Post-Pandemic Workforce Redesign: Overcoming Gaps for Mutual Wealth
In the wake of the pandemic, a significant gap has emerged between the expectations of business leaders and workers regarding the future of work. This divide, if left unaddressed, could lead to further polarisation of the workforce. A new white paper, titled 'Future of Work post-COVID: Bridging divides for shared prosperity', explores solutions for aligning the expectations of both parties more closely.
Workplace Digitization and Security
Leaders should focus on empowering employees with the right digital tools and shared knowledge systems, rather than resorting to intrusive monitoring. Over-surveillance, such as tracking screen activity or location, can create distrust and anxiety, exacerbating the cultural gap. By enabling employees with the right digital tools and fostering a culture of mentoring, performance in distributed environments can be supported without eroding autonomy.
Remote and Hybrid Work
Despite challenges like lower collaboration, social isolation, and weakened culture, hybrid models can work when combined with clear communication, coaching-focused management, and flexible scheduling. A results-only work environment (ROWE) model, which emphasizes outputs over micromanagement, helps align leader expectations with employee needs for flexibility and autonomy.
Sustainability
Embedding sustainability into workplace policies is crucial, as it aligns with modern workforce values and reflects meaningful work and organizational purpose—key for engagement. Leaders should communicate sustainability goals visibly and involve workers in initiatives to enhance a shared sense of purpose.
Skills and Reskilling
Addressing talent shortages and skill gaps requires investing in reskilling, training, and career growth programs that meet workers’ evolving needs and business demands. Staffing agencies and HR need to focus on potential and trainability, providing coaching and feedback loops for workers to grow in digital and sustainable competencies.
Employee Engagement and Experience
Organizations must shift from traditional productivity-driven cultures to people-first models emphasizing psychological safety, meaningful appreciation, work-life balance, and empathetic leadership to reduce attrition and nurture motivation.
The white paper complements the company's earlier research, Reset Normal, which surveyed 8,000 people on changes in the world of work beyond the current crisis. Interestingly, business leaders are more optimistic than workers about the positive impacts of technology on the future workplace, with only 35% of workers sharing the same optimism. Furthermore, 74% of business leaders polled during the FU.SE Digital 2020 event are optimistic about the benefits of digital transformation for the workplace.
However, it's essential for leaders to be mindful of their employees' concerns, as overly optimistic leaders might fail to recognize the biggest concerns of their employees and not take the right measures to engage them in the transformation of the workforce. Women are more likely to lose jobs due to the impact of COVID on the jobs market, and if female workers are disadvantaged as a result, gains made in terms of gender equality, diversity, and inclusivity over the last decade could be undermined.
In conclusion, closing the expectations gap post-COVID requires leaders to shift from top-down surveillance and control to empowering employees with tools, flexible work arrangements, development opportunities, and meaningful engagement—thus aligning business goals with worker priorities on digitization, remote work, sustainability, security, and skills.
- To mitigate the emerging gap between business leaders and employees regarding the future of work, it's crucial for leaders to focus on empowering employees with digital tools and shared knowledge systems, while avoiding intrusive monitoring that can create distrust.
- The white paper's solutions for bridging the expectations gap also touch upon the necessity for leaders to embrace sustainability in workplace policies, aligning with modern workforce values and enhancing employee engagement.
- In the shift from traditional productivity-driven cultures to people-first models, leaders must prioritize psychological safety, meaningful appreciation, work-life balance, and empathetic leadership to nurture employee motivation and reduce attrition.
- As the pandemic has disproportionately affected women in the workforce, it's essential for business leaders to be mindful of their concerns and ensure that initiatives for digital transformation and reskilling are inclusive, maintaining strides made in terms of gender equality and diversity.
