The Future of Work

In March of 2020 many of us were sent home and forced to spend the next 365 days figuring out how to do our jobs entirely from the couch or kitchen table. Now, many folks struggle to imagine going back to a traditional office setting with rigid guidelines, including when to arrive and how long to stay. What should companies consider now that employees are seeking more flexibility? 

Havard Business School has been working to understand that very question. A recent article, “COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?,” explores some of the considerations companies should implement.

A few insights that stood out to me:

• “Post-COVID, I encourage leaders to foster the same efficiency with meeting schedules when back in offices, but also to create time blocks, either online or in person, for the random connections that are critical for developing team culture.”
  - Julia Austin (@austinfish) is an executive fellow at the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship

• “Employees are unlikely to return happily to a workplace driven by the “old deal,” in which the employer sets standard rules of employment and the workforce acquiesces. They will expect not only the right to determine the adequacy of workplace safety measures, but also expect employers to consider their individual circumstances, like caregiving obligations, when designing their roles and evaluating their performance.”
  - Joseph Fuller (@JosephBFuller) is a professor of management practice and co-leads the school’s Managing the Future of Work initiative

• “…as we transition back to a new routine post-pandemic, virtually all employees will likely have personal challenges competing for their energy and attention. Leading your employees with kindness through the course of the pandemic is important, but kindness in the aftermath will be just as crucial.”
  - Boris Groysberg (@bgroysberg) is the Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration

• “Burnout is running rampant… To emerge successful post-pandemic with top talent intact requires more attention to the human side and reaffirmation of mission and values. Perhaps companies will adopt recognition-rich recommitment rituals (akin to renewal of wedding vows), instead of goodbye parties when it’s too late.”
  - Rosabeth Moss Kanter (@RosabethKanter) is the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration

• “The virtualization of work is here. The virtualization of careers is here. Without reconciling this tension, the risk will be losing excellent talent who are looking for flexibility from their employers.”
  - Tsedal Neeley (@tsedal) is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration

• “The idea that you must be physically present to be productive is just not valid. Leaders should be focused on how to make work inspiring, compelling, and engaging, whether that work is done at the office or not.”
  - Gary P. Pisano (@motogp61) is the Harry E. Figgie, Jr. Professor of Business Administration and the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development

• “I think this is a case where one-size-fits-all solutions unfortunately do not exist; different conditions may call for different approaches. A practical piece of advice is thus to be proactive and elicit workers’ preferences and explore different approaches now. The return to the office may not be as simple as we imagined at the beginning of the pandemic.”
  - Raffaella Sadun (@raffasadun) is a professor of business administration

Regardless of how companies choose to respond on a policy level, I think that the future of work is a hybrid model focused on flexibility for the employees, while considering the realistic needs of the company.