How COVID-19 Has Changed the World of Work
It’s no secret the way we work has changed, possibly forever. But just how much has it changed, and where? In this article, we’ll look at where things have changed, where they might change, and for how long they’ll stay that way.
This is how COVID-19 has changed the world of work.
Job insecurity rises
As businesses evolve to manage the difficulties and challenges posed by changing consumer trends and shifts in spending, job insecurity and other factors have shifted also.
According to CIPD, job insecurity last year remained high, with around 23% of those surveyed in May expecting to lose their job, with more redundancies to follow throughout. While we may see that level out as we return to work and daily life returns to some semblance of normalcy, the way in which companies hire is likely to shift.
It’s expected that the previous 12 months will have lasting impacts on the types of staff companies will be hunting for to fill positions. When it comes to office-based working, we may see companies opt even further for staff who can and do work remotely and have high levels of proficiency in technology to facilitate such changes.
Companies will invest even more into technology
According to a survey of 2,200 global businesses (500 of those based in the UK) by global recruitment firm Robert Walters, over half of employees said their employers need to invest in better technology.
The global health crisis has opened businesses’ eyes to how vital technology is not only for direct work, but for communication and support. As people have been required to work separately, companies have discovered shortcomings in their approach to supporting staff, through communication tools and platforms, to the technology they expect teams to work on.
In March 2020, the video conferencing platform Zoom saw user numbers of 200 million. The following month, the number had grown to 300 million. December 2019, the monthly user figure was just 10 million. Figures like these show clear demands for digital platforms that support a range of working environments, and a swift change and need for companies to adopt new technologies in order to adapt.
As companies have now made large transitions to digital platforms and new methods of working, it’s certain this will have long-lasting impacts on how businesses operate. One of the most prominent changes will be how businesses approach security; a report by Bitglass last year found that more than half (51%) of organisations lacked visibility on file-sharing apps, and just 9% have cloud-based anti-malware solutions implemented.
As teams work apart and more and more business is conducted online, companies will no doubt be scrambling to upgrade their system and operational security over the coming months and years.
Fewer and fewer adults are travelling to work
According to the ONS, the percentage of adults in Great Britain who travelled to work from October to November fell by 3% to 56% overall, the lowest figure since August 2020. Many companies such as Lloyds’ corporate division have no specific return date (as of February 2021), while John Lewis Partnership, which has a flexible working policy, will look to adopt an “official and permanent 'blended' working model going forward, which will give head office Partners choice, trust and flexibility with where and how they work” according to a spokesperson’s statement to Sky.
It seems that remote working is set to become a bigger part of work than ever before. Even in cases where staff are expected to be in the office in some capacity, we can expect to see options for mixed ways of work and more flexibility when it comes to work schedules.
According to Okta’s The new workplace: Re-imagining work after 2020, just a quarter of UK workers want to head back to the office full-time, and it’s no surprise. With more time reclaimed and few office politics, not to mention lower overheads for businesses, working remotely has been confirmed as a viable alternative to the common practice of working in one location together.
Want to keep pace with the transforming landscape of modern business? Speak to ASUS Business today to see how we can help.
This is how COVID-19 has changed the world of work.
Job insecurity rises
As businesses evolve to manage the difficulties and challenges posed by changing consumer trends and shifts in spending, job insecurity and other factors have shifted also.
According to CIPD, job insecurity last year remained high, with around 23% of those surveyed in May expecting to lose their job, with more redundancies to follow throughout. While we may see that level out as we return to work and daily life returns to some semblance of normalcy, the way in which companies hire is likely to shift.
It’s expected that the previous 12 months will have lasting impacts on the types of staff companies will be hunting for to fill positions. When it comes to office-based working, we may see companies opt even further for staff who can and do work remotely and have high levels of proficiency in technology to facilitate such changes.
Companies will invest even more into technology
According to a survey of 2,200 global businesses (500 of those based in the UK) by global recruitment firm Robert Walters, over half of employees said their employers need to invest in better technology.
The global health crisis has opened businesses’ eyes to how vital technology is not only for direct work, but for communication and support. As people have been required to work separately, companies have discovered shortcomings in their approach to supporting staff, through communication tools and platforms, to the technology they expect teams to work on.
In March 2020, the video conferencing platform Zoom saw user numbers of 200 million. The following month, the number had grown to 300 million. December 2019, the monthly user figure was just 10 million. Figures like these show clear demands for digital platforms that support a range of working environments, and a swift change and need for companies to adopt new technologies in order to adapt.
As companies have now made large transitions to digital platforms and new methods of working, it’s certain this will have long-lasting impacts on how businesses operate. One of the most prominent changes will be how businesses approach security; a report by Bitglass last year found that more than half (51%) of organisations lacked visibility on file-sharing apps, and just 9% have cloud-based anti-malware solutions implemented.
As teams work apart and more and more business is conducted online, companies will no doubt be scrambling to upgrade their system and operational security over the coming months and years.
Fewer and fewer adults are travelling to work
According to the ONS, the percentage of adults in Great Britain who travelled to work from October to November fell by 3% to 56% overall, the lowest figure since August 2020. Many companies such as Lloyds’ corporate division have no specific return date (as of February 2021), while John Lewis Partnership, which has a flexible working policy, will look to adopt an “official and permanent 'blended' working model going forward, which will give head office Partners choice, trust and flexibility with where and how they work” according to a spokesperson’s statement to Sky.
It seems that remote working is set to become a bigger part of work than ever before. Even in cases where staff are expected to be in the office in some capacity, we can expect to see options for mixed ways of work and more flexibility when it comes to work schedules.
According to Okta’s The new workplace: Re-imagining work after 2020, just a quarter of UK workers want to head back to the office full-time, and it’s no surprise. With more time reclaimed and few office politics, not to mention lower overheads for businesses, working remotely has been confirmed as a viable alternative to the common practice of working in one location together.
Want to keep pace with the transforming landscape of modern business? Speak to ASUS Business today to see how we can help.
