Photo credit: Peter Heeling — Busy Victoria Station via Skitterphoto

BREAKING NEWS — The virus has been defeated! COVID-19 infections are now at a manageable level, due to prevalent vaccinations and continued vigilance on the part of citizens and government alike.

Once the headline above breaks, will that signal a return to the “Same Old”, or have things changed so much that we will see a “New Normal”? Let's try to imagine how life will be like once we've defeated the COVID-19 threat.

The POST COVID-19 Society — Same Old vs New Normal

There are also some predicted changes / pandemic aftereffects worth mentioning.

Some expected POST COVID-19 Changes worth highlighting

• Quarantines — Depending on how effective the vaccines are, we can either look forward to a quarantine-free future or a future with limited quarantines to manage outbreaks
• Less Business Travel and Tourism — We expect Business Travel (and overall, Tourism) to be depressed for some time to come, as a result of increased remote meetings (in the case of business travel), higher travel costs, stricter travel regulations and general cost cutting measures
• Change in Online Shopping behavior — An UNCTAD article (Survey Results) stated that COVID-19 has supposedly “changed online shopping forever”, implying that the current online buying habits formed during the pandemic could result in a long term shift in Online Transaction behaviors
• Demand for Online Education and Education Technology to continue increasing — A WORLD BANK article enumerated steps taken by various countries to address the ongoing educational needs of its constituents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chance are high that these initiatives will be continued and maintained in the years to come
• Boom in Recreational Activities — Due to pent up demand

The Digital Workplace

COVID-19 brought about a unintended revolution to the workplace. Many organizations were forced to set up systems to allow employees to work remotely, to minimize the chances of infection. Some hailed the ability to work from home (saving time spent on daily commutes) — while others hated it and were looking forward to going back to their offices and factories (saying that staying at home is not conducive to work).

Workplace Digitalization may actually be instrumental in bringing about one significant change in employee management — the shift from focusing on Employee Attendance to Employee Output.

Since some workers will now be working remotely, appropriate systems will have to be put in place in order to ensure that output goals and targets are met. The old system of checking attendance (online or in-office) will no longer suffice.

This shift to monitoring worker output will cause a huge change in the way work processes and output are measured and managed — for the better, actually — to ensure that everything is verifiable and compliant to targets and requirements, especially in the 'regular' office setting.

The Digital Workplace, looking at things from the employee side, will give people the freedom to 'explore' different types of jobs in varying locations — as physical presence nor reporting daily may no longer be needed (for example, you might be able to work for a firm based in the UK while living in the US). The main limiting factors we see here would be employee skillsets, organizational hiring guidelines and vacant job positions.

We expect the job situation (on both the side of the employer and prospective employee) to be fluid in the months to come, as the forces of supply and demand make people to move from one field / role / position to another, either due to lack of openings or lack of desirability.

This Digitalization of the Workplace may result in an increase in competition for desirable jobs, as employees may no longer be limited to local hires. With the boom in competition, the problem may end up being able to find the 'ideal' job. We expect the Digital Workplace to be a “buyer's market” — due to having more qualified people applying for a limited number of jobs.

However, digitalization will also bring about benefits to job seekers. They will now be able to be choosy where they work, select a company that shares the same values and concerns, all the while applying for a job that is half a world away.

Job / Work Impacts of Workplace Digitalization

• Improved Productivity, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Faster transaction processing — Less or minimal paperwork to move / shuffle around and track
• Hiring will be merit-based — not location-based, for services (for jobs that require a physical presence — like health workers, factory workers and the like; the impact of digitalization will be less)
• Work metrics will be output-based — rather than time-based
• Increased output monitoring / improved output metrics and statistics
• Flexible work hours may become possible — a factor that has been correlated to increased employee satisfaction and retention
• Work offers will be more on-demand — less permanent and / or long-term offers
• Employee perks and compensation packages may change to address changing needs / wants — possibly to include non-traditional benefits (e.g. House Renovation perks — to make the home a better workplace)
• More remote employee free time, due to minimized commute times
• Firms that do not digitalize may lose workers to those that do
• Information security will be a concern for digitalized organizations
• Employee evaluation and appraisal metrics will change slightly
• Good internet access will be a basic requirement
• Work Disruptions due to pandemic (and other, like weather) issues will lessen
• Reduced commuting / travel expenses — for workers and organizations alike
• Increased worker free time — due to reduced commuting
• Possible change in employee income tax payables — depending on local tax regulations
• More impromptu meetings
• Less fixed costs (e.g. office / commercial space rentals, utilities) — and possibly less facility-related expenses (e.g. furniture, IT and telecommunications equipment, lights)

Changes, however, will not be limited to the Workplace. Here are some expected changes outside the Workplace.

