What’s Ahead for the Workplace Environment?

Unsurprisingly, workforces are expected to continue being increasingly dispersed and virtual in the coming year. Forbes recently wrote about how businesses are having to try and adapt to changing employee demands, as well as behavioural trends such as ‘quiet quitting’ and ‘the great resignation’.

Workplaces will reflect the diversity of individuals and the expectations of flexibility in how they work. Simultaneously, technology is changing how workers are monitored. The balance between flexibility and accountability is a key challenge to be faced.

Remote & Hybrid Working

Remote and hybrid working is becoming the standard for applicable occupations. In 2022, according to a survey by McKinsey and Ipsos, 58 percent of workers in the US worked from home at least one day a week, while 38 percent were completely remote.

Businesses are starting to prioritise the security ramifications of widely distributed workforces connecting to networks through a variety of devices and protocols.

Working away from the office can also lead to employees feeling less connected to their colleagues. Organisations will have to concentrate more on encouraging collaboration and interaction. This is where an online community platform built into your LMS comes into play. Peer-to-peer learning can be facilitated, as well as healthy competition through gamification.

Workplace surveillance

Monitoring employee output and standards will become a higher priority. Managing this while avoiding the infringement of individual privacy is a challenge.

Employee tracking software will not only make sure people are working but will check that healthy practices such as taking regular breaks are occurring.

Worker surveillance is a touchy subject, with trade unions beginning to insist on regulation to protect workers. A court in the Netherlands recently found that monitoring homeworking staff with cameras could violate their human rights.

Flexible hours

The tradition of the five-day workweek is being challenged. Four-day week trials have taken place around the world and many companies are seriously considering the change.

At the very least, more companies will adopt provisions for greater flexibility with time. Parenting responsibilities will definitely be taken more into account. This can only benefit the mental health of employees and their families.

As the traditional ideas of corporate working are changing, technologies are available to support the shift and benefit both employers and employees.