The future of work: hybrid?

On the digital-first, hybrid workplace of the future.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic not only disrupted work in significant ways but also demonstrated to the world that there was an alternative way of doing the same things. While many quickly switched to remote work models and accelerated adoption of digital technologies, others had to rethink their entire business processes and models to be able to deliver their products and services to the markets in this new world.

What will work look like after the covid-19 pandemic? And what does this mean for business leaders designing their future organizations and strategy? In this article, I explore what portion of these changes will stick in the post-pandemic reality, and how business leaders can rethink their business processes and workforce strategies in line with the future of work

First, here are three key trends that will define the nature of work post COVID-19

Key trends impacting the future of work

1. Rapid adoption of collaborative technologies: When the first lockdowns were implemented, enterprises rushed to make digital tools and technologies available, to ensure their employees could continue their work. This led to a new era of remote collaboration and helped companies achieve more at lower costs.
2. Implementation of intelligent automation: Building low-touch experiences was the key to keeping the doors of physical stores open during the pandemic. AI, automation and robotics were the biggest forces that helped businesses continue to serve their customers throughout lockdowns as well as control costs. As a result, 66% of executives plan to accelerate their investment in these technologies going forward.
3. Serving customers remotely: When the lockdowns started, B2B and B2C buyers alike were moving to e-commerce to fulfil their needs. The digital subscription model gained further momentum. And this remote-ability is not limited to e-commerce alone - service lines, healthcare, retail and banking are also experiencing tectonic shifts towards remote, digital-first models.

But some lessons can be learned from the pandemic digital workplace. These will be the key to imagining the workplace of the future.

What did and didn’t work?

1.  Remote work can be a productivity-booster but a collaboration-killer. A 90% decrease in the number of interactions in remote work models can be detrimental to collaboration.
2.  Coordinating work across time zones is a must-have in remotely working international teams. This can be achieved through Kanban boards and digital communication channels like Slack.
3. The gig economy has its own upsides and downsides. While contract workers can help reduce pressure on the company’s bottom line, quality and consistency can be a major concern that needs specific attention.
4. Remote work can negatively affect your employees’ mental health. Being stuck at home day after day, week after week, month after month, can lead to feelings of depression and burn out. Moreover, certain types of interactions - like performance reviews or brainstorming sessions are not done as effectively remotely.
5. The changing nature of work has implications on long-term workforce management strategy. While AI, robotics and automation can increase speed, efficiency and quality, these new models require upskilling and reskilling your current teams at scale or hiring new talent.

Aligning your organization with the changing nature of work.

The strategic investments (and disinvestments) that ensured survival during the pandemic will have to be rethought for long-term success. While remote work is here to stay, the loss of in-person interaction has its own downsides.

The future of work: hybrid?

A hybrid model is about to evolve, that combines the best of both worlds. Hybrid work models – that combine remote work and advanced automation with human interaction where required – are based on building autonomy and flexibility and getting stuff done across locations, time-zones, devices and platforms.

The future of work will be digital first and underpinned by collaboration tools and platforms, advanced data and analytics, accelerated automation, artificial intelligence and robotics.

How will this be done, and what steps can you as a business leader take to realize such a hybrid model that combines the best of both worlds? In order to get there, you need to start answering the who, what, where, when, and why of your operating models, as you think about the future of your workplace, operations and workforce.

Who, What, Where, When, Why

1. Who: Your next-generation operating model will be defined by reinvigorated processes powered by intelligent automation, cloud technologies, and IoT. But people are still a key part of any business model going forward. What is the skill profile that will drive your business over the coming years, and how does it differ from the skill profile of the workforce today? What roles will be better suited to contract workers, and how will platforms like Upwork or Fiverr help fill the demand of the gig economy? Upskilling and reskilling at scale will require time and investments. You might find yourself looking at new talent that is better suited to the skill profile that drives work post COVID-19. But you will not be alone.
2. What: What are the tools and technologies that will enable and empower flexible work models in the post-pandemic era? Video conferencing technologies are here to stay, but not all interactions will be conducted on the screen. How can you integrate both physical and digital interactions?
3. Where: What job functions will be suited to remote work and which processes will be better suited to in-person interactions? How much office space will you need, where, and what will your office look like?
4. When: If the future of work is hybrid, then workflows are bound to rely on asynchronous communication across time zones and hours of the day.
5. Why: The future of work will depend significantly on the why - the purpose, vision and culture of your organization that defines your staff’s motivation and determination to work. Increasingly, your team members will chose organizations with which they can identify.

Final words

The unprecedented pace of disruption and ever-shortening half-lives of business models are forcing enterprises to rethink what they stand for, how they conduct their business and the basis on which they compete in the long run. The need to rethink the future of work has never been more critical to ensure continued survival And is already driving top businesses to transform faster than the speed of change. It is time for business leaders to take action, set the wheels moving, and realign their enterprise with the drivers of success in the coming decade.

Alexandra van der Stap

This article is part of a series on post-pandemic leadership. Read more on nextrday.com.

• How to lead during - and after - the covid-19 pandemic
• Rethinking work: The digital workplace of the future.