Will we go back or not? And what is New Work?

The next opening steps are in the pipeline, home office is only recommended and private activities such as going to restaurants, fitness, and museums can be resumed. What will the post-pandemic work environment look like? Do you have to go back to the office like before?

To answer the above question: Most likely not, but it depends somewhat on your employer. The world of work and the requirements of employees have both undergone significant changes as a result of Corona. According to a study by NetComm Suisse Observatory (2020) more than 40 percent of the interviewed companies intend to allow their employees complete flexibility regarding home office, and another 27% see it as a set element of the workload. 38% of the companies that did not allow home office at all before the pandemic will implement it as a fixed component. An additional transformation is that due to the wide variety of work locations, there is no longer a need for as many offices. The attractiveness of co-working spaces thus increased enormously.

Figure 1: Future potential of co-working spaces as companies show high interest (Netcomm Suisse Observatory, 2020).

Vox (Molla, 2020) states that “working from home will be the new normal for many” and a glimpse across other portals tells you that this is likely to be the case. Two words that one stumbles over more and more often in articles related to future work environments are New Work. But what is that?

New Work

“New work” has been a used term for some time, but the pandemic has given it a whole new meaning. It is the “megatrend” of today’s working world and companies like BMW have already implemented this work method (Klauss, 2021). To implement “New Work”, it is not sufficient to simply modify home office regulations and give employees flexibility in this regard. It requires a comprehensive digital infrastructure that makes it possible to work anytime and anywhere. The culture of the company must be flexible, agile, and self-determining and feature flat hierarchies. The National Center for Biotechnology Information has identified the following six fields of action for New Work:

1. Digital work infrastructures that enable flexible, mobile, and efficient work
2. Work processes must be set up in such a way that they enable mobile, high-quality, resource-efficient, and productive collaboration between employees and with digital tools
3. The leadership style must empower employees with a high degree of self-responsibility, and promote an open and transparent exchange at all levels.
4. Fixed organizational structures have to be dissolved and replaced by flexible thematic and project-oriented structures. This allows for a rapid reaction to tasks that concern several departments.
5. To continuously develop the organization, time away from the daily business must be dedicated to innovation and the future. Employees must be given the opportunity to participate in these futuristic projects and labs and to contribute their ideas. 
6. Finally, the company’s business model must be able to function in the digital space and continuously be developed and updated to remain up-to-date.  (Klauss, 2021)

With those six elements companies benefit from an effective collaboration among employees through the use of digital tools, clouds, and networking. New Work is geared towards making better use of employees’ individual resources. This meets the demands of employees and is accompanied by the latest trend of “work-life blending”, the evolution of work-life balance (Digital Minds, 2021). Some see the merging of the two areas as critical, others appreciate the liberties. The “Zukunftsinstitut” considers work-live-blending as a future model and justifies: “Where the boundary between work and private life disappears, personal needs can be better taken into account in the day. This not only creates relaxation and a better quality of life but also increases the joy of work.” The Institute has also examined other aspects of a future professional environment related to “New Work” and concludes that the possibility of unattached work makes the office more attractive for collaboration. At home, one does work that requires a high level of concentration, while in the office, collaborative tasks are completed. The interpersonal aspect of the office and the cultural life has taken on a much higher focus (Zukunftsinstitut GmbH, 2021).

Only time will tell which trends will prevail and which forms of work will become established. However, the demands of employees have increased and what is clear is that home office will not be a memory of the past but a constant component of our lives. So, settle in and enjoy the new opportunities to work wherever you are (as long as your employer allows it).

In the previous blogposts you will find, among other things, the most important gadgets to ensure that your home office is a success and the best way to structure your day and get moving.

Have fun exploring!

Bibliography

Digital Minds. (2021, February 05). New Work: Definition & Hintergründe. Retrieved from https://www.digital-minds.agency/new-work/

Klauss, T. (2021). Vom Home-Office zur New Work. wissensmanagement, 1, pp. 16-19. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7881341/pdf/43443_2021_Article_207.pdf

Molla, R. (2020, April 14). This is the end of the office as we know it. Retrieved from VOX: https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/14/21211789/coronavirus-office-space-work-from-home-design-architecture-real-estate

Netcomm Suisse Observatory. (2020, September). Retrieved from Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Krise auf Home-Office-Regelungen: https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5dbfeeae4f3e35532b079b8e/5f747d22d4e52610a9793afb_booklet_studie_rekrutierung_home_office_b2b-2.pdf

Zukunftsinstitut GmbH. (2021). Megatrend New Work. Retrieved from https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/dossier/megatrend-new-work/