COVID-19 has presented organizations around the world with completely new challenges. No challenge in recent years has brought about as many changes in the corporate world as the corona virus. But what does this mean for the future of work and how will our behaviour change in the long term after the pandemic.
I think that even after the time of the home office and virtual work, things will not continue as we know it. Some changes in the corporate culture and the way we work will remain or be intensified.
The 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Work (Source: Jacob Morgan)
A focus on the regional
So I think we will see a strong focus back on our region. The problems caused by closed borders, stagnating supply processes and production bottlenecks alone will mean a change in the globalised labour market. In a LinkedIn Pulse, the end of globalization is even pointed out as a central trend of the “Future of Work”.
The end of the open-plan office
The end of the open-plan office will also come gradually. After it spills over from Silicon Valley and Co, many companies have focused on a complete restructuring of jobs. The problem, however, at least here in Germany, was that we are used to a different kind of culture and way of working than is the case in America, for example. Despite many enthusiastic open-plan office users, this way of working has found rather few friends.
According to recent studies, COVID-19 will reverse this trend and make more distance and privacy possible again.
Technologies that stay
The home office, although it caused many productivity problems in the beginning, now works smoothly for most companies. VPNs were set up, devices were set up, and working from a distance became part of everyday life. With the help of video calls, collaborative tools and a new way of working independently with colleagues, the model became a success.
This type of decentralized work, the use of technologies and the new understanding of flexible yet efficient work will, I predict, remain. We will not spend every day in the home office, but two days a week – according to findings even before the pandemic – will make employees more productive and focused.
It is now up to the companies to shape the future of work. We have undergone a fundamental change in our lives and it would be a lost opportunity for the digitalization of our country if we did not take something with us…
