From survive to thrive
The future of work in a post-pandemic world
The COVID-19 pandemic has been talked about as a “time machine to the future.” This peak moment of accelerated change has created an imperative to consider the choices we will face when the constraints of the pandemic are removed.
Where do we want to go? How quickly? And how will we get there? While every organization will face its own set of challenges and opportunities to accelerate forward, the destination is clear: to humanize the future of work.
A New Era in Work
Redefining the human dimension of work in today’s world of perpetual disruption is a continuous process, without a single entry point. It is a way of transforming and evolving with a strategic focus on work and the organization’s purpose, meaning, and value. It requires us to think and work differently and to constantly challenge the work orthodoxies of the past.
By shifting the way we think about work, focusing on re-architecting work as a flow, and using technology to elevate human capabilities, we can unleash human potential and create a work environment where individuals and teams are empowered with the tools, technology, and culture to contribute their full potential. This is the opportunity: A future designed around the human dimension of work, unleashing the energy and endless possibilities of what humans working productively with technology can achieve—unlocking aspirations and outcomes that have never before been possible.
Three keys to humanizing the future of work
It’s time to move from concept to action and focus on the path toward thriving, not merely surviving. To humanize the future of work, it is imperative that we:
- Re-architect work: This is the time to define new future work aspirations and outcomes and to focus on the “art of the possible” for what we can achieve using technology to enable and elevate human capabilities.
- Unleash the workforce: We must challenge how we think about the workforce and use technology to help identify and unleash human potential—within and beyond the organization.
- Adapt the workplace: We cannot underestimate the organizational and cultural shifts that are demanded in the expanded work environment—which includes the ecosystem of physical and virtual workplaces—and the expectations around how to collaborate, engage, and relate to each other.
There is no “waiting for a better time.” The time to start humanizing the future of work is now.
