A recent report by leading video platform, Loom, revealed that 90% of workers surveyed, are a lot happier with the freedom and flexibility they now have to work remotely – suggesting that this will likely be a trend in 2022 and beyond.
Organisations are clearly undergoing a change in how they view the entire idea of a centralised workplace. When the pandemic was at its height in 2020, nearly 70% of large businesses expected an overall reduction in the total office space they would be using, according to a report published by KPMG – a well-known multi-national professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting bodies in the world.
Which trends are likely to prevail in the world of work this year? We shall discuss.
Wellbeing will become a top priority
Employee wellbeing will no longer be treated as an “extra” or “nice to have”. It will be an opportunity for employers working across all kinds of companies to start supporting workers in all aspects of both their professional and personal lives.
In fact, with the pandemic becoming a full-fledged ‘global situation’, wellbeing is now regarded as something that extends beyond the employee to entire families. HP has set an inspiring example with their Spirit Program, providing educational resources, as well as health and wellbeing apps to working parents in order to better manage home schooling.
Hybrid working is gaining steam
A survey conducted by Accenture, a global recruitment agency, revealed that more than 80% workers prefer a hybrid work model and that more than 60% high-growth companies have embraced a “productivity anywhere” work model. ‘Work from anywhere’ has now become more about owning results rather than “reporting for duty” at the office premises.
As a result, even here in Pakistan, more and more teams as well as innovators, business owners and entrepreneurs are renting coworking spaces to enjoy a peaceful environment where they have all the amenities readily available, to help unleash their creative juices.
Skills-based learning and hiring will dominate
In a report titled “HR Predictions for 2022”, a prominent international research analyst discussed how companies saw employee training as an important aspect but not as a competitive advantage, per se. That’s quickly changing now, given the amount of digitalisation and automation we’re witnessing around the world.
Leaders are starting to recognise that the more they focus on ‘career pathing’ and upskilling their employees, the better they can help their businesses close skills gaps. This also means that they will now be relying on the latest set of tools and research to identify skill sets required from each worker, as opposed to the traditional job grading system.
This new trend in skills development will help companies meet their most critical needs, and skills will be measured according to skill data – a data point which acts as a reference to an employee’s unique skills, including data which actually measures what they can do.
What are your thoughts on these 2022 workplace trends? Are you planning to embrace the hybrid work culture too? CoSpace Pakistan can certainly accommodate you!
