The global pandemic has seen millions live through lockdowns including a sudden shift to working from home and millions have unfortunately lost their jobs. The future feels uncertain and will inevitably be different to that which we have known, even if we don’t yet know how, but can we really predict what that future looks like in the world of work, post-pandemic?

One thing I do know is that there has been a fundamental shift in the way we work. Home working and remote working has been normalised as a result and the way in which we behave, connect and communicate has changed forever. The pandemic has created an opportunity to stand back and look at new possibilities in how we work and how Organisations are run.

We have learnt the importance of trust, accountability and flexibility and that we can still maintain quality and productivity working remotely. Many Organisations are looking to modernise ways of working and re-emerge from this pandemic even stronger and reframing the way in which they connect, collaborate and communicate. Microsoft & Fujitsu have announced that they will be allowing their employees to work from home permanently.

The traditional notion of 9-5 presenteeism in an office has been blown out of the water and leaders are tuning in to the possibility of doing things very differently. Organisations are breaking away from the old-fashioned premise of measuring presenteeism to measuring output whilst at the same time learning and evolving to create a more virtual world of work. This will provide the ability to drive greater diversity within the workforce giving greater access to new pools of talent such as people with disabilities and working mothers for example.

It’s well known that women are more likely to have a need to balance their work-life with family responsibilities, meaning that often one is sacrificed for the other. Remote working will create a more level playing field with women better able to balance the two. Organisations must remember to consider inclusivity alongside diversity to ensure the diverse talent can thrive.

Many employees are asking themselves the question, will we ever go back to the office and if we do will that now be a hybrid approach between office and home and what impact will this have on how we work, communicate, socialise and innovate? My guess is that a blended model is likely as leaders attempt to balance the efficiencies gained by remote working with the benefits associated with working face to face with others such as innovation, creativity and social interaction.

A hybrid model will allow the best of both worlds as the advantages of remote working and providing employees with the freedom to work in ways suited to their needs are balanced with the disadvantages which can be the lack of boundaries between work and home life, zoom fatigue, extended working days, loneliness and lower mental health. Virtual worlds of work will emerge spread across home, office and satellite offices.

Employees are realising that they have more choice as to where to work and live as a result and expectations regarding working conditions, flexibility and employees choosing how they want to work have never been higher and is irreversible. Employees enjoy skipping the daily commute, being trusted and having the flexibility to attend to their personal needs by customising their days.

Progressive Organisations that take the opportunity to embrace and adapt to these new expectations post pandemic, will undoubtedly gain huge competitive advantage, gaining and retaining talent and driving higher employee engagement leading to higher productivity and loyalty. The opportunity of sourcing talent more easily will present itself, enabling greater diversity and obtaining skills under-represented locally.

Organisations will need to consider their culture to allow strength within that of trust and a sense of belonging alongside how they will support their leaders to manage remote teams effectively. How will they maintain team spirit, trust? How will they motivate, coach and evaluate performance and wellbeing? How will they ensure collaboration, communication?

Coupled with all this change, will be how well Organisations can adapt their tools and technology and transform their digital strategy to support the effectiveness of this new way of working. Does the technology enable multiple ways of working? Is the IT security tailored to these? Do they have applications that enable new ways of working and collaboration with ease? How will they develop the digital capabilities of their employees? I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all had a crash course recently in modern technology but perhaps this too is a catalyst for change.

However, what about those who can’t work from home? Will things change for them? The answer is, yes probably for some. Daily commutes will be less congested and business travel will be reduced. However, there is a downside as this will likely result in less of a requirement for the roles which support travel and office working. There will be a reduction in the need for transportation, catering, cleaning and maintenance and the impact upon commercial real estate and of course retail will be felt. How will we respond to safeguarding these employees? Increased access to training or education? Programmes to support the development of new skills?

Whatever the future holds, the current shift is consequential.