Will the Changes in 2020’s Last? Meet the New Workplace?


2020 will always be known as the year of the global pandemic. The year that came with more abrupt changes than humanity has ever thought of. But, the global pandemic accelerated some major technological breakthroughs and has changed the way workplaces and companies around the world are organized. Work from anywhere has become the new normal and social distancing measures need to be followed.  But, you may wonder if these changes will be going to last. Is this the new workplace you should get used to?

So, will the 2020 workplace changes last? It seems that this is the new normal that we need to adapt to. Working from anywhere, online meetings, a-sync collaboration, video calls, lots of written communication, automation and mental health awareness define the new way of working. But, these trends emerged a few years ago when the generation of millennials started entering the workforce. Now they have entered employment in vast numbers, and businesses around the world need to adapt to new expectations and challenges.

The truth is that we do not know how much this virus will last. We know some things, but not all, so this is the new world we should get used to. Remote working, online meetings, and the new office corner in your room are the new normal.

As countries around the world are trying to keep the transmission rates under control, the pandemic acted as a catalyst for technological development and workplace changes. Businesses around the world switched to teleworking, while schools and universities shifted online too. We are already experiencing the second wave of the pandemic and scientists are still struggling to get to know more about the virus.

On the other side, workers around the world are experiencing abrupt changes in scenery. As they are now forced to work remotely, they need to adapt to a new kind of workplace: the one you have at your own home.

Remote work was something lots of people looked after. But few of them expected to meet challenges when it comes to focusing, productivity, and efficiency. At the same time, now you work alone in a room in your house. You no longer get to see your colleagues, take small coffee breaks with them, say jokes, and support each other. All these changes are likely to have a negative effect on the mental health of many workers, as they are deprived of a familiar working environment and social interaction with colleagues, say some essay writersOpens in a new tab., who now work totally remote.

Adapting to the new normal is not an easy thing to do. And the question of “How will this be going to last?” comes naturally. People are yearning for social connectedness and meetings with their working teams. But studies say that we will not return to the previous way of working and living for at least one year. Of course, this also depends on how much information we gather about the virus, but also on the development of a vaccine and distancing measures we need to follow.

Remote Working In the New Normal

Remote working will be the new normal. If before, this was something some people looked after, now almost all are teleworking. Remote working comes with unique challenges and benefits. Many companies allow their employees to have a flexible working schedule. This means that you can organize your agenda however you want. You no longer have a 9-to-5 job, but you can wake up whenever you want during a working day.

This sounds like paradise for many people, but the challenges that come with it need to be faced. The flexibility of organizing your schedule however you want might lead to chaos. Having a disrupted routine, people might engage in all kinds of time-consuming activities, lose their most productive hours, fall behind tasks, experience delays, and a lack of concentration.

At home, in a more familiar environment, you might get distracted by everything. You might engage in doing household chores, lose your working flow, and then have a hard time re-focusing. Remote working is not as pink as it may sound, say some.

Because this will be going to last, you need to adapt to the new way of working. To meet the company’s demands, accomplish your tasks, and support your team in achieving your goals, you need to change your environment.

This means that you should have a designated working space where no one disturbs you. Distractions such as your mobile phone should be put on silent and away. Looking to improve your productivity while working from home? Add a few green plants to your office and soak in their beauty. Besides oxygenating the air, plants can boost your productivity and concentration by up to 15%. Build a schedule you follow every day and that includes your most productive times.

Video Communication is Replacing Face-to-Face Meetings

Now that remote working is the new normal, the way communication Opens in a new tab.is done at the new workplace will change drastically. If before it was easier to go to your colleagues’ office to discuss some work topics, now all this communication will be done online. Face-to-face meetings should be restricted at the workplace, so even those few businesses that allow their employees to come to the office have taken restrictions measures. There are fewer offices as there is needed distancing between them. And those impromptu coffee breaks are no longer allowed.

When working remotely, besides your working space, you need to take care of the way you communicate. For example, essay writers from the thesis writing serviceOpens in a new tab. should provide their working teams with the necessary tools to ease communication and collaboration during remote work.

