Productivity

The 6 biggest lessons about work from 2021

In 2021, we assumed we’d return to something a little more consistent, with more concrete answers than we had in 2020. We envisioned ourselves back in offices at least a few days a week, returning to meetings (albeit with more hand sanitiser). But, for much of the workforce, things haven’t played out that way; if anything, 2021 showed us that what’s “normal” in the world of work is a constantly moving target.

The flexible-work genie is out of the bottle

In 2020, changes to work set-ups felt reactive to the pandemic, and it was hard for employees to know which shifts would stick

A year on, it doesn’t matter what was supposed to be temporary. Workers are now living in a world with different workweek structures, asynchronous communication, and permanent remote work
Now that they’ve sampled more flexibility, it’s unlikely employers can revoke the changes the Pandemic has put in motion
An overwhelming number of companies have already committed to new work practices to accommodate worker desires – a signal that stuffing the genie back into the bottle is increasingly unlikely

As new Covid-19 variants emerge, making solid plans for the future is impossible – if not almost laughable.

We’re still in the throes of implementing brand-new policies, like remote- and hybrid work, that are essentially experiments whose effects and ultimate outcome are still unknown.

The heavy weight of increased poor work-life balance

Without commutes to take or office doors to walk out of, many workers are finding it harder to draw hard lines between personal and professional lives.

Unsurprisingly, burnout and unpaid overtime are rampant, especially among certain groups such as middle-managers and women.

Challenges

Many employees are still left in limbo without having a sense of how a hybrid set-up will work for them

Without hybrid in action, employers lack data they need to understand what’s successful and unsuccessful about their approaches
Neither workers nor businesses have the real-life experience we need yet
For now, work is still a moving target

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