The COVID-19 pandemic has been an event of unprecedented proportions, with the world experiencing a complete collapse of supply chains, businesses, and industries, as social distancing norms and global lockdowns were implemented around the globe. Healthcare systems collapsed, unemployment increased, and cashflows disappeared - all in the span of a single year. 2021 started on a more optimistic note, with the expected availability of vaccines. While major economies such as the US, the UK, and Europe inoculated large parts of their adult population, the world at large has experienced severe second/third waves of infection. Organizations all over the world have had to overcome unprecedented challenges to sustain business activity in the last 18 months, American author and crisis management expert Judy Smithonce said, "There's always an opportunity with crisis. Just as it forces individuals to look inside themselves, it forces a company to reexamine its policies and practices." Given the drastic events of the last 18 months, there is an increasing need for organizations to relook at their workforce and he mechanics of work and the workplace afresh.
This report is the first in a series of three reports on the future of work. The research leverages existing intellectual property and data from a survey of 200 senior HR leaders across various
geographies, industries, and organization sizes. In the research, we examine three key questions confronting the workforce and workplace mechanics:
ㆍWhere will the work be done? [covered in this report]
ㆍWho will do the work?
ㆍHow will the work be done?
As organizations increasingly look at ways to support and grow their businesses in an environment characterized by extreme uncertainty, HR leaders will need to be at the forefront of such work management efforts. This research provides practical advice to HR leaders and organizations on how to navigate the next normal for their organizations.