10 things that will/have changed with people management post covid

Covid-19 has been an unexpected gift (although a horrible one) for us. Not only has it negatively affected the well-being of millions of people around the globe, but it has also changed how businesses operate today.

We are almost in the post-pandemic era now. With vaccines currently available to protect us from this tiny foe, we expect to see things return to normal soon - but should we?

Although some of the tragedies the pandemic brought along, like lockdowns and business shutdowns, are coming to an end, there are some changes that we can't seem to revert. Even though workplaces are now opening and people can get back to work, some changes caused by the pandemic are here for good.

Many of those irreversible changes are in terms of people management and workspaces in general. Here are 10 of the most prominent of those changes.

1. Virtual onboarding is more popular than ever.

Although virtual hiring was a thing even before the pandemic, it was during the lockdown that it gained the popularity it has today. With the massive surge in the viability of remote work throughout the globe, virtual hiring is now a necessity rather than an extra perk.

Companies have been building their entire virtual recruitment processes from scratch. Job fairs and recruitment events have also moved entirely online, taking the industry towards a brand era of recruitment.

2. Remote work is the future.

While the concept of remote work wasn't non-existent before the pandemic, it wasn't so popular either. Companies used to work with freelancers and contract-based service providers, but that's it. Full time and part-time workers mainly were working in the office.

However, as COVID-19 locked down the workplaces, Companies were forced to work remotely with their workers. At that time, remote work was thought to be a temporary workaround during lockdowns rather than a permanent change in the workforce. However, various studies conducted during this period showcased some exciting statistics. Employees who were working from home were found to be more productive. Plus, they were happier due to a better work-life balance. Employees aren't the only ones to feast on the benefits, though when the workforce works more productively and generates better results, the employer company also reaps the benefits.

Furthermore, most companies say they are going to provide remote work as a permanent work type in their organization, even after COVID-19 leaves.

3. Digital workspace technologies have seen a rise in popularity.

Remote work wouldn't have been possible to this extent if we had COVID-19 a decade ago. Reason? People a decade ago didn't have the same set of digital tools and services we have today.

Remote work requires collaborative tools for seamless communication, effective work handling, project management, and many other essential tasks. This requirement resulted in the growing popularity of associated tools. For example, the video conferencing tool Zoom, Skyrocketed to an entirely new level of popularity in 2020.

4. Workers had to learn new digital skills.

Tools are useless if people don't know how to use them. Companies had to train their employees, enabling them to gain a new set of skills to work remotely.

Employees who are from a technical, computer-based background were the first ones to adopt the new skillset. Other employees took a bit longer to embrace this change but are eventually there now.

5. eLearning is the primary way of employee training today

In-office training and coaching was the most popular way of tailoring employee's skills to an organization's needs. However, in-office training became almost obsolete when employees were confined to their home spaces.

Today, eLearning is the most popular than ever and is the go-to source of education and training for employees. Even the people unfamiliar with the term "eLearning" before can now join online seminars, participate in online workshops, and attend virtual classes.

6. People are relying on side hustles.

When hundreds of thousands of blue- and white-collar workers lost their jobs last year, they learned that they could never entirely rely on their day job. They had to learn new digital skills to keep their bread and butter coming while they were in lockdown. To meet their needs, people started exploring side hustles; many provided freelance services on platforms like Fiverr, freelancer, and Upwork.

7. Companies are providing more flexibility.

Leadership in the majority of companies thought their employees would underperform while working from home. However, when stats showed otherwise, companies got ready to be more flexible in their offerings.

Alongside saving them workspace costs like real estate, bills, and equipment, companies also reap the benefits of happier, more productive employees when they work from home. Some roles, however, do require employees to come to the office as their workload can't be handled remotely. Hence, although organizations won't let 100% of their workforce work from home, they provide more options.

8. Employees are saving work hours.

During an in-office job, employees have to travel to their workspace daily, which costs them time and money. However, as they work from home, they don't have to travel anymore.

Employees can now utilize this saved time in doing more productive stuff like running their side hustles, learning new skills, starting personal businesses, and more.

9. Employee engagement will be the top priority in future.

Although remote work has a series of benefits for employees and employers alike, there are some downsides. For example, remote employees often feel lonely due to a lack of interaction with their coworkers.

While managers are already trying to cope with this issue and develop strategies to engage with their employees better, we will see improved practices from employers in this regard in the future.

10. Maintaining employee health safety will be a challenge.

As employees who are needed to work in the office return to their workplaces, they have an elevated concern about their safety and well-being. HR departments have to manage the constant flow of questions raised by employees in this regard and adopt new and improved strategies to maintain a healthy environment.

Though companies are already working on maintaining the health and well-being of their employers, this concern is expected to stay relevant in the future.

Takeaways

COVID-19 pandemic has made many changes to workplaces; although some are reverting and things are getting back to "normal", some are irreversible.

This article provides a detailed insight into what the pandemic has changed or will change about people management in the near future.