The rapid digital adoption has enabled companies to rework the way we organise work and manage talent. Using video software, digital collaboration software, cloud-based connectivity, strategic decision making combining human with artificial intelligence the talent identification has become much easier than it ever was.
The present crisis brought about by the epidemic has accelerated this trend and change the way everyone works day to day, using the technology to change the way we tackle jobs and individual career paths. For those adept at remote work, this has led to a total shift towards flexible work, which blends seamlessly with working at home, a wish many employees had wanted for a long time.
Technology is a great enabler providing tools to remain connected even in physical isolation and the crisis has accelerated this change. Employees have been quick to adapt to technology and remained productive during the lockdown. The employees worked 10-20% more time, with reduced work-related stress, increasing confidence and increasing communications with close collaborators. The overall collaboration will likely increase with many companies opting for permanent work from home.
Many employees do not wish to return to the office full time. A survey indicates that many employees prefer more remote work to attain a better work-home balance. There have been plenty of discussions and proposals on the hybrid, agile, fluid workforce during recent times but the current WFH that has been forced on us marks the formal entry into the age of digital nomads and personalised workforce. Consider the following trends
Technology is deepening human connections
There have been discussions about technologies like AI painting a bleak picture. However, an encouraging experience has been that employees working with Ai have produced better results than those working without it. The technology has decoupled work from a place and many companies have invested heavily in online collaboration tools to help workforce conduct their work.
Technology is rapidly becoming more human. many of the employees are working, running businesses, visiting families, attending weddings, educating children through technology, making virtual ore humane. It allows us to exist in the same place at the same time together while we decide on the place.
Building culture outside the building
For building a company culture all employees don't need to sit together in one location. Culture resides within people so one has to build culture through people, wherever they are located. the epidemic has proved that one and must build culture from across living rooms and home offices across the globe. Culture is the sum of default behaviours, preferences, values and decisions that make each company unique regardless of whether one goes to the office or not.
Leaders can start building culture anywhere and learn to measure the actual output from employees with objectivity and data. They can upgrade the culture by nurturing trust and fairness in relationships with employees.
Work that supports life
One of the important concerns for employees is flexibility. Employees prefer a hybrid workplace for better balance. But the office still has a role in human connection. Companies are redesigning their offices and many are setting up hubs where people can come together to collaborate and socialise.
Some employees look to coming to the office to socialise as much to learn and network while others enjoy the separation that physical offices bring to keep work and home separate.
It should be understood that employees may like to come to the office occasionally, and not every day. Some obs that require in-person presence one may offer flexible hours.
Screens as a great leveller
Video calls are a great leveller with everyone on an equal footing. It is hard to indulge in office politics, show-off, manage up when one is on the video call and everyone is watching and the ability to capture and record meetings helps analyse data. It has helped remove the toxic politics and nepotism that use to corrupt the talent-centric organisation.
Talent across geography.
Talent is not confined by borders. technology has separated location and talent. Individuals with talent can live where they choose and work where they are qualified. Companies realise that they can hire the best of talent from anywhere as long as there is connectivity. There is no longer a requirement of moving to the job location to work. talented workers are free from geographical locations, free from physical location expectations and government restrictions.
Workplace and workforce have been separated and home, school and work have come together. Technology is moving humanity away from office and back into homes, building culture outside of buildings, with work which supports an even playing field, with talent that can come from anywhere. It is time to embrace the truly global talent pool that is available to drive growth regardless of where it comes from. It is up to the businesses to tap into it if they have the culture, technology and talent.
The Post-Pandemic Rules of Talent Management
by Becky Frankiewicz and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
HBR 2020/10
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