The future of work, economies, and society are forever changed due to the consequences of the pandemic. Now it is up to forward-thinking organizations to adapt to this new future for business long-term continuity, utilizing technology to become human-centric operations.
When the pandemic started, businesses had to rapidly adjust to operational models, such as implementing a hybrid workforce and making greater utilization of technology for communication, work, and revenue generation. Now that ‘the post-pandemic’ has arrived, it is time to recognize that the pandemic had a profound influence on society and the economy, and businesses must look ahead to a new normal, and rethink their operational strategies from a perspective of long-term business continuity. Employees want to work for employers who offer a positive culture, meaningful work, and opportunities for career advancement, and they also expect businesses to be more human-centric as environmental, economic, and social organizations. The pandemic was a global crisis, but it has triggered changes that will continue far into the future, and technology will play an even larger role in enabling business sustainability. Smart organizations will now re-evaluate their current status and determine the optimal business measures best for the workplace and employees to ensure competitiveness in the post-Covid-19 future.
DEVELOPING NEW PRACTICES THAT FOCUS ON WORKERS
If there one thing that became apparent during the pandemic it was that employees would be unwilling to return to a pre-pandemic work model. They want to continue working hybrid work schedules, for employers who support their physical and mental well-being, have opportunities to update their skills and develop careers, and have positive employee-employer relationships. They also want to work for companies that practice and not just talk about social justice and environmental sustainability. They want a strong employee voice in management decision-making.
The younger generations of workers also want their organizations to be fully supportive of the new empowerment they feel to demand equality, equity, health and safety, career development, family support, and more.
In essence, employers who will remain competitive in the labor market and able to retain talent understand the extent of the pandemic-induced changes in human capital management. Looking ahead is not easy when current crises continue – fear of new virus variants, disrupted supply chains, and civil and global unrest. Getting caught in a reactive mode rather than proactively anticipating and planning for the new normal is not a path to business sustainability. For this reason, the human-centric approach also calls for training leaders who have the skills for managing people outside normal routines during each crisis, but are also able to keep the organization on track for future success. Leaders need emotional intelligence too, because the constant turmoil creates fear among employees. People worry about their jobs, their health, and their ability to care for their families, and these worries are not going to fade after the pandemic.
RELYING ON TECHNOLOGY AS AN ENABLER OF SUCCESS
Stepping back, it is easier to understand the extent of change the pandemic initiated. Technology enabled the rapid shift to a remote workforce and will remain the enabling factor going forward. It supports people networking, data collection, remote work, and effective communication. Data collection enables employers to better track employee skills, so they get visibility for opportunities like training and development, career planning, and team participation. Technology also enables management in global organizations to track employees across geographies.
New ways of working prompted by the pandemic are here to stay. Technology is automating many jobs, and that trend will continue. McKinsey & Co projects 14% of the global workforce will need to upskill or change occupations by 2030, due to automation and artificial intelligence. Organizations need to develop critical employee technology and cognitive capabilities for reinvented work. During the pandemic, many operational systems were disrupted. For example, healthcare systems experienced a surge in telehealth appointments, meaning medical personnel had to quickly learn how to do remote diagnoses. Now, this will be standard practice post-pandemic.
BALANCING ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS
Technology is at the core of the new human-centric approach, but it also needs balancing with the organizational need to return to operational health. The lockdowns during the pandemic severely interrupted supply chains, a challenge that still persists. One of the human-centric aspects going forward is utilizing supplier relationships to find new ways of doing business that increase organizational agility. For example, could diverse suppliers help their clients increase agility in logistics or the use of changing available resources for product manufacturing?
Organizations should also evaluate whether supply chains need reforming. Many businesses are bringing some or all of their supply chains home. This creates the opportunity to access diverse suppliers and grow the national economy, while adding more stability to the supply chain. It is a linking of social responsibility to the needs of the younger workers discussed earlier.
PROJECTING LIFE IN 2025
The Pew Research Center and Elon University surveyed business, research, policy leaders, innovators, developers, and others as to what they projected life in 2025 to be like. The almost universal opinion was that people’s relationships with technology will deepen. One of the top challenges they see is that this could worsen economic inequality, because some segments of the population will not have equal access to digital tools and training. They also forecast technology systems that allow for richer human interaction, such as holograms, digital agents that take over repetitive tasks, an expanded gig economy, locally-based on-demand manufacturing, and “local in spirit and local in practice” supply chains. There will be more people working from home, using technology and greater use of apps and systems that will lead to new education and learning platforms, and will rearrange work patterns and workplaces. Threats to work will come from multiple technologies, including artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics.
FINDING BALANCE
Work design changes, worker expectations for employers, technology disruptions, changing supply chains, and continuing uncertainty make leading very challenging. The biggest challenge for employers preparing now for the new future is making the operational changes that successfully balance things such as social justice with technology and employee well-being over profit.