Has COVID caused the future of work to arrive early and what does it mean for the future of work? -Guest Article by Joanna Konstantinidou

To what extent are the pandemic-urged schemes of remote work, flexible hours and technology-driven work here to stay?

Although flexible working as a term has been discussed for over a decade, with the government gradually taking measures for employees to be able to request flexible working arrangements – irrespective of their parental or caring responsibilities – many employers appeared reluctant about communicating a clear message around it. Very few employers advertise flexible working or homeworking as a benefit to attract talent, although a lot of them do actually offer this option. There has been an argument that controlling employees will be difficult; employers are unsure of how they will manage to manage work on a daily basis.

The widespread availability of telework technology and the feasibility of performing work remotely for many workers did not convince employers that working from home is a good idea. That was before Covid; the pandemic forced the issue, as within a few days all employers were forced to keep people home, and what started as a few weeks of working from home has evolved into a catalyst for change regarding how we work and live.

What is certain, is that remote work is here to stay. This transition has already been set in motion with big tech companies like Facebook and Twitter taking the initiative by introducing remote work to all staff at least for the remainder of 2020, and in some instances, permanently.  Google has also begun to rotate employees on site, with facilities remaining at 10% occupancy at all times.

Stepping into the post-Covid world, there are several potential shifts in the workplace, some of which are listed below:

1. Different approach to communication

With remote working, communication gets tougher and time-consuming, and staying connected requires a lot of work. You have fewer chances to communicate effectively, so you need to make the most of the fewer conversations you have.

Write down things, share, and make it easy to reference. Meetings should have clear agendas shared beforehand in order to give people time to prepare and note any questions or comments they might have to share.

Helping employees stay connected can be achieved by real-life meetups occasionally (for example once a month). There are a lot of great apps available (Yulife is one) that support interactive communication, offer engaging activities that encourage employees to stay active, exercise and compete with each other, and also provide other benefits such as counselling services for those who need it.

2. Drastic change in Performance Management and methods of feedback

Managing a remote team usually requires changes in how managers communicate their expectations and instructions, as well as customised approaches for optimising each employee’s productivity. Many employees find it difficult to stay focused when working from home, others have feelings of loneliness and others can concentrate easier. Managers should bridge this gap of isolation by building relationships and offering supportive feedback. Building personal relationships plays a crucial role in enhancing engagement – which is vital, given the hidden costs that incur to employers when losing talent.

Employee involvement and participation is not new; however, Covid has reminded us how people are motivated at the highest levels when they can connect their work contributions to a greater purpose and mission. While many employees thrive in a less structured environment with minimal supervision, interaction or participation, others require more frequent “intervention” to keep them focused and engaged, and that’s something managers should have as top priorities.

While promotions or rewards have so far widely been connecting to the employees’ tenure within the business, the increased platform usage and decreased in-person connection, will eventually lead to rewards being more data centric, and this will affect employees directly. Again, various apps can be used in collecting data, tracking time, measuring employee productivity or running anonymous surveys to collect feedback.

3. Increased necessity for cyber security

Rise in remote working has led to a rapidly increased use of technology (platforms, cloud, drive, or more specialised systems depending on the industry).

As such, cybersecurity’s importance is on the rise. Our society is more technologically reliant than ever before and there is no sign that this trend will slow in the post-Covid world. Moreover, employees usually retain personal information in their work laptops, hence personal data that could result in identity theft is now posted to the public on our social media accounts.

Negligence on cybersecurity measures can damage a business in range of ways including:

Economic costs: Theft of intellectual property, corporate information, disruption in trading and the cost of repairing damaged systems.

Reputational costs: Loss of consumer trust, loss of current and future customers to competitors and poor media coverage.

Regulatory costs: GDPR and other data breach laws mean that the business could suffer from regulatory fines as a result of cybercrimes.

Simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of cybercrime could include employee training on cybersecurity; tools that limit information loss, monitor third-party risk scan for data exposure and leak credentials.

4. The changing role of HR

Undoubtedly, in the past few months, HR enjoyed some larger recognition and appreciation for the breadth of what it does and can do: It has been essential in everything from ensuring compliance with government guidelines at the early stages of the Covid crisis, managing the furlough scheme, ensuring all appropriate health and safety measures will be taken to make the workplace Covid-safe, to monitoring workforce sentiment, establishing connections between leaders, employees, and teams, and integrating well-being into work.

Moving forward, employers should ask themselves if HR is positioned to make an impact, and if HR has a seat at the table. HR should take a leading role in emerging change and support leaders and employees to adapt to the changing world market, industry and business requirements. Employers should evaluate the role of HR and contemplate if HR has a broad enough focus to extend their influence in areas where they can help position the organisation to recover and build for the future.

The pandemic caused extreme stress and feelings of uncertainty to both employees and the organisations, with the last having to accelerate processes such as the use of technological equipment or remote working, in a rapid and dynamic way without sufficient time to prepare. Optimising, structuring, establishing and sustaining those actions will signal the future of work that is here to stay. That path must be paved with meaningful change, and a view to build the sustainable version of tomorrow.

Joanna Konstantinidou LL.B. M.Sc. Assoc. CIPD is a qualified Employment Lawyer with a CIPD Level 7 Diploma, and a decade’s successful career in international strategic and operational HR Management. Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen, she has solid generalist experience in Strategic Planning, Workforce Planning, Employer Branding, Performance and Rewards, Engagement Strategies, Recruitment, Succession Planning, and Process Optimisation. She has worked in various industries including Media, Food Manufacturing, Hospitality, and Retail in the UK, EMEA, and the US.

Forward-thinking and a firm believer of “disruptive” HR, along with her role as Head of HR at COPA90, she set up JPLK in 2018 which provides one-off or ongoing HR support for small businesses, HR Consultancy services for complex projects, employment law advice for employers, and employees, and coaching sessions for employees and job seekers. To find out more, visit jplk.co.uk or connect with Joanna on LinkedIn.