Other Consequences of Workplace Digitalization

• Decreased demand for commercial workspaces
• Marginally increased demand for larger residential spaces
• Less traffic / less riders on public transport
• Less demand for vehicles / public transport / parking services
• (Noticeable?) Reduction in daycare requirements
• Increased demand in delivery services
• Decreased customers for restaurants, cafes and stores that rely on client proximity or foot traffic
• Decreased demand for workplace attire (clothes / shoes / bags / accessories)
• Significantly increased demand for internet bandwidth — both at the organization and at the home workplace
• Increased demand for secure digital workplace solutions
• Significantly increased demand for workplace-related digital devices and accessories
• Less paper used / More paperless solutions used

Do not expect governments to take Workplace Digitalization lightly — especially if it involves workers located outside the country. In the United States, there are many PRO and CON FOREIGN WORKER lobby groups that spend significant sums of money to further their causes, in an attempt to massage H-1B immigration regulations to suit their needs. A Digital Workplace may open the virtual floodgates for foreign workers, thus circumventing limits imposed via the H-1B system.

Outsourcing non-critical functions may have more appeal after the pandemic subsides. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, there were already concerns pertinent to outsourcing in the United Sates as well as in the notable increase in outsourced service in Europe, which prompted the development of regulations to help manage these outsourcing initiatives, and bascially, manage the “exportation of jobs”. Attempts, however, to curb outsourcing have basically failed; so this hints at a possible surge in outsourcing in months to come.

But the increasing demand brought about by the pandemic is not a bed of roses for outsourcing firms, as they also have struggled with the disruptions brought about by COVID-19.

Government policies pertinent to Workplace Digitalization (specifically non-Outsourced work) can be expected to be issued sooner rather than later. Labor regulations pertinent to digital workplace benefits, computation of pay and issue resolution can all be expected, as inquiries or issues regarding these become more common.

On Work Automation

We will not be touching the topic of Work Automation in this article, but let us not forget that automation initiatives may be included in Workplace Digitalization — as part of the overall Digitalization effort.

Workplace Automation has a whole lot of different concerns, advantages and disadvantages; so we'll tackle that in an another article.

The Rise of the Modern Nomad

nomad
— a member of a group of people who move from one place to another(,) rather than living in one place all of the time

Source: DICTIONARY.CAMBRIDGE.ORG

Once Workplace Digitalization becomes prevalent, people will realize that they are no longer be tied down to a certain location in order to work. As the numbers of truly digital workers increase — those who are no longer tied down to a physical office — this will bring about some notable changes:

• People will have the freedom to work and study from anywhere, and thus might be able to mix travelling with working — for example, they will be able to go abroad and "work-while-on-vacation" (seeing the sights on their spare time)
• Children and Teenagers still in school will not be limited to selecting schools based on physical proximity — so thus might be able to accompany their parents on foreign trips
• Internet a key requirement in life, and will be "commoditized"
• Digital nomads will need rented 'homes' — so a rise in the demand for short term rented spaces will most probably increased
  
• Digital nomads will probably be looking for a better work-life balance — with less focus on possessions, and a higher value placed on 'the experience'
• Reliable Delivery Services &mash; e.g. For locally unavailable goods, work documents as well as healthy, convenient and cost effective takeout will be important and in higher demand
• Pandemic passports will be a requirement for Digital Nomads — as well as healthcare coverage beyond local borders
• Cars will be a burden to bring around — so digital nomads will most probably rely on local transportation instead

With a nomadic lifestyle, some of the normal activities and chores (like commuting, cleaning and fixing the house) may no longer apply, which will result in an increase in free time. This free time can then be used to explore and enjoy the local scenery.

In order to find the best / most interesting / affordable places in the local scene, nomads will need to rely on referrals (possibly AI powered) and reviews (from locals, friends or the internet). Over time, support systems for the "nomadic lifestyle" may crop up — with these systems and services doing the tedious work of researching local highlights and bargains, and overall, making that lifestyle more convenient — by suggesting and prepping destinations, booking events and reservations, planning transits, paying bills and making arrangements for their customers.

Same Old or New Normal?

It's still a bit early to say, but considering all the changes that have occurred in the past year, it seems like we are heading towards a New Normal.

Too much time has passed since the start of the pandemic — too much has happened, old habits have been broken and new habits have been formed. The situation today is vastly different from the situation just a little under a year ago.

Yes, there is a pining go back to the olden (more normal) times — when people did not have to worry about COVID-19 and were free to work, play and enjoy the outdoors. However, we still do not know when that will come to pass, so in the meantime, we need to continue going on with our lives.