Future of Work Changers Post –Covid 19
As the pandemic resets major work Changers, HR leaders need to
rethink workforce and employee planning, management, performance and experience
strategies.
New
HR trends emerge as the lasting result of workforce and workplace changes
resulting from coronavirus pandemic disruption.
The
imperative for those leaders now is to evaluate the impact each HR trend will
have on their organization’s operations and strategic goals identify which
require immediate action and assess to what degree these HR trends change
pre-COVID-19 strategic goals and plans.
As a result of 32% of organizations are replacing full-time
employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure.
Of the nine HR trends, some represent an acceleration of
existing shifts; others are new impacts not previously discussed. And in some
cases, COVID-19 has forced the pendulum of a long-observed pattern to one
extreme.
1: Increase in remote working
A recent Gartner poll found that at least part of the time
after COVID-19, 48 % of workers are likely to operate remotely versus 30 %
before the pandemic. When companies transition to more remote work activities,
workers will need to collaborate remotely and be prepared to change employee
engagement strategies to explore essential competencies.
2: Expanded data collection
Analysis by Gartner reveals that 16% of employers use
software more often to track their workers by strategies such as virtual
clocking in and out, tracking the use of work machines, and monitoring emails
or internal communications/chat for employees. While some organizations control
efficiency, others document employee engagement and well-being to better
understand the experience of workers.
Even before the pandemic, non-traditional employee tracking
techniques were increasingly used by companies, but modern monitoring of remote
employees and the collection of employee health and safety data would intensify
this HR trend. Be sure to follow best practices to ensure that employee
knowledge and analytics are used responsibly.
3: Contingent worker expansion
Organizations were increasingly utilizing non-traditional
employee tracking methods even before the pandemic, but modern monitoring of
remote employees and the collection of employee health and safety data would
intensify the HR trend. To ensure responsible use of employee data and
analytics, make sure to adopt best practices.
"Our research finds that 32 % of organizations are
replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving
measure," says Kropp. While gig employees give employers more flexibility
in workforce management, HR leaders may need to assess how these employees are
implementing performance management programs and decide whether they will be
eligible for the same benefits as their full-time colleagues.
4: Expanded employer role as
social safety net
The pandemic has increased the pattern of employers playing
an expanded role in the economical, physical and mental well-being of their
workers. Help includes increased sick leave, financial aid, modified working
hours and plans for child care.
Also, the ongoing economic downturn has stretched the
boundaries of how companies view the experience of workers. For companies and
staff alike, personal considerations rather than external factors take priority
over what matters. Employing such initiatives can be a successful way of
encouraging physical wellbeing and enhancing workers' mental well-being.
5: Separation of critical skills and roles
Critical positions were seen as roles with critical skills
before COVID-19, or the capabilities a company needed to achieve its strategic
goals. Employers now recognize that there is another group of essential
positions, roles that are critical to the achievement of important workflows.
6: (De-) Humanization of
employees
Although some organizations have acknowledged the
humanitarian tragedy of the pandemic and prioritized the well-being of
employees as individuals over employees as employees, others have forced employees
to work with little assistance in conditions of high risk, treating them first
and secondly as employees.
7: Emergence of new top-tier
employers
Organizations were also facing heightened employee requests
for accountability prior to COVID-19. Workers and future applicants would judge
companies on how employees were handled during the pandemic. Balance the
decisions taken today to address immediate issues with the long-term effect on
the job brand during the pandemic.
8: Transition from designing for efficiency
to designing for resilience
Design roles and systems around results to develop a more
flexible organization, to improve agility and versatility and formalize how
processes can flex. They often provide diverse, adaptive and flexible positions
for workers to gain cross-functional expertise and training.
9: Increase in organization
complexity
In order to mitigate and manage risk in times of disruption,
businesses can concentrate on expanding their regional diversification and
investment in secondary markets. As operating models change, this increase in
complexity of size and organizational management will generate challenges for
leaders.
References
Baker, M. (2020). 9 Future of Work Trends Post-COVID-19. [online] www.gartner.com. Available at: https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/9-future-of-work-trends-post-covid-19/.
[Access on 20th January 2021]
www2.deloitte.com. (n.d.). The future of work after COVID-19 | Deloitte Insights. [online] Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2020/covid-19-and-the-future-of-work.html.
[Access on 20th January 2021]
While the pandemic may represent a tipping point for the digital transformation of the workplace, it has also revealed deep fault lines. It is those in the upper income brackets who are the most likely to choose to work remotely, whereas those in the lowest have no choice; they will have to commute and are more likely to be time-poor as a result. Looking to the future, as digital and online work becomes the new normal, the demand for skilled workers is likely to rise along with their wages. The contributions of care-workers and other workers (e.g. teachers and staff in grocery stores) will be more highly valued than before.
ReplyDeleteIn this situation, I suggest that hr mangers try new studies.
ReplyDeleteEnsuring business continuity is one of the highest priorities for every company, and in these days, many may be forced to cut costs. If they do so, however, they should not lose sight of the long- term implications of the crisis. Once the situation has been stabilized, companies must rethink their digitization strategy and put measures in place that establish sustainability for the future challenges to come.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in the article, while some organizations prioritize their humanitarian tragedy, the most, but some organizations prioritize their revenues as the foremost factor even under such situations than considering the well-being of their employees. They are the leaders who move far beyond the humanity.
ReplyDelete