Future of Work Series | Reimagining Workforce and Workplace Mechanics: How Will the Work Be Done?

2021 started on a more optimistic note, with the expected availability of vaccines. While major economies such as the US, the UK, and the European Union inoculated large parts of their adult population, many regions including the UK, Europe, and South Asia experienced severe second/third waves of infection.

2022 ushered in new chaos, a race for a critically scarce resource – talent. The Great Resignation led to an unprecedented gap in the demand and supply for workers across the board, disrupting almost all industries, across the globe.

Organizations worldwide have had to overcome unforeseen challenges to sustain business activity in the last two years. American author and crisis management expert Judy Smith once said, “There’s always an opportunity with crisis. Just as it forces an individual to look inside himself, it forces a company to reexamine its policies and practices.” Given these drastic events, there is an increasing need for organizations to relook at their workforce and the mechanics of work and the workplace afresh.

This report is the third in a series of three reports on the future of work. The research leverages existing intellectual property and data from a survey of 200 senior HR leaders across various geographies, industries, and organization sizes. In this study, we examine three key questions confronting the workforce and workplace mechanics:

• Where will the work be done?
• Who will do the work?
• How will the work be done? (covered in this report)

As organizations look at ways to grow their businesses in a post-pandemic landscape, HR leaders will need to be at the forefront of work management efforts. This research provides practical advice for HR leaders and organizations on how to navigate the next normal for their organizations.