Most businesses knew the future of work would involve greater flexibility and more working from home / working from anywhere. But many weren’t in any rush to change their systems or culture.
Then the pandemic hit.
Overnight, enabling remote work became a priority. Investments were made in the technology. Managers were given crash courses in leading virtual teams.
The key to making this work was communication, top to bottom, across the enterprise.
Firms saw real benefits: savings on real estate; ensured business continuity; increased productivity; a workforce with better work-life balance and improved wellness. In sum, a more nimble and resilient company.
Now that they have implemented the needed technology and established appropriate processes, firms will retain some form of remote work. Employees want it, and younger workers expect it.
Investment in communication and collaboration tools will continue. Video conferencing solutions will improve. There will be a greater burden on communicators to use synchronous and asynchronous platforms to align the work force and distribute leader messaging.
Remote work also enables a wider pool of employee candidates, which will lead to more cross-border teams. Communicating effectively across time zones and across cultures will become an important skill set.
We’ve been talking about the Future of Work for a while. It seems that, thanks to COVID, yesterday’s tomorrow is today: increasingly, the future of work is here.