Future of Work – Yes it has changed, a giant leap!

Future of Work – Yes it has changed, a giant leap!

 “It has long been known that a crisis, or sense of urgency is a powerful catalyst for change and creativity.”- Dr. Maggi Evans 

The pandemic has changed the way we work. The world was moving to a digitized world. The change was linear, systematic progression. The post covid era created an urgent panic need to have a digitized set up…Linear systematic progression would have not helped…It had to be fast, urgent & immediate.

Everything around us has changed. My son attends his school remotely. He attends his morning prayer, his classes, vide a google duo. His assessments are like a google form and interacts with his friends on a chat bot. Until 2 months back, we were gearing up for his new session. He is just 7 years old. Ironically, he is not missing his school and is fine with the new arrangement. I understand he has accepted this as the new normal.

Some may argue that this is a temporary change. Yes, this might be temporary…But the fact that it has changed the world of work. In the analogy of the school set up…The engagement & interactions has changed for the child, parents and more importantly for the teacher.

Let us stick to the example of the school teacher? What has changed for him/her? You may argue that her deliverable have not changed. Yes, she was supposed to teach well and this remains unchanged. But skills required to achieve the same outcome may have changed manifold.

Imagine the context of today...She is teaching under the glaring eyes of demanding parents and she needs to be well versed with technology platforms. The world of child has also changed. The teacher needs to acknowledge that as well.

This was just an analogy, however just let us take a step back. Our customers will never be same again post the covid era. Given that customers are central to everything we do, it is imperative that we change our world of work…The Organization & The Employees therein.

 The ‘here and now’ situation is full of ambiguity. Organizations are struggling with a form of existential crisis let alone they be thinking of future. The assumption that the things would be back to normal is a wrong assumption to make. It is important that we start focusing our attention on future, sooner than later.

The crisis has afforded us time for reflection, so we need to use it prudently.

In these testing times, it is important for each one of us to take care of our employees. Work from home (WFH) is a new normal they are trying to adjust. It is important for organisations to have an empathetic WFH policy. It is also important to have an engaging ongoing conversation…may be beyond work and beyond Microsoft team meetings.

Innovate new means of engaging conversations….One of my close friend talked about how all his team members start their conversation with each one of them holding a cup of their coffee/tea..on a video call. Some bit of symbolism is good at times.

The new world of work henceforth can be a small office in your employee’s homes/ residences. The question to be asked is how these small places can be included and integrated as a part of the larger work culture?

To start with accept this as a mainstream and just not wait for things to be back to normal.

Human beings are innately social beings. There would surely be some who would outweigh the importance of working from office than at the comforts of working from home. Whether organisations give a choice, keep it integrated, make it role wise or remote becomes an option as and when required; organization needs to look at these intricately.

However, for now, we are standing in front of a new world of work culture, and it is time for us to embrace the change. More than ever we are going to evaluate employees only on the basis of their productivity. Mediocrity would have no role to play in the new work order. However, it is critical for organisations to bring in the elements of empathy and engagement. We are dealing with humans, right?

We are all separated from our teams. This is the time to be a bit more flexible, more compassionate, and to give people the freedom to make choices when they want to work, how they want to work, where they want to work, etc.

From work/life balance to work/life integration to work/life rhythm…The need of employees would change more frequently. Embrace their needs. Presumably there would be more learning from this covid experience. Everything is not positive outside. Extend a helping hand…..as an organization, as a business leader, as a manager and as a co-worker. Sometimes even actively listening helps.

The crisis that we face is historic. Uncertainty about the future is inevitable, but a post covid world would be build based on what we say and do now. Be a part of the history. Let us use this as an opportunity to create a world of work that is empathetic, engaging & exciting.

Let us embrace change this time for the greater good.