How COVID Is Fast-Forwarding The Future Of Your Job

Hi everyone, and welcome to my brand new newsletter! If you already follow me on LinkedIn, you know I write a lot about the intersection of technology, work and company culture, generally with an optimistic lens. In this newsletter, I’ll share my own thoughts, as well as some of the great stuff I’ve been reading, listening to and watching. How will tech change how we do our jobs? What’s the best way to get ahead in the new career landscape? What does the future of work look like? All this and more I’ll be tackling in upcoming issues — so be sure to subscribe and tell your friends if you think they'd be interested.

In this first issue, I’m looking at something on everyone’s mind these days: how COVID-19 has impacted the way we work. Over the past few months, we’ve all had to adjust to the experience of working from home — adapting to remote work and the challenges that go with it. Now, with some offices reopening, we suddenly face the prospect of “getting back to normal” in terms of work.

But is that necessarily a good thing? I think COVID-19 has been a wake-up call for lots of work practices that, frankly, shouldn’t go back to normal. For starters, we’ve learned that remote work can work for lots of people. Not everyone, of course. But there’s a good chunk of people who thrive in the WFH setting — and there are some interesting early stats to back that up. Going forward, a one-size-fits-all approach to where we work doesn’t necessarily make sense, and we may continue to see companies offer flexible arrangements. 

Then there’s the question of how we work. For better or worse, many of our workplace practices are descended from the old factory system. We punch in and punch out at set times. We’re watched over by bosses and supervisors. We get paid based on hours worked. But the pandemic has shown that extending greater autonomy and ownership to employees can pay real dividends. 

We’re seeing people working on their own schedule — juggling work and family obligations — and, in many cases, getting more done than before. The old butts-in-seats approach, with bosses breathing down people’s necks, feels increasingly dated. (Stay tuned for a new article from me on exactly this topic!) 

Flash poll: Do you feel you’re more productive while working from home or less productive? Click here to vote on Twitter or here to vote on LinkedIn. 

On that note, I wanted to share a few articles this week that explore shifting dynamics in the workplace and look at alternatives to the traditional 9-5 office paradigm.   

Worth Reading/Watching/Hearing

Better virtual conferences: Let’s be honest. At the best of times, business conferences can be a little dull. But now that conferences have gone virtual, the risk of boring people to tears is very real. But the reality is virtual conferences and events are going to be a big part of our future, definitely in the short term and possibly much longer than that. I recently polled my followers on LinkedIn (all 1.7 million of them!) to find out their best tips for improving online conferences. Surprisingly, most of the suggestions were low-tech and definitely within reach. Check out the top 10 hacks in my latest article in Forbes. 

Office competition: Remember when we all dreamed about working from home. No commuting. No noisy office mates. Naps after lunch. The reality, of course, has proved quite a bit more complex, especially for parents and folks in tight quarters. Indeed, we’re now seeing people competing to be allowed back into the office. Social distancing measures mean most offices are only able to readmit a small fraction of their total workforce. Quartz reports that some companies, like SF-based Cloudflare, have asked employees to submit petitions in order to choose who gets to come back. To me, this points to the fact that there’s no one answer here, and companies must learn to accommodate different ways of working.   

Four-day workweek Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang jumpstarted the four-day workweek conversation earlier this year. But it’s gained significant momentum during the crisis. Anecdotally, workers say they’re happier that way, and for businesses it can be a real recruiting advantage. Meanwhile, a trial by Microsoft Japan last year found that the four-day week even managed to improve productivity. My guess: with the radical reshuffling we’ve seen of late, more employers may be open to experimenting. The key, of course, will be seeing if productivity and revenues can be sustained over time with one fewer day at work.  

Bike boom As people begin returning to offices in many parts of the world, huge numbers are choosing bikes for their commute. COVID-19 concerns have many workers steering clear of buses and subways. Meanwhile, people who can’t go to the gym are looking for new ways to get exercise. The result: retailers like Walmart and Target are struggling to keep bikes in stock, while bike sales overall have seen their biggest spike since the 1970s oil crisis. As an avid cyclist myself, I hope some of this shift is permanent. With even car-crazy cities like Manila and Rome now installing bike lanes, there just might be hope!  

Reader feedback

I recently shared on LinkedIn an article from Clark University English professor Esther Jones arguing that reading science fiction and fantasy may help young people cope with the stress and anxiety of living through COVID-19. I got an overwhelming response from my followers. I was especially touched by this comment from Creighton Wong, a business growth specialist: 

Love Sci-fi as a kid and as an adult! Sci-fi has often provided glimpses into the future (despite not having perfected the time-traveling DeLorean yet) and has provided inspiration for imaginable projects to become reality (as an amputee, Luke Skywalker's bionic hand comes to mind). Not sure if it helps one "cope" better. But I suppose if it provides someone with "hope" for a better future, then that can be an effective "coping" mechanism.

Thanks, Creighton. I think you nailed it. That kind of “hope” is really what drew me to technology and science as a kid, and I’m still so optimistic about the potential for the future.  

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is staying safe and strong right now. I’m looking forward to talking more about Tech and Work in the weeks ahead. Please share any comments, suggestions or feedback and, if you liked the newsletter, encourage your colleagues to subscribe. Talk soon!