5 new trends in the future of work

During the health crisis, we have witnessed a real change in the world of work. The pandemic has accelerated trends at all levels: new ways of working, managerial innovations, digitalization of processes, etc. Faced with such a transformation, what could the professional landscape of tomorrow look like? Here is an overview of 5 new ways of working that are booming.

 

1) Teleworking

During the first lockdown in France, the number of teleworkers reached an all-time high, with 41% of employees working from home, according to the 4th edition of Malakoff Humanis’ annual Telework Barometer, carried out in December 2020.

Employees, executives and managers who have experienced full remote have been able to see the many advantages of this practice: increased productivity, better work-life balance, reduced absenteeism, savings for the company, reduction of environmental impact, etc.

But will teleworking become widespread in the wake of the health crisis? At least that’s the opinion of 66% of managers are convinced that working from home will grow more and more in the coming years.

Moreover, several large companies and international groups, such as Facebook and Twitter, are already planning to make teleworking permanent for some of their employees.

However, remote work doesn’t just have its advantages, far from it. As many employees have noticed during the health crisis, Working from home conditions are not always optimal, there are many distractions, and the practice of working from home can sometimes undermine employee engagement, motivation and productivity.

Faced with these many challenges, alternatives to full remote could develop, such as hybrid work, which alternates between face-to-face and remote days.

 

2) The flex office

With the flex office, there is no dedicated workstation in the company. Everyone is therefore mobile, and free to work wherever they want: a meeting room, a work box, the rooftop, the cafeteria, but also in third-party spaces, such as a coworking room. This mode of organization aims to break the sedentary lifestyle and create a more convivial and informal environment.

This is also known as desk sharing to designate a workplace that has fewer offices than employees. Employees share the same workstation, with a turnover system: while some work on site, others work remotely, remotely. This allows the company to Significant cost savings , thanks to smaller space

 

3) Coworking and corpoworking

In France, the number of coworking spaces has tripled in just 2 years (from 600 to 1,700, between 2017 and 2019), and this trend is expected to continue to assert itself in the years to come.

Coworking spaces offer optimal working conditions and places for exchange for freelancers, entrepreneurs, but also for employees who work from home.

Recently, a new concept has also been emerging: corpoworking, between corporate and coworking. It is simply the implementation of an in-house coworking space, on the premises of a company. Used by employees, this space would also be accessible to people outside the company, such as self-employed workers, wage portage workers, entrepreneurs, start-ups, etc.

These structures make it possible to break with the usual codes of work and to create a collaborative and friendly environment of exchange, which promotes innovation and collective intelligence.

 

4) Digital nomadism

The need for mobility of employees has also led to the emergence of a whole new way of working: digital nomadism, which involves working remotely while traveling long-term. Mainly practiced by self-employed workers and entrepreneurs, this way of working is also attracting more and more employees.

According to a study by Emergent Research and MBO Partners , the number of digital nomads in the United States increased by 49% in the space of one year, from 2019 to 2020. This way of working is indeed very popular in North America, and is tending to develop more and more in Europe. Some even estimate that, by 2035, 1 billion people may have adopted this lifestyle worldwide, according to figures reported by The Guardian.

This is explained in particular by the growing attractiveness of the freelance status. According to a study by Urssaf, France had more than 3.6 million self-employed workers at the end of 2019, including 1.7 million micro-entrepreneurs. This represents an annual growth of 3.3% since 2009!

 

5) The smart office

The smart office is an intelligent and connected work environment, which aims, thanks to new technologies, to offer employees an optimal space, to strengthen productivity, efficiency, and improve the quality of life at work.

A smart office can for example include:

• smart and connected meeting rooms,
• videoconferencing software and tools,
• software for booking meeting rooms and offices,
• digital voice assistants,
• Smart workspaces and virtual desktops to facilitate employee mobility.
• artificial intelligence and process automation software to improve operational efficiency,
• interactive meeting tools,
• intranet tools and internal social networks,
• a digital workplace,
• service marketplaces for employees…

These different trends are attracting companies looking for agility, innovation, and to improve productivity, engagement and well-being of their teams. However, these working methods require a certain number of human, material and financial resources to be deployed. In particular, they demand the establishment of a adapted managerial style, in line with these new innovative modes of organization.

Therefore, to carry out such change management, calling on an interim manager is an essential strategic solution.