Plan for tomorrow, execute today - the changes that are coming to your workplace

As organisations start to shift towards the next phase of working through the COVID19 period, it has been encouraging to see the business sentiment moving from one of a reactive nature to one of positivity, optimism and thinking about “what’s next”.

With isolation measures starting to scale back across the country, Victoria seems to be taking a more conservative approach but that hasn’t stopped many of my contacts from starting to turn their attention to what the future workplace may look like whilst COVID19 is still present in the community.

The best way to describe business sentiment at the moment is using aviation terms of a “holding pattern”. A holding pattern in aviation is a predetermined manoeuvre that keeps aircraft within a specified airspace whilst awaiting further clearance from air traffic control. Many hiring managers and people leading projects are in a holding pattern whilst they await the “go-ahead” from their Board, CEO and/or Executive team for scaling back up post the COVID19 shutdown.

At a personal level, most of my family and friends have also shifted to a more optimistic focus of “hopefully we can go back to normal soon”. For me though, I’m quite mindful that “normal” has changed both at a personal and professional level.

Being in the Recruitment and Talent game, it’s important to understand where the business climate currently stands but also where it is going. For me to be successful in my role, I need to be at the forefront of changes to hiring practices, workforce management and broader shifts in “the world of work”.

With significant budget pressures being factored into many of the organisations I am in touch with as they play for the Financial Year 2020-21, I’m anticipating some significant shifts in the way we work and how we work.

Some key trends I have been picking up on through conversation I have detailed below but I would welcome thoughts from people reading this to add to the conversation on what the “future world of work” may look like. Leave a comment with your thoughts and add to the conversation.

A hybrid workplace (central office and remote working)

Previously there was a centralised place of work. Many of us (me included) would travel an hour or more to get to the “office” so that we could work. The COVID19 period has blown up the need to do this. I enjoy not having to commute into the city every day and being able to take my dog for a long walk after the clock ticks over 5:30pm. I'm going to be expecting that in some way, I can continue to do this post isolation.

In the future workplace, I’m anticipating a hybrid workplace whereby there may be a split between time in a centralised office and time working from home. This may be 3 days in the office and 2 days from home. It may be 4 days in the office and 1 from home. It will vary depending on the organisation, industry and personal situation. I know many working parents can’t wait for schools to open again as they try to integrate work and life at the moment.

With many organisations currently scenario planning a “return to work”, I’m keen to hear from people I haven’t spoken to (and those that I have) as to what you are currently working through. Feel free to give me a call, drop me a LinkedIn message or leave a comment on what your future workplace might look like. Are you going to adopt a hybrid workplace?

A cultural shift for hybrid working environments from leadership

With staff being geographically dispersed in a new hybrid workplace environment, cultures, beliefs and practices will need to change to support this new workplace.

In the past, people may have flown interstate for a meeting whereas the future world of work may mean a ZOOM, Google Hangout or Teams link up is now accepted and not only can expenses on airfares and accommodation be reduced but travel time can be significantly reduced meaning executives/staff can spend more time with their family which in my opinion is a great outcome.

For those leaders, or should I say managers, that needed to be able to “see their employees working”, this could be a time that really challenges them and their leadership abilities. Employees across all sectors will have changed their expectations of “working from home” and whilst many will want to return to working in an office with their colleagues (mainly for the banter or Friday drinks), there will be a lot of people that want to achieve that work-life balance and integration they always dreamed of and COVID19 has made this possible.

Remote servicing of customers

An exciting development has been the fast tracking of digital transformations, customer experience adaptations, service teams mobilisation (to work remotely) and the customer behaviour to interact with businesses without the ability to do so in a face to face manner. 

Having adapted to a “virtual world” and working through the change management required to do so, many organisations will realise the benefits of remote servicing of their customer base. I have already heard of retail businesses that are actually doing better through an online model than they were with physical stores. 

The dial for businesses has shifted to online and customers have also embraced the digital world at a higher rate of adoption than ever before. 

I know our Australia Post delivery guy is working harder than ever before and he still arrives with a smile every day and a parcel from something that has been ordered online by us.

Scaling up the workforce with Project Workers/Contractors

Being at Expert360, a technology platform geared towards project work, consultants and contractors, I’m really excited about the prospect of assisting organisations (and the broader economy) to scale back to a level where people are employed, businesses are growing and we are back into prosperous times.

Organisations are starting to look at all those projects that were put on hold and determining what workers they are going to need once they start back up again.

Project staff were some of the first workers to be stood down when COVID19 hit but they will also be some of the first to come back. Unfortunately for many organisations, those workers/contractors that they had to stand down to save costs won’t return and they will be faced with sourcing new talent at the same time many other organisations are doing the same thing. As a result, they may increase their salary costs as the people they need are in demand at the time the business wants to get them onboard. High demand, low supply equals higher prices. Why not snap them up now whilst supply is high and demand is low (meaning cheaper prices)?

For anyone that wants to get on the front foot for sourcing the talent they need in the new Financial Year, get in touch with me now so we can start building your talent pool of candidates and you may even offer people roles now with a start date in July, August or September. 

Expert360 is anticipating an increased demand in the coming weeks and months of organisations needing to scale back up and especially through the engagement of project workers.

Since COVID19, we have had an increase of talent registering for our platform of eight times the usual volume and this is resulting in exceptional talent being available for work now and they are keen to secure something sooner rather than later (meaning they are willing to accept a lower salary to secure work). 

Changes to the Employee Value Proposition

“We embrace flexible working” will no longer be a key value proposition point for organisation post COVID19.

Organisations will be expected to have the option to work remotely otherwise people will not even consider them as a place where they would want to work.

This results in leadership teams, HR and organisations having to redefine their value proposition in the new market to come. 

Online on-boarding and induction will be a must (and the norm) as will employee experience differentiators key to retention and items of value that go beyond inflated salaries. Whilst I anticipate stagnation of salary growth and potentially a decline in salary levels, humans are hardwired to compare the past to the present and will be expecting a comparable salary with many other elements that influence them to sign on the dotted line.

You need to start thinking about what will and what currently sets your organisation apart from others and start positioning now if you want to get the best talent for the recovery phase that is to come.

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Cameron Norton

2019 SEEK Recruitment Consultant of the Year

A forward thinking talent expert that delivers results through leveraging technology

Cameron specialises in connecting expert talent to organisations that have a social purpose (local government, state government, NFP and Social Enterprise).

From his university studies in both Human Resource Management & Marketing and combined with broad experience in both public and private sectors, Cameron brings a unique approach to connecting career opportunities, organisations and individuals.

Having well known brands and people as advocates for his approach, Cameron brings an authentic style with a strong focus on partnering with people and helping them to succeed.

Possessing a strong understanding of technology and how to leverage it for maximum impact, Cameron embraces new approaches to enhance results in sectors that are seeking change to overcome the challenges that stand before them in the future world of work landscape.

To get in touch with Cameron Norton, you can email him at [email protected]