Death of the 9-5 regime and the future of work: Post COVID-19 trends and predictions - Part 4

In the wake of COVID-19, most organisations have to confront a new normal; the death of the 9-5 regime with indications of never returning to this scenario, forcing a reset of major work trends in a post-pandemic world.

This four-part serialised article delves into the future of work and emerging trends with fresh insight and impact it is likely to have on us all. 

Part 4, concludes exploring how the pandemic has accelerated employee monitoring; some to measure productivity and deliverables while others use it to observe health and wellbeing. Furthermore, these unprecedented times businesses have increased reliance on gig workers resulting in needing to re-evaluate their role and contribution. Remote working has also created the need to raise cyber security awareness and be sufficiently prepared for the upsurge in sophisticated cyber-attacks. 

The pandemic has also resulted in pressure on businesses to alter their perception of AI from the shadows into a mainstream part of the everyday workplace. As AI evolves, workers too must evolve, often taking on new roles or new iterations, with employers recruiting the right skills to support the push for AI.

11. Expanded employee data collection 

Employers are using technologies more frequently to monitor their employees. Some organisations aim to track productivity through methods such as virtual clock-in and clock-out, computer usage while monitoring communications and chat. This can potentially lead to frustration, privacy concerns and may impede creativity and innovation. Other companies have started monitoring areas like employee wellness and have focused on collecting accurate employee health and safety data. There is also renewed focus on software and tools that track team productivity metrics as opposed to individual deliverables. A noticeable trend has been towards regular pulse checks to garner facets of information germane to the evolving work-from-home experience. 

12. The gig economy 

Participation in the gig economy has grown exponentially since the advent of the pandemic and organisations will continue to expand the use of contingent or contract workers to supplement their workforce. The main advantage is the flexibility it offers in terms of work hours and the types of jobs that employees can take on. Gig work allows employees to focus on family responsibilities during the day and pick up work when it suits their schedule. People leaders will need to redefine performance management for this group and increase benefits to reduce the disparity between full and part-time work in order to attract and retain workers from this segment. 

13. Cyber security 

As organisations move towards remote work, cyber security will become an even greater concern. A remote workforce presents an alternate perimeter of attack and requires a different mindset to deal with security debt which occurs when organisations do not invest adequate money or resources in addressing security concerns. Organisations will need to determine how data is being accessed and plan to secure their systems and infrastructure in new ways Significant new investments are expected to be made in IT systems and infrastructure in order to protect employees, data, and equipment. Estimates indicate that global cyber security spending will exceed $ 1 trillion by the end of 2021. 

14. Artificial Intelligence 

The pandemic was able to bring to light the importance of AI in simulation modelling and demand projection, remote coaching and employee engagement. Companies will see AI as more of an employee assistant in the coming years and will use in-house AI engines across a variety of functions to assist remote workers. AI powered robots will be able to provide core employee services such as HR or Administration assistance. Machine learning can be employed to gauge employee productivity and determine employee performance accurately and devoid of bias. 

AI will also accelerate a pivotal part of recruitment: the technology is already capable of sifting through hundreds of thousands of resumes and online profiles and filter based on key attributes. There has also been significant progress with AI powered mental health applications which are able to track an employee’s mood or general disposition and detect abnormal stress levels. Similar tools that rely on Natural Language processing and sentiment analysis are able to gauge motivation and engagement levels and contribute towards minimising attrition. 

Furthermore, AI powered tools offer opportunities for learning and development by identifying skill gaps, serving as content recommendation engines that provide curated content and facilitating a dynamic and personalised learning experience. 

Conclusion

With vaccines now being rolled out across the world, there is now light at the end of tunnel and the worst of the pandemic could be over in the ensuing months. Organisations will need to take into consideration the multitude of factors outlined above and determine the work arrangements that best suit them. A hybrid workforce model offers radical flexibility in designing work practices, but organisations need to have the right leadership and skills to capture the opportunity. 

Many business leaders question the merits of this non-traditional workforce model; an understanding of the pitfalls of working from home and the judicious implementation of appropriate strategies to negate the ill-effects will enable the best of both worlds. 

Hybrid workforce models allow employees to flow through different work sites from remote solo locations and micro sites to traditional facilities like offices and factories when necessary. Work gets done where and when optimal and this new paradigm takes a certain kind of leadership mindset. The right leaders will view this as an opportunity and demonstrate courage, agility, ownership, and a long-term view. The coming months will define which organisations are hybrid champions, hybrid resistors or downright laggards. 

(Rasika Karunatilake is the General Manager at Sysco LABS – the technology innovation arm of Sysco Corporation. Sysco Corporation is a Fortune 500 company and the global leader in selling, marketing, and distributing food products, equipment and supplies to the foodservice and hospitality industries. Rasika counts 22 years of experience in the tech industry and is championing ‘Future of work’ initiatives at Sysco LABS. He can be contacted at [email protected]. Operating with the agility and tenacity of a tech-startup, powered by the expertise of the industry leader, Sysco LABS is perfectly poised to transform one of the world’s largest industries. Sysco LABS technology is present in the sourcing of food products, merchandising, storage and warehouse operations, order placement and pricing algorithms, the delivery of food and supplies to Sysco’s global network, the in-restaurant dining experience of the end-customer and much more.)