For all the speculation about what the future of work will be like, one could argue that “the future of work” is already here.

For the last few years, we’ve all been grappling with rapidly unfolding changes, and these changes have brought new challenges for businesses. As organizations continue to navigate evolving employee expectations, remote work setups and rapid technological advancements, staying competitive means being proactive in addressing these challenges head-on.

We occupy an evolutionary state in which we’re investigating the choices before us and how to move forward:

• What aspects of the pre-pandemic workplace will make a comeback, if any?
• What new changes will continue to evolve going forward?
• What aspects of the current workplace will we adopt permanently?
• How will leaders need to continue to adapt?

To thrive in the face of disruption, businesses must adopt forward-thinking HR strategies that embrace flexibility, technology and employee wellbeing. Let’s discuss seven hot challenges impacting the future of work.

1. Valuing remote work and flexibility

The past four-plus years since the pandemic have demonstrated that employees can thrive in remote environments without negatively impacting productivity or quality of work.

Employees now experience a whole new day-to-day routine and, for many, enjoy not just a better work-life balance but a work-life integration. Despite this, many employers want to return to the office full time, for various reasons, setting the stage for potential conflict between management and employees.

Currently, employees have a lot of say over their work conditions – and they clearly want more agency in how, where and when they perform their work. Companies must recognize this and take action to incorporate more workplace flexibility – or risk losing top talent to competitors.

To tackle this, organizations will likely settle on a hybrid work arrangement, as well as flexible work schedules or even shortened workweeks, as a compromise.

In this remote and hybrid work environment, workplace leaders need to become adept at managing remote employees by:

• Cultivating relevant and valuable skills, including empathy and emotional intelligence (EQ)
• Focusing on how to build trust and conduct difficult conversations over distances
• Letting go of any tendencies to micromanage
• Understanding how to lead employees across time zones,

Companies that insist on 100% on-site work will need to be prepared to:

• Fully explain the business needs or the “why” to employees for a fully on-site schedule.
• Consider taking steps to enhance their workplace, making the office more amenable to collaboration and creativity
• Institute more rigorous health and safety standards
• Focus on how to introduce flexibility for employees in other ways

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