How Coronavirus Is Shaping The Future Of Work
Morgansliff@fiverr- Mar 24, 2020
- 3 min read
When the virus’ tides finally turn, will our workplaces follow suit?
We’re at the mere beginnings of a once-in-a-lifetime pathogen, unlike anything we’ve seen since the Spanish flu. Across the globe, companies are being forced to shutter, leaving millions – perhaps billions – of people with two options: don’t work, or work from home.
Many of the world’s workplaces have, in years past, stuck with traditional methods of work, even with new and exciting digital transformations that make life and work easier. But as we all know, workplace bureaucracy can be frustratingly slow-moving, and technology is changing faster than some businesses care to keep up.
But now, we’re in the middle of a paradigm shift like that of the great depression, which killed off the former 6-day workweek. A contagious virus is forcing the hand of companies that have been slow to transition, compelling them to explore more flexible working styles. The businesses that can find any ability for their employees to work from home are doing so. And they’re figuring it out in hours, not years.
But what does this mean for the future? What about the gig workers? And all of the workers suffering layoffs? When the virus is gone, will the exposure to newfound tech fizzle out, too?
The Flexibility Debate: Working from Home
Pre-Covid-19, companies that have allowed for less restrictive measures, like more flexible working hours and the ability to work from home (even for one day per month) have reaped substantive benefits, like higher productivity, fewer sick days, better focus, better employee morale, and even fewer expenses, to name a few.
Now, many businesses that have refrained from implementing such practices are being forced to board up their offices and use whatever is available to them to allow their employees to continue to keep wheels spinning.
Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, told CNBC that she’s nearly sure that already-growing remote work will skyrocket. “The coronavirus is going to be a tipping point. We plodded along at about 10% growth a year for the last 10 years, but I foresee that this is going to really accelerate the trend.”
If the positive remote work data trends continue along, there will undoubtedly be a further look into the dissolution of stringent 9-5 schedules, crowded offices, and more.
Technology after Coronavirus
It’s not just the location of the workforce that will be different after the coronavirus. Businesses that have the ability to send employees home with work are also having to navigate formerly untapped technology. The little real estate office is now figuring out how to use online document signing technology. Storefronts are moving their stores to online domains. The restaurants who never delivered before are signing up for delivery apps to get food into customers’ homes. Tasks are no longer defined by a company’s whiteboard — managers are taking to Asana to dole out assignments.
And perhaps more impactfully, companies are using video and audio communication portals like Zoom and Google Hangouts to conduct meetings, perform multi-person calls, and keep employees motivated and moving, effectively curbing the need for in-person congregations.
Gig Workers and More: The Future of Work
As the virus is upending global economies, some businesses will be forced to close. But when life returns to a state of normalcy, it will beg some questions.
Companies that have been forced into layoffs but still have needs are looking to gig workers for help, and situations like these point them to places like Fiverr. Comparatively, people that have lost their jobs are putting their talents to use in the gig economy. This trend may further move the needle to a jump in the rate of freelancers, and a mirrored spike in the need for gig workers.
Lessons of the past bring change into the future. When it pertains to work, the companies that survive the pandemic will have to reckon with the tech lifelines that helped them to stay afloat, as well as, on a brighter note, the good things to glean from a change in pace.
Time will tell, but it’s inevitable that, when we come out of the darkness and are able to finally look up from our screens and see each other again, we’ll also look around to find a cataclysmic shift in the way business is done.
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