Our new world of work

The global pandemic has accelerated the workplace revolution. 88% of business leaders expect flexible working to continue beyond the pandemic. Organisations had to swiftly re-tool their business to maintain productivity. However, the critical objectives for the coming decade remain the same in that leaders must still deliver deeper customer engagement, stability and outcomes. Furthermore, they must also build a more robust workplace culture that fosters innovation in this new world of work. 

“We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months.” – Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.

Organisations are adapting in three ways. They are responding by changing rapidly to stay in business. Furthermore, they are trying to recover by developing a strategy for the immediate future? Lastly, they are reimagining how to gear themselves for the new world of work. 

Positives of a hybrid workforce

Most business leaders find the hybrid workforce to be positive. For example, 82% of business leaders reported that business was as productive as before the pandemic. Furthermore, 56% of business leaders expect remote working to increase employee retention. Also, 56% of business leaders expect remote workers to deliver cost savings to their business. And lastly, 54% of business leaders see remote working as a way to enhance sustainability. 

Concerns about the new world of work

However, some leaders and employees have concerns about the new world of work. Some of the worries include

• Losing company culture
• Less team cohesion
• Increased creation of silos
• Not meeting customer expectations
• Not sustaining productivity
• Less employee engagement
• Failing to develop talent
• More exclusion
• Not being able to choose between home or office
• and concerns about wellbeing.

The Solution

People are the heartbeat of your organisation, so companies need to put them first. The distributed, hybrid workforce is here to stay. However, the new workplace is more than just increased remote working. For example, you need to keep your employees productive. Productivity thrives on innovative and adaptable environments, and business automation and agility will help you digitally meet your customer needs. Furthermore, technology minimises repetitive tasks, leaving employees free to focus on what matters. To adapt to this new working environment, your people need the tools, skills and mindset to thrive while prioritising your employees’ wellbeing, inclusiveness and community. 

The path to greater productivity, a good employee experience, and resilient teams is to create a productive hybrid workplace while humanising virtual working. Furthermore, you can also embrace AI, automation and the future of work. 

“The first challenge was keeping people connected and able to work with their clients. Luckily, we had made the decision to shift to Teams.” – Rob Greig, CIO Arup.

How to create a productive hybrid workplace

Firstly, you need to make it easy for your people to collaborate and create. To foster a good connection, you can switch to cloud technology to help keep employees productive and innovative. To get robust digital workspaces, you can assemble effective and secure tools that employees love using. Furthermore, digitalisation can accelerate your digital transformation to streamline and automate workflows. 65% of executives anticipate increased investment in digital transformation. Lastly, migrating to the cloud can help you build a truly “work-from-anywhere” virtual environment. Employees believe that remote working reduces wasted time by 11%.

“We knew the technology could help keep staff working, even if they were having to isolate or shield themselves.” – Darren McKenna, Director of Informatics, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust 2020. 

Humanise Virtual Workspace

To humanise the virtual workspace, you need to address the new strains on your people and culture. For example, the number of employees who feel they work in an innovative workplace is now only 28%. 27% of employees find it hard to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

So, to improve your employee experience, you need to take proactive steps to ensure remote working doesn’t isolate or dishearten your employees. Furthermore, nurture your employees by leading from the top to sustain a close and collaborative culture. Also, you must maintain an emotional connection by recreating the experience of human interaction through chats and calls. Lastly, building a people-first culture by promoting diversity and inclusion. As a result, this will make it feel like one team is shaping the business outcomes. 

“As part of our digital transformation, we’re creating a modern digital workplace, and I am really excited about the impact of this new technology.” – John Chambers, Chief Information Officer, Lloyds Banking Group, 2020.

Embrace AI, Automation and the future of work

Explore how new technologies can boost your competitive advantage as 95% of businesses leaders see workplace innovation as a top priority. For example, AI and automation can improve efficiency, customer service and revenue. Furthermore, adapt your workspaces to be more responsive and collaborative with Smart Offices and meetings. Lastly, unify your knowledge management by building a single platform to store and share internal content easily. 

“The most successful organisations will be the ones that transform both technically and culturally, equipping their people with the skills and knowledge to become the best competitive asset they have.” – Simon Lambert, Cheif Learning Officer for Microsoft UK.

Build resilient teams

Successful organisations adapt quickly to change, both technically and culturally. Firstly, you need to help your employees to adapt to new tools and evolved ways of working with continuous learning. Then, measure the success of your hybrid workforce and use insights to navigate this new world of work. Furthermore, you need to invest in talent management to construct remote recruitment and an onboarding procedure because 61% of managers feel unprepared to lead virtual teams. Lastly, think about future evolutions and build internal skills and talent to capitalise on them. 87% of executives report skills gaps in their business.

Tips for building your hybrid workforce

• Digitally reimagine your teamwork, culture and social capital.
• Priorities your employees’ wellbeing to help them focus and be their best.
• Help people to learn, reinvent and grow with the pace of change.
• Unlock the data, knowledge and expertise of your entire organisation.
• Automate processes and workflows to pave the way for disruptive innovation.
• Include everyone in your digital transformation.
• Ensure a trusted, secure and modern experience for every employee.

Next steps into the new world of work

Contact Northstar today to learn more about how we can help you navigate the new world of work.