Last year’s transition from on-site to remote work forced us all to adapt to new ways of conducting business and many of these adjustments are here to stay. Flexible hybrid work models will remain a part our lives going forward and the talent landscape has changed drastically. Remote work has opened employers and job seekers to a whole new pool of candidates and opportunities.
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Microsoft published an article with the 2021 Work Trend Index that highlights results from a study of over 30,000 people in 31 countries along with analysis of trillions of productivity and labor trends across Microsoft 365 and LinkedIn. There are seven trends that stand out:
Hybrid work is here to stay
Over 70% of employees want the continued option of flexible remote work and over 65% are craving more face-to-face time with their colleagues, which have both led to business leaders considering redesigning offices to accommodate hybrid work environments.
Leaders are out of touch with employees and need a wake-up call
Sixty-one percent of business leaders feel they are “thriving” now which is 23% higher than those without decision-making power. They also build stronger relationships with colleagues and leadership, earn more, and use their allowed vacation time all by higher percentage points. Conversely, 37% of the global workforce felt their company was asking too much of them.
High productivity is masking an exhausted workforce
Self-assessed productivity for employees has persisted or increased since last year, but one in five respondents claim their employer does not care about their work-life balance and 54% feel overworked. Microsoft 365 productivity signals confirm the fatigue workers are feeling. Time spent on Microsoft Teams more than doubled globally, and the average meeting is now 10 minutes longer along with users sending 45% more chats per week. Commercial and education customers received 40.6 billion more emails in the month of February, and there is a 66% increase in the number of people working on documents.
Gen Z is at risk and will need to be re-energized
Sixty percent of Gen Z (ages 18 – 25) say they are barely surviving or completely struggling right now. Their age makes them more likely to feel the impacts of isolation and the lack of opportunities to network.
Shrinking networks are endangering innovation
Teams are more isolated now as post-pandemic digital interactions show these interactions with our close network grew, while interactions with our distant network shrunk. This will force employers to look for new ways to garner social capital, teamwork, and workshopping in a hybrid work environment.
Authenticity will spur productivity and wellbeing
With employees transitioning to working from home, many of them had deeper interactions with their colleagues about pandemic stress and even introduced some to family members and pets. Around 20% percent have reported crying with a colleague this past year. This led to more workers reporting that they will be more willing to bring a more authentic version of themselves to work and not feel as embarrassed if their home life shows up at work.
Talent is everywhere in a world with hybrid work
Remote work expanded the talent marketplace with remote job postings drastically increasing. People are planning to move to new locations because of the ability to work from home.
Moving forward with these trends in mind, business leaders will have to embrace flexibility and strategize. Finding ways to help accommodate remote work and having a structured schedule for it will be crucial, specifically by investing in proper technologies to meet workers’ needs.
Leaders will also have to address digital exhaustion and reduce workloads with a collaborative culture that encourages breaks, along with rebuilding culture and social capital to boost morale.
To accomplish this, leaders will have to empathize with the needs of the individuals in their organization to retain and attract talent in the future.
