools and ergonomic seats. We are also evaluating employee benefits and where possible, replacing static rewards with flexible benefits to give employeesmore freedom in how they utilise their benefits.

Looking back, organisations had little time to prepare for a large part of their workforce shifting to remote-working and many businesses are not designed for remote-working. One long-term concern that organisations are still grappling with is how to ensure staff remain productive and avoid slipping into individual and team silos.

The biggest challenge brought about by the ongoing evolution has been around redesigning jobs and measuring work. To ensure efficient utilization of labour, organisations have had to reskill or redeploy staff whose nature of work is not optimized for remote-working. There is also a need to uphold organisational citizenship behaviour, maintain a connected organisation and enable team cohesion even when working remotely.

Inversely, employees have had to adapt to changing job descriptions within a short timeframe and they also require support to thrive and find balance – mind, body, heart and soul – and to deal with non-work issues such as domestic violence, finances and loss, which can affect performance. HR practitioners, who are the custodians of the employee experience within an organisation, need to be aware ofthese emerging needs and the emotional responses to change as this will enable an organisation to successfully transition into the next phase of the industrial evolution.

It is hard to know exactly how the COVID-19 situation will pan out, but re-imagining and restructuring work, the workforce and the workplace will put organisations in a powerful position to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, regain a sense of control and accelerate into the future of work.