The workplace has changed dramatically in the last two years, and there is more to come in this matter. Technological adoption is much faster in how we work with the skilled workforce, freelancers, consultant community etc., and we are already looking at our organizational structures differently. With the Great Resignation, this reality is turning into how the workforce in general has changed its priorities. In a decade from now, this will be the norm where skills will play a huge role far more than the organization that you work for. 

Companies will invest in how they run global, remote teams. Opportunities and benefits will increase for those companies who are investing in that already. They will reap the benefits of that in the future in how they attract talent, for example. The social, economic and environmental benefits of remote work and that culture will accelerate in the next five years. The pressure on top cities in each country will reduce, allowing talent to flourish where they are. What we see now in the tech sector will expand and go beyond early adopters in 10–15 years, and it is how work should be.

With the changes brought on by the pandemic, many people are looking for jobs that offer a better work-life balance. In particular, they are gravitating towards hybrid and remote working models. Not all organizations are ready across sectors for this change, but going back to how workplaces were in 2019 is an unrealistic expectation. Organizations that are ready to invest in technology, training, and processes to manage this change over the next 5 to 10 years will be successful. It does mean re-evaluating how you look at HR tech, employer branding and even organizational structures. Forbes is now estimating that half of the workforce will be remote by the end of 2022. It is important to aim for the flexibility, inclusion, belonging, and diversity of employees in the new remote/hybrid workforce. It takes extra effort and extra investment, but inclusion and belonging for both remote and in-person employees will pay off. Read more here: Ways to manage a hybrid workforce: Adapting new recruiting processes in 2022

Technology has advanced so much that we haven’t thought twice in certain functions and industries about how we will be productive whilst working from home. In fact, there were more surveys that said people said they were more productive from home, given that they could manage their time better, commute time reduced and could focus more on living a far more fulfilling life. Future of work is right somewhere at the end of that experiment because organizations did re-open, close and re-open during the course of the past year. Companies lost talent in cases where they weren’t flexible enough. The success lies in finding a balance between both worlds, understanding what needs an in-person or physical set-up and what can be done from home. The cost-benefit analysis for this is crucial for organizations to be really successful in a longer term.

Diverse workplaces are a driver for innovation within the company and how can remote work enable that

Having diversity of people within the organization regarding ethnicities, genders, religions, nationalities, and so on, guarantee different thoughts and opinions in the way each team member sees the world, therefore how they see solutions. For example, start by reviewing your hiring strategy, especially now that hybrid and remote hiring is making it possible to be more open, inclusive, and allow people to apply to roles from more locations and time zones. Training for the recruiting team and business leaders who are hiring are also examples of how bringing this diversity to companies becomes relevant.

The great resignation is real, and companies must be prepared to mitigate job quitting and understand how remote can work

Currently employers, in their majority, are not quitting their jobs for a higher salary, they’re shifting to new workplaces that can guarantee them not economic benefits, but benefits that make them feel more comfortable, appreciated, and human. The last two years have given companies enough to rethink and analyze how they want to manage their workforce. It becomes important to be aware through consistent, regular employee voice surveys to get the real pulse. Also, how can they be brought into action for real implementation, find out what matters for employees to be productive.

Gen Zs are getting into the workforce and how will remote work look like

Employers will need to reshape labor standards in less than three years when Gen Zers will account for 27% of the global workforce. Personal well-being and work-life balance will become more top of mind. Understanding how generational changes are impacting the workforce is also a key part of the employer brand. It goes back to what you highlight as part of the hiring strategy, how do you run effective teams and also, highlight the benefits to your hiring teams. Being more open about hybrid work cultures and understanding the impact would be a good place to embrace this.

AI is here to help HR teams, not to take their jobs

A.I. is the unbiased development of what we as humans have learned about ourselves, that helps us live and work better. 56% of the companies in emerging economies ensure they have improved their relationship with A.I. during 2021 by adopting at least one function, especially in the service-operation optimization cases like recruitment and hiring in HR areas. AI is another tool, especially when you look at examples of prescreening and allowing more than the resume to make that hiring decision. This actually helps the HR team, and not replace the teams that take it further from that step.

Blockchain will make inroads in HR and remote work

The benefits offered by this technology will not only be applied to the economic industry, but to the HR teams, transparency and shared information are some drivers that recruiters might be attracted to when hiring, for that CVs in Blockchain will be an ally. As it becomes more accessible, it can impact the recruitment process, talent pools, background checks, employment history, engaging contract workers with smart contracts, maintaining employees’ personal data and so much more.

We also have a reference to this blog: An interesting playbook from Toptal about remote work; it discusses everything for sustaining an enterprise-grade remote work environment, discussing important topics around culture, productivity, and common problems.

A version of this appeared as an interview in Authority Magazine 

Also refer to 6 Tips To Work Remotely As a Developer

Interviewer.AI is a technology platform purposely built to support Recruiters and HR teams in finding top talent for their companies. Interviewer.AI is a state-of-the-art video recruiting software that uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to screen in advance and shortlist the candidates that meet the criteria set. HR teams use the software to make the recruitment process more efficient and shorten the hiring cycle.  Learn more about how Interviewer.AI can help your business.

Increase your hiring team’s efficiency using a combination of resume scoring, skill assessment, and asynchronous video interviews. 

Srividya Gopani is the Co-founder, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Interviewer.AI. She enjoys working on technology which is central to this role as the driver for marketing and product for Interviewer.AI. She believes that the pace of technology is fundamental to how fast businesses are changing.