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Work from home

According to a Cornell University study, work from home (WFH) will not only continue but will likely accelerate. A recent Gartner poll shows that “48% of employees will work from home, at least part of the part of the time.” Before COVID-19 hit, that number was around 30%.

For many workers, that’s welcome news. The majority of people who began WFH as result of the pandemic say that, although the initial adjustment was rough, they want to work remotely permanently.

From an organizational standpoint, WFH positively impacts the bottom line in several ways. For example, with fewer employees working on-site, companies save on real estate and operating costs. On top of that, as a cost-savings measure, the Gartner poll shows that one-third of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent and contract workers who can stay connected digitally from nearly anywhere, as a cost-savings measure.”

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Separation of skills and roles

Before the pandemic, employers categorized the most critical roles within the organization as those that have the greatest impact on the organization’s ability to meet strategic goals. Now, however, leaders have broadened the “critical” category to include:

• employees in critical strategic roles,
• employees in critical workflow roles, and
• employees with critical skills.

As Emily Rose McRae, director in the Gartner HR practice, explains, “Separating critical skills from critical roles shifts the focus to coaching employees to develop skills that potentially open multiple avenues for them, rather than focusing on preparing for a specific next role.”

What skills will employees need to navigate the shift from roles to skills? Experts say these skills top the list: self-direction, digital capabilities, empathy, communication management, adaptability, and motivational skills. (For more information: 6 Skills Employees Will Need in the Post-pandemic Workplace.)