Three waves of disruption to the traditional workplace say Pat Wadors, Chris Bedi

As this first chapter comes to a close, we are beginning the transition into the next normal. Chapter two of the journey, is no longer work from home, but work from anywhere. This opens the door to opportunities for more collaboration and innovation, as well as access to new talent pipelines.

The pre-Covid workplace no longer exists. The CIO is interacting with every C-suite member to figure out how to navigate the next normal using technology and workflows. CIOs are insisting that digitisation efforts accelerate.

Around the world, customers who are furthest along on their digital transformation journey are better equipped to manage and emerge from this crisis.

In the next normal, the office will become a more fluid destination and there will be new policies in place to protect the health and safety of workers, including where and when to work in shared spaces.

There is a great debate happening now around whether to shrink the physical size of the office or maintain existing footprints to allow for social distancing. Leaders are also thinking about everything from office sanitisation to ensuring a safe commute. 

In the next normal, we will see a wave of technological innovation. Biometric tech will become more commonplace in the office. Translation tools will also become ubiquitous, enabling diversity in how people learn and speak. 

Similarly, technology will facilitate collaboration, regardless of location. Teams will be able to hire without worrying about geographic location, as they can do everything – onboard, train, manage – in a remote setting. This will open the door to a more diverse and distributed workforce.

Employees love choice. It helps reduce anxiety. And if you do not know exactly what your return to the office will be like, make sure that employees know they are at the center of your universe.

At this stage, leaders will start thinking about what talent, facilities and supply chains look like and how organisations can continue to innovate to improve the employee and customer experience in the long term.

The goal will be to increase accessibility, so that employees can get to the tools and services they need, whether they are at home, in the office or out in the field.

Hiring will also change fundamentally because employers will realise they can hire the best talent without regard to location. The winners of the talent war will be companies that use digital solutions to provide employees with more flexibility in terms of where and when to work.

21st century companies will be increasingly tech-enabled and digitally transformed. Businesses that provide their employees with the right digital experiences will see increased engagement, higher productivity, and better business continuity.

Key takeaways

• In the next normal we will see a wave of technological innovation. 

• Biometric tech will become more commonplace in the office. 

• Translation tools will also become ubiquitous, enabling diversity.

• Technology will facilitate collaboration, regardless of location.

• Teams will be able to hire without worrying about geographic location.