Workplace Post COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic that started at the beginning of 2020 and the ensuing lockdown that was imposed worldwide has unsettled the lives of millions and made sweeping changes to the world in ways that would have been unimaginable even in late 2019. Though some of these changes are expected to be undone once the pandemic ends, some others are probably going to stay.

The future of how we work is also going to change forever. While at this point of time it is impossible to know what will happen, we can always guess what the future of the workplace will be.

Here are some of the things that are experts at Saty Optimum feel will define the future of the workplace post the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accelerated Pace of Digitization: Over the past few years we had understood that the future of the workplace is digital. However, even in the first two months of 2020, no one predicted that people will be forced to go digital so fast, just to survive in their jobs. The pandemic has accelerated the pace of digitization in ways that were hitherto unimaginable, and many of the changes are most likely permanent.

Work from Home: The style of working itself has changed remarkably since March 2020, and the changes still happening. Millions around the world have adapted themselves to working from home and many of them will continue to do so due to the undisputed advantages that it has. Those employees whose nature of work required them to be on-site will be the ones who will have to attend office.

Digital Communication: Many companies are realising that most of their meetings can be done via web conferencing, and there is no need to make the employees travel long distances to attend these meetings. Doing meetings online will obviously entail significant savings in terms of time and money, and hence most of the meetings in the future will continue to be done online.

Expansion of a Gig Economy: Freelancing is already quite a trend and it will well accelerate further in the future. There are many who will find the flexibility of working remotely and the prospect of being their own boss very attractive and will look for freelancing opportunities. Those who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic will also look for gigs at least until they get an alternative job. Many of them will also get used to freelancing and become a part of the gig economy.

Physical Distancing: Organizations which want their employees to work from the office will have to rearrange their seating arrangements to adhere to the new social and physical distancing norms. This will require them to move to larger office spaces or ask the employees to come to the office on a rotational basis.

Upskilling: Employees will be required to acquire new hard and soft skills regularly to stay relevant in their organizations. With so many freelancers available, the organizations will have innumerable options to hire independent remote workers if their employees are unable to upskill themselves.

Increased Emphasis on Mental Health: The pandemic has all of us shaken and millions are suffering from mental issues like depression and anxiety. Organizations which care for their employees will have to take care of these issues by engaging mental health experts. This will result in additional expenses for them.

The future will only tell us whether these predictions will come true or not. However, we are certain of two things: our lives have changed forever, and we have no other option but to adapt ourselves to this new normal.