The Future of Work

By Ellie Hearne

In what I’ll optimistically call the “early phase” of the pandemic, it was hard to think further than the end of each day - let alone to plan into the coming months and years.

But, with record lows in virus spread here in New York City, it’s becoming less hard to contemplate what the future will look like. (Let’s not get complacent though.)

With the caveat that we simply can’t know exactly what will happen, I’ve been giving some thought to what might happen in the workplace as we contemplate life beyond the pandemic.

How We Work is Changing

First of all, many of these changes were already happening before - but in smaller pockets of various organizations.

For example, many companies used remote-communications tools (like video calls and instant messaging) before, but now they’re the default.

Some companies emphasized physical health and mental wellbeing before; but now - with work and life more overlapping than ever and a major global crisis unfolding - they are on everyone’s minds.

As companies have altered their strategies and business plans, their focus is expanding beyond what should be done to how it should be done. And that’s what we’ll focus on here.

Read on for more of our predictions. We also want to hear from you - please get in touch and let us know what you’re seeing in your industry as we phase back to work.

Remote working will become more widespread

This is a no-brainer. Those of us who can do it have likely been doing it for a few months now. Individually, many of us are considering making it a long-term thing. At the company level, leaders are changing home-working policies accordingly and re-thinking costly office leases.

Remote working isn’t for everyone, but for some employees the benefits outweigh the costs and, in real-estate terms alone, companies can save. (Though they might lose out in other ways… We frequently advise companies on how to cultivate stronger communications and spark innovation across geographies and remote outposts.)

Staggered hours for shift workers - and nontypical work hours for remote workers

As cities and countries phase back into in-person working, staggered work shifts will help limit virus exposure by having fewer people together in the workplace at the same time. Whether this change will endure is hard to say (and hopefully a safe, effective vaccine will be developed and distributed soon), but since it comes as workplaces are also considering downsizing their office spaces and letting people go, it’s likely on the table for some businesses. This will present challenges and opportunities for workplace communications. For example, how individuals and smaller workgroups collaborate will be key.

Those of us working from home will also be familiar with non-typical hours, Work and life have never been more blurred as they’re now fully in the same physical space for many of us. For some, this represents welcome flexibility - for others, it’s proving a bit chaotic and hard to sustain (at least until daycares and schools fully reopen). We’ve talked a lot about what remote work means for daily routines; take a peek at a recent piece here.

Greater investment in smaller headcounts

Companies are laying off employees largely out of necessity. But, in a brighter development, many are also making greater investments in the core of employees they retain. Coaches, communication workshops, facilitated "remote retreats” - all are in demand as these workers help their companies move forward. As a company that offers all of these services, we’ve seen an uptick in demand.

Greater demand for small-scale in-person retreats

With more teams “going remote,” face-to-face interaction will be more valuable and sought-after. After all, there’s no perfect substitute for meeting in person. But with tighter travel budgets and public-health concerns, companies will keep these gatherings small - perhaps limiting such meetings to leadership for now. Groups of leaders are also growing closer in some ways as they navigate change and crises together. (More on leading in crisis here.)

Smaller teams and workgroups

Hey! Fancy joining a 300-person team working together in a small open-plan office? Didn’t think so.

Alongside potential changes to work hours, office-based workers are likely to resume their roles in smaller numbers, perhaps on different workdays. How companies go about dividing people up will be interesting…

Will they base it on existing teams for simplicity’s sake?

Or create cross-functional groups to spark innovation?

Or perhaps base it on the physical constraints of their office spaces?

One size seldom fits all and this is no exception. What’s your company doing?

Larger hiring pool

With so many people out of work, companies that are hiring have more options. But combining the larger talent pool with the rise of widespread remote working, companies are also more open to hiring people from outside of their geographic area (for some roles). This might mean seeking out cheaper labor markets, or simply enjoying more expertise by casting a wider net.

Internal/external communications crossover + Leadership under the spotlight

This has been true for a while: internal communications and external communications are overlapping - now more so than ever.

How leaders navigate challenges that are bigger than their organizations is under a bright spotlight.

“How did your company respond to COVID?”

“A former employee of Facebook has made their resignation letter public…”

“We’ve obtained these screenshots of a Slack conversation…”

We see and here these stories all the time. And hopefully we all know by now that what we communicate to one party can always be read or viewed by someone else. Perhaps we’ll also see more authenticity among company leaders as they model transparency in how they work.

Focus on employee wellbeing

Among the more positive impacts of the current moment is a greater awareness of the humans that power the economy. How far this will translate into better and more-widespread healthcare access and paid sick leave, for example, remains to be seen. But already the greater strain on mental health (since we’ve all now had some experience of working and living under sustained stress and uncertainty) has led some companies to consider and address things like anxiety and stress head on.

We specialize in helping companies lead through savvy internal communications. We coach, we facilitate, and we consult on culture.

But enough about us. We’d love to hear what you think is next for the workplace. What do you see changing?

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Ellie Hearne is a leadership-communications expert and founder of Pencil or Ink. She has worked with Apple, Google, Kate Spade, Marriott, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Mastercard, Pfizer, Piaget, Spotify, Starbucks, and Twitter, among others, and has coached numerous individuals and teams. She holds a Master’s from the University of St Andrews and is studying Organisational Leadership at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. She’s been quoted in The New York Times and the Irish Times on workplace communications and in Business Insider on entrepreneurship.