Roy Bahat: The Future of Work Post-COVID

Roy Bahat, Head of Bloomberg Beta, recently Zoomed with Fast Frontiers to discuss the current trends that we are seeing in the workplace amid the COVID-19 era. From a shift to remote work to the influx of new technology, it has been a time of adjustment, to be sure, and all of which came at us at rapid-fire speed. We specifically asked Roy to share what top trends he believes we will see stay with us as we forge ahead into a future frontier and “new normal” when we return to the office (or don’t)… but more on that later.

A Greater Dependence on Software

The first trend that Roy believes will stay with us as a result of all this is that more people are currently using software and will continue to do so. While the use of software-centric processes is not necessarily new to those in the venture world, this trend toward a greater dependence on software in day-to-day operations has been eye-opening and an adjustment for many. In venture, we take for granted that we know and are used to all the latest tools. Now, so many more people are exposed to and using much more software than pre-COVID.

Roy commented on the challenges this infusion of software-centric practices posed, especially among those (the majority of us) who found themselves suddenly working remotely amid the pandemic. “We all know folks who work in companies where they’re not even allowed to try anything new because of how the company controls what software they can use. Well now, immediately, everybody just got thrown into figuring out the settings in Zoom.”

Roy even provided an example using the first-person experience of a friend of his. For years, a research doctor who wanted to use DocuSign to sign off on her research proposals and other documents remotely had always been met with resistance—by the hospital CIO. But instantly, when COVID hit the scene, she—and now everybody—is using this software technology (DocuSign) while working remotely. And it’s not just DocuSign, Roy pointed out: “There’s just a lot more software [being used], generally.”

Increased Experimentation

The second trend that Roy noticed is increased experimentation within this adjustment period. Roy explained how we’re all just experimenting with how we’re going to use the office now and moving forward: “I don’t think anybody really knows how it’s all going to settle out, so we’re just having much more rapid pace of experimentation with hybrid environments coming in, and that’s going to include managerial experimentation, and new tools.” Roy gave an example of this, as he just created a new account for a new in-house doctor service that tests him for COVID-19 when he goes into the office. Regarding such measures, Roy predicted that “there’s just going to be a lot more experimentation about the use of the physical office.”

Shifting Work Dynamics

Finally, we are seeing a dynamic shift in work relationships including the structure of work weeks. Roy described this last trend as “the more human part” of the adjustments he is seeing: “I think for those of us who have worked remotely, we’ve all just been exposed to so much more of the whole lives of the people we work with, and I think once you open that door, … the nature of your working relationship with people shifts, and I don’t think we quite know how work weeks and work hours are going to sort out.”

Roy pointed out what we are all in some way experiencing the fact that what works for some won’t be the best fit for others, and vice versa. “All jobs are different, but for many jobs, remote work is actually much better for getting work done. If you’re a writer, a good case can be made that you can get work done more easily when you are not surrounded by people distracting you, but [in other circumstances], there’s just no substitute for that kind of real back and forth that you can often have collaborating in person.”

A new normal, according to Roy, might involve a mixture of both remote and in-person, but as he mentioned before, it will look different as it will be catered specifically to your business’s unique post-COVID needs. Roy summed it up perfectly: “Anybody who says that one way of doing it is better than the other, I think is missing the point.” Roy explained that technology is not good or bad; it’s just that different organizations will use it differently to suit their purposes. For example, Roy pointed out what a new structure of work week could look like this, with the boss (hypothetically) saying: “Okay, do you need to come into the office two days a week to be together with everybody to figure stuff out? Do you come in for your sprint planning meeting if you’re working on software development?” Whatever works.

A Time for Entrepreneurs to Shine

Roy discussed how this is a particularly exciting and opportune time for entrepreneurs to shine: “I think it’s always a good time to be an entrepreneur, but in particular, during moments of chaos. It’s the Game of Thrones thing of chaos being a ladder. It’s particularly a ladder if you are a founder, because if you’re a founder, you are in this place where each one of these experimentations and changes a turn of the wheel that allows you to build some new service that helps with it or manages some by-product of it.” Roy’s enthusiasm and hopefulness for this next chapter is evident, “I’m really excited to see what people build all over the country.”

According to Roy, people are adapting in ways that are suited to their business, and he believes what we’re going to see is first a great season of experimentation, but then a settling. Roy concluded that people will “be adapting to this moment in their own ways.”

What we’ve shared regarding these three trends is just the tip of the iceberg for what we covered with Roy during our in-depth discussion. To learn more about each and hear further insights and predictions for the future of the industry from Roy, head over to listen to the entire podcast here.