Work will never be the same, and you know it!

Last week I shared with my LinkedIn network a short survey, requesting input on four questions I consider relevant to understand the impact the COVID-19 contingency will have on how we will work moving forward: our workplaces, our interactions, and for many, business travel. Thank you to everyone who contributed –over 300 responses! Your answers were very enlightening, and in general, confirmed my own perspective on how work will change not only in the upcoming months, but also once the global pandemic is behind us.

Let’s face it, throughout this time many employers and employees have both discovered benefits to working remotely. Once the challenges of setting up a home office, ensuring connectivity and understanding how to best engage virtually were overcome, potential benefits have surfaced, like achieving a better work-life balance or reaching greater productivity due to less interruptions and no commute. 

That is why it was not surprising that well over half of those who responded the survey –56% of you, to be precise— shared that even after the pandemic is over, you would consider dividing your time between working from home and going into an office (given the fact that is still an option or that your employer allows it). Likewise, another 28% will consider not returning to an office environment and stay working remotely full time.

I do not think that companies are going to jump to a completely remote model in the “new normal,” but I do anticipate a future with a mix of greater remote work and less traditional coexistence in an office. And not only because of the health aspect that may continue to affect us in the next 12-18 months, but also because we have realized that we can be efficient and do greater things virtually than we could before. In recent meetings, some senior leaders I have spoken have shared they are even questioning whether the corporate office is still necessary, or if a small space that acts as an "administrative hub" would suffice.

Which leads me to my next point: trust. I mentioned it in my last blog, and I bring it up again because it is now more relevant than ever. Many managers who were accustomed to overseeing their employees in person have not been able to do so for over two months, yet they have seen little to no disruption in their daily business operations. I believe that many have come to the realization that trust must be earned and measured by outcomes, no matter where you work from. In fact, a greater part of the survey respondents (65%) identified foremost with this statement, while 30% selected “communication is key to maintaining trust” as their prevailing statement regarding trust. 

However, to continue to build and maintain trust between remote employers and their employees in post-crisis work environments will require administrative and organizational processes where technology is the key enabler; selected as the most relevant aspect to working remotely by all respondents on the survey.

The future of work is no longer a distant aspiration but rather the reality we’re facing now in which disruptive technologies are needed to contribute to more efficient business processes with little human (or socially distant) interactions, while a great part of the workforce works from the safety and comfort of their homes – at least on a partial basis. Of course, there will always be essential workers in certain industries and lines of business that will continue to have to show up in person with all the required precautions. 

And while the “new normal” may create more opportunities to work remotely, many of us have been avid business travelers for decades. How will that change for us? Well, 81% mentioned that you are now thinking of splitting your time between travel and virtual meetings, while only 10% reiterated that you would go back to travel as you did before the pandemic. As for myself, and even though I was hesitant at the beginning of the idea of having to give up on my weekly travels, I will probably balance it. In the last 60+ days, I’ve had an opportunity to rethink completely the way I’ve worked for the last 20+ years!

In my view, your answers are a clear reflection of the unprecedented transformation companies face right now: the way we work will never be the same. Technology is the backbone supporting not only our workforce, but how businesses operate from end-to-end… from taking the pulse on customers’ satisfaction to keeping supply chains moving (more on that in another blog), and ultimately getting the job done!

I am positive the post-COVID19 world will be different, but it’s up to each of us to shape it into a better world – where we embrace new ways to work, while achieving greater productivity and positive business outcomes with technology at the center of every business strategy. 

*Complete survey results available here, powered by Qualtrics.