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9 Future of Work Trends
Post-COVID-19
Present By : Jirasap Kijakarnsangworn
Contributor: Mary Baker

As the pandemic resets major work trends, HR leaders
need to rethink workforce and employee planning, management,
performance and experience strategies.
The coronavirus pandemic will have a lasting impact on the future of work
in nine key ways. The imperative for HR leaders is to evaluate the impact each
trend will have on their organization’s operations and strategic goals, identify
which require immediate action and assess to what degree these trends change
pre-COVID-19 strategic goals and plans.
Credit By : Mary Baker

“32% of organizations are replacing full-time employees with
contingent workers as a cost-saving measure.”
It’s critical for business leaders to understand that large-scale shifts are
changing how people work and how business gets done,” says Brian Kropp,
Distinguished Vice President, Gartner. “HR leaders who respond effectively can
ensure their organizations stand out from competitors.

No. 1: Increase in remote working
A recent Gartner poll showed that 48% of employees will likely work remotely
at least part of the time after COVID-19 versus 30% before the pandemic.
As organizations shift to more remote work operations, explore the critical
competencies employees will need to collaborate digitally, and be prepared to adjust
employee experience strategies. Consider whether and how to shift performance
goal-setting and employee evaluations for a remote context.

No. 2: Expanded data collection
Gartner analysis shows that 16% of employers are using technologies more
frequently to monitor their employees through methods such as virtual clocking in and
out, tracking work computer usage, and monitoring employee emails or internal
communications/chat. While some companies track productivity, others monitor
employee engagement and well-being to better understand employee experience.
Even before the pandemic, organizations were increasingly using
nontraditional employee monitoring tools, but that trend will be accelerated by new
monitoring of remote workers and the collection of employee health and safety data.
Make sure to follow best practices to ensure responsible use of employee information
and analytics.

No. 3: Contingent worker expansion
The economic uncertainty of the pandemic has caused many workers to lose their jobs and
exposed others for the first time to nonstandard work models. Many organizations responded to the
pandemic’s economic impact by reducing their contractor budgets, but there has since been a shift.
Gartner analysis shows that organizations will continue to expand their use of contingent
workers to maintain more flexibility in workforce management post-COVID-19, and will consider
introducing other job models they have seen during the pandemic, such as talent sharing and 80% pay
for 80% work.
“Our research finds that 32% of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent
workers as a cost-saving measure,” says Kropp. “While gig workers offer employers greater workforce
management flexibility, HR leaders will need to evaluate how performance management systems apply to
these workers and determine whether they will be eligible for the same benefits as their full-time peers.”

No. 4: Expanded employer role as social safety net
The pandemic has increased the trend of employers playing an expanded role in
their employees’ financial, physical and mental well-being. Support includes enhanced sick leave,
financial assistance, adjusted hours of operation and child care provisions. Some organizations
supported the community by, for instance, shifting operations to manufacturing goods or providing
services to help combat the pandemic and offering community relief funds and free community
services.
The current economic crisis has also pushed the bounds of how employers view the
employee experience. Personal factors rather than external factors take precedence over what
matters for organizations and employees alike. Employing such measures can be an effective way
to promote physical health and improve the emotional well-being of employees.

No. 5: Separation of critical skills and roles
Before COVID-19, critical roles were viewed as roles with critical skills, or the capabilities
an organization needed to meet its strategic goals. Now, employers are realizing that there is
another category of critical roles — roles that are critical to the success of essential workflows.
To build the workforce you’ll need post-pandemic, focus less on roles — which group
unrelated skills — than on the skills needed to drive the organization’s competitive advantage and
the workflows that fuel that advantage. Encourage employees to develop critical skills that
potentially open up multiple opportunities for their career development, rather than preparing for a
specific next role. Offer greater career development support to employees in critical roles who lack
critical skills.

No. 6: (De-)Humanization of employees
While some organizations have recognized the humanitarian crisis of the pandemic and
prioritized the well-being of employees as people over employees as workers, others have pushed
employees to work in conditions that are high risk with little support — treating them as workers
first and people second.
Be deliberate in which approach you take and be mindful of the effects on employee
experience, which will be long-lasting. Address inequities if remote and on-site employees have
been treated differently. Engage task workers in team culture and create a culture of
inclusiveness.

No. 7: Emergence of new top-tier employers
Prior to COVID-19, organizations were already facing increased employee demands for
transparency. Employees and prospective candidates will judge organizations by the way in which
they treated employees during the pandemic. Balance the decisions made today to resolve
immediate concerns during the pandemic with the long-term impact on the employment brand.
For example, advise CEOs and executive leaders on decisions regarding executive pay
cuts and make sure financial impacts are absorbed by executives versus the broader employee
base.
Progressive organizations communicate openly and frequently to show how they are
supporting employees despite the implementation of cost-saving measures. Where feasible, look
for opportunities to arrange talent-sharing partnerships with other organizations to relocate
employees displaced from their jobs by COVID-19.

No. 8: Transition from designing for efficiency to designing for resilience
A 2019 Gartner organization design survey found that 55% of organizational redesigns
were focused on streamlining roles, supply chains and workflows to increase efficiency. While this
approach captured efficiencies, it also created fragilities, as systems have no flexibility to respond
to disruptions. Resilient organizations were better able to respond — correct course quickly with
change.
To build a more responsive organization, design roles and structures around outcomes to
increase agility and flexibility and formalize how processes can flex. Also, provide employees with
varied, adaptive and flexible roles so they acquire cross-functional knowledge and training.
“D&I leaders will need to be involved in role design and creation of flexible work systems
to ensure that employees of all backgrounds and needs are considered when the organization
designs new workflows,” said Ingrid Laman, Vice President, Advisory, Gartner.

No. 9: Increase in organization complexity
After the global financial crisis, global M&A activity accelerated, and many companies
were nationalized to avoid failure. As the pandemic subsides, there will be a similar acceleration of
M&A and nationalization of companies. Companies will focus on expanding their geographic
diversification and investment in secondary markets to mitigate and manage risk in times of
disruption. This rise in complexity of size and organizational management will create challenges
for leaders as operating models evolve.
Enable business units to customize performance management, because what one part of
the enterprise needs might not work elsewhere. As organizational complexity complicates career
pathing, providing reskilling and career development support for example, by developing resources
and building out platforms to provide visibility into internal positions.

Q & A
Thank You

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9 future of work trends post covid-19

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