The 'new normal' and the future of work

Corona

16 jun

The coronavirus offers many organizations a glimpse into a future world. A world in which organizations were forced to transform themselves digitally from one moment to the next. For example, organizations were forced to implement digital tools in a very short period of time in order to: support remote working, maintain communication and collaboration, and gain insight into performance. Challenges that normally fall within the field of HR. The coronavirus has allowed companies to experience at first hand that a digital HR policy is necessary to keep the organization running in these special times.

Future of work

Within HR, writing about the future of work has been going on for years. This means that the use of artificial intelligence, automation and innovative technology will have a major and crucial influence on the way people work. A shift that may be comparable to the industrial revolution of agriculture and production. As a result, the field of work will change. New talent will be needed with new and different skills and the current workforce will have to develop new skills. In addition, business processes will have to be redesigned and digitized. It is HR's task to guide the organization into the future of work. Due to the coronavirus, the future of work is no longer a futuristic scenario. The coronavirus has accelerated our transition to the future of work. This transition is therefore a very urgent challenge that HR now has to deal with.

We would like to explain this accelerated transition by means of a current example. For many of us, the hospital is not unfamiliar territory. If we have an appointment with a specialist, this can quickly become quite a task (taking leave, traffic congestion, time in waiting rooms, etc.). Because of the coronavirus this suddenly had to change, giving us a glimpse into a future world. An online conversation with the doctor, made possible by a digital tool, offered a solution for both parties. The coronavirus therefore forced doctors to work in a different way. However, this way of working requires different skills from doctors. For example, a doctor must now be able to remotely determine which possible steps are necessary. In addition, the hospital has to organise work processes differently and digitise them where possible.

The coronavirus puts HR in the spotlight

In our previous blog we discussed how HR can use Dave Ulrich's model as a roadmap, to guide the organization to the 'new normal'. According to our estimation, the 'new normal' is closely linked to the future of work, about which a lot has been written in recent years. The coronavirus puts HR in the spotlight, and one thing is certain: technology will be an important component of the 'new normal' within organizations. That is why the coronavirus is seen as a catalyst for digital business transformations.

This accelerated transformation is possible because digital tools have been available for years, but many organizations did not yet see the urgency to use them. The coronavirus has taught employees how to perform tasks remotely using digital communication and collaboration tools. Thanks to corona, manual and repetitive tasks will decrease faster and the need for analytical and technical support will increase. All these changes demand a revised and digital HR policy.

The coronavirus accelerates organizations in a future world. This is the time for HR to take the lead, to help the organization through this crisis and to prepare the organization for the future. The 'new normal' requires digitized business processes and the appropriate skills of employees. HR must implement innovative technology in order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness, but they must also include employees in the use of these new technologies. It will be a challenge to connect the organization, employees and technology. A challenge with which organizations can better start today than tomorrow.