What are we doing with the signals coming to us from the world of work?

The pandemic has challenged our daily lives and the world of work is no exception. In this article I share some of the most relevant signs that are integrating the new landscape of the world of work.

Priorities are changing. After more than a year of going through such a changing scenario, we observe that the pandemic demanded a change in organizational priorities in terms of human talent management, in such a way that tactical issues, such as employee welfare, remote work management and communication, have become a daily activity, displacing other strategic issues, such as everything related to the professional reskilling of employees and the strategic planning of the organization's talent (e.g. development of replacement cadres, talent retention, talent attraction, among others).

Another signal that we see from the market is aligned to the increase in people turnover. We understand that the pandemic paralyzed decisions for almost a year and a half, since very few people dared to generate major changes due to the uncertainty of the environment and the unknown of the situation. Therefore, it can be assumed that the postponement of decisions leads to the desire to make up for lost time. We could also add that the pandemic gave people time to think, to reflect about their lives and the world in a different way than before the pandemic began. 

The new hybrid model back to the office. The remote work that was implemented as a result of the pandemic presents us with new signals of change for organizing the return to the workplace. This change implies a hybrid model (telework and face-to-face), which is already starting to set the guidelines for the return to the office. We start to read some news that convey the end of a fixed desk in the office. We start to hear the 'hot desking' model, which is not new, as it is widely used in 'co-working' spaces, but it is starting to be a model to be introduced by large companies, with advantages to resume the return to the workplace. The 'hot desking' model allows to know the available spaces/workplaces on a daily basis, through an application and the employee reserves according to his need a work place, which varies depending on the availability of free places in the day.

More and more organizations are now working to combine virtual and physical worlds, building what they call "real virtual environments".

The regulatory framework is growing. On another note, we can say that during these months we have witnessed several changes or new laws affecting labor regulations. In this field, we cannot fail to highlight the Law for the Promotion and Regulation of Telework, which allows the provision of work, in whole or in part, outside the physical environment provided by the employer, using mainly information and communication technologies, either interactively or not (online - offline). This is undoubtedly a clear sign of flexibilization and adaptation to the new ways of working imposed by the new business landscape.

The warning indicators in the mental health of employees are growing. We should note that the Covid-19 disease has generated a high impact on people's mental health. According to reports from the World Health Organization, stress, anxiety and depression have increased compared to indicators from previous years, and this impact has been greater in the young workforce. Undoubtedly, this is something that forces us to reflect on the need to innovate in the care of human talent in our organizations (e.g., adding mental health services, telemedicine, anti-stress programs and/or providing financial support to help with the expenses that this situation entails, among other alternatives).

Warning indicators in the mental health of employees are growing. We should note that the Covid-19 disease has generated a high impact on people's mental health. According to reports from the World Health Organization, stress, anxiety and depression have increased compared to indicators from previous years, and this impact has been greater in the young workforce. Undoubtedly, this is something that forces us to reflect on the need to innovate in the care of human talent in our organizations (e.g., adding mental health services, telemedicine, anti-stress programs and/or providing financial support to help with the expenses that this situation entails, among other alternatives). 

Major impact on the global employment market. In January of this year, the International Labor Organization (ILO) published the seventh edition of its report on COVID-19 and the world of work. According to these data, the number of working hours worldwide fell by 8.8% last year, equivalent to 255 million jobs. According to Advice's studies on the Uruguayan labor market, the pandemic has generated one of the largest declines in labor demand on record. However, in July 2021 labor demand was 81% higher than in the same month of the previous year. This allows us to visualize clear signs of improvement in the labor market.

To conclude, I would like to emphasize that, although organizations were forced to adapt to the accelerated changes of the past year (2020), it is necessary to consider the market signals to achieve the sustainable transformation objectives imposed by the new business landscape.