It is thus important both for businesses and team leaders to keep their employees satisfied with their work and the communication within the company. Team leaders need to face the challenge of motivating and supporting their team from a distance. Remote working comes with new expectations from the employees businesses have to meet. They want to feel recognized and appreciated for their work and also have the tools necessary to do their job smoothly.

And this is easy to observe if we look at the statistics regarding online meetings. Over 40% of the teams say they have weekly or daily video meetings where they discuss the progress of the team and assign future tasks. About 80% of employees use video calls for one-on-one meetings, and CEOs say that they will replace the audio calls entirely.

It seems that we have a new way of connecting with our colleagues and organizing work, and this is provided by the greatest advancements of technology. Even though face-to-face meetings are restricted, teams around the world can connect, share files, and organize video calls to face the new challenges posed by remote working.

And because communication with your colleagues is very important, not only in a work-related context, the trend of online team-building and leisure meetings is on the rise. Businesses have understood the need humans have for social connectedness, and now video calls where employees communicate are organized globally.

Online team-building will be on the rise and businesses seem to compete with innovative ideas. You can now learn how to prepare drinks, play board games with colleagues, or just catch the news at an online beer. You can drink your coffee online with your team every morning. Even though it seems that now we are more separated than before, we could appreciate the benefits technology comes with.

Automation Will Eliminate Manual Tasks

Remote work brings to the surface some of those small tasks employees are doing. Most of these tasks can be automated due to the technological advancements including Artificial Intelligence, robotics, and machine learning.

Not only the workplace but also the workingOpens in a new tab. styles will be changed. A lot of software products are launched every month that aims to ease the job of many employees. The greatest changes will be experienced by people who work in the HR, marketing, and customer support domain. Now, you do not have to manually search for candidates, make posts on the business’s accounts on social media, or write an answer for every customer that contacts the customer support.

Chatbots, recruiting robots, and posting apps will automate some of these manual tasks. But this does not mean that people will lose their jobs and be replaced by robots. It means that robots and apps will aid you, helping you save time and automatize the tasks you already do automatically.

Remote Work Provides Continuous Learning Opportunities

 

As more and more businesses adopt remote working, this provide new learning opportunities. 

As technology develops, so does the need for digital skills. As businesses start using new tools for collaboration, communication, and organization, they will need to support their employees in their process of continuous learning.

Online training sessions are on the rise and now it has become even more comfortable to be a participant. Being in a familiar environment will help employees focus better, meaning that they will acquire new information and develop more.

Mental Health Challenges as the Ways of Working Changes

We should not forget about the challenges posed by these abrupt workplace changes. Even though businesses and teams do their best to adapt to new working conditions, there might also be negative effects on their mental health.

“Social support deprivation can lead to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Employees might easily lose motivation, experience a lack of concentration, and be inefficient while remote working,” says Marissa Collins, the people manager at SuperiorPapersOpens in a new tab., where is already provided the system of the successful remote working process. A new set of benefits is developed by companies, where the emphasis is put on the mental health of employees. Some businesses offer employees the opportunity of going to psychotherapy for free, while others organize webinars on mental health problems to shed a light on the effects of the new workplace and way of working.

The New Workplace

So, you might start wondering what the new workplace will look like. Remote working will be the new normal. New tools and apps will be provided to working teams to ensure collaboration and communication. You will probably have more video calls than before and your firsts online team buildings.

Some of your tasks will be automatized and this will give you more time to look into more complex ones. Mental health will become a subject of interest for everyone and you will learn new ways to cope with negative emotions, relax, and take care of yourself. Online will dominate the next year and the new workplace.

About the author:

Tiffany Harper is a training guru who’s been working in the corporate sector for over a decade now. She is a management graduate and loves to share her experience through blogs and articles. For her love of writing, she also provided freelance consultations for dissertation writing serviceOpens in a new tab. as assignment helper while working with EssayWritingLandOpens in a new tab.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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