COVID-19 has not only impacted our lives health-wise, but it has also changed the way organizations and businesses operate. Remote-working and other practices have been a part of multiple companies' strategic plans since the pandemic began in early 2020. Fast-forward 2 years and here are 3 pandemic-era labor trends you should be aware of.

#1 Designing for Resilience

Something this global pandemic has demonstrated is the importance of adapting to change. Creating systems that focus only on efficiency should not be a top priority for organizations anymore. It was discovered in 2019 that 55% of companies' focus went to creating workflows susceptible to fragilities. Today, roles should be designed based on flexibility and adaptability, meaning organizations should invest in training cross-functionality for their employees. At Government Leadership Solutions, we have helped multiple organizations across the nation to implement resilience into their workplace cultures. Our processes have helped them design durable, adaptable, and effective environments proven to be beneficial for current and future leaders.

#2 Company Disclosure and Transparency

The demand for transparency is stronger than it has ever been. Having open and honest communication has become one of the top-requested priorities for employees. During the pandemic, keeping teams united and informed depended on a great communication strategy. According to Harvard Business Review, 90% of employees demanded at least a weekly communication from their company. Keep in mind the high-quality demand for this approach, it is appreciated that the information flows beyond what historically the employees “needed to know”. 

#3 Hybrid Working

Employees value the flexibility their organization is willing to give them. Taking this into consideration, hybrid working has become the best of both worlds when it comes to mixing full-time remote and full-time on-site. A survey carried out by Envoy shows a surprising 47% of employees would likely look for work somewhere else if their employer doesn’t offer flexible working conditions. One of the organizations we recently assessed, indicated that 58% of their workforce looked for work elsewhere in the last 6 months. The benefits of working from home are many, from reducing exposure to illness to saving on real estate expenses. Employers also benefited from this working model as many companies have been more open-minded about hiring talent across the globe.

Today’s working environment must continue to grow and evolve to be competitive and a differentiator in attracting and retaining the best employees. Paying attention to the trends and creating a flexible, responsive workplace environment will tell your employees and prospective employees that you too, are not afraid to change, adapt, grow, and innovate.

-       Dr. Maria Church

Dr. Maria Church is a professional speaker and CEO of Government Leadership Solutions, a woman-owned, minority-owned, boutique consulting firm with over 25 years of experience in developing and delivering creative and effective Organizational and Leadership Development programs to local governments.

She may be reached at Maria.Church@GovernmentLeadershipSolutions.com.