Five workplace trends will shape life after lockdown

(MENAFN- The Conversation) We are experiencing the biggest remote work experiment in history – but many are beginning to imagine life after lockdown. Amid unprecedented [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] , concerns about [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] and the continuing need for [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] , [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] are launching back-to-work plans.

Meanwhile, the latest US research reveals that [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] and business leaders are actively [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] – hinting that not everyone will go back to the office.

Here are five key trends that will shape the future of how we work.

We might miss the [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] , but most don't miss commuting. This was one of the key findings in my [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] .

Before lockdown, US commute times reached [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] and most [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] spent more than a year of their lives travelling to and from work. People tell me that a hybrid strategy of working from home two days a week, is one ideal scenario.

Those eager to go back to the office will [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] . Many will need to work from home for weeks or months to come. The situation is fluid, but [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] are drawing up plans for workers [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] , so public transport is not overwhelmed.

The genie is out of the bottle, and commuting is not going back to how it was.

Workplace communication is rapidly transforming and [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] . More than ever, creating a clear separation between [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] .

Research repeatedly shows that sending out-of-hours emails is not only [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] – but creates a coercive work culture that requires people to be available 24/7. Social scientists argue this turns us into [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] and causes [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] . Expecting quick answers to email is increasingly seen as bullying.

Many now realise that colleagues might need to work flexibly due to caring responsibilities. Lockdown has encouraged a new acceptance of flexibility. But this shouldn't extend to having a culture that expects people to be available all the time.

Zoom calls will remain part of our lives – but we will change and adapt how we use them. Research shows that video calls are more draining and tiring [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] .

While video calls are appropriate for some meetings, we don't need to use them for all our communication. [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] many are shifting back to phone calls – which as one manager explained to me 'feels more spontaneous and flows better'.

Workers forced to continue working from cramped living spaces are desperate for alternatives. When lockdown lifts they will turn to the cafes and co-working spaces that are [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] . Before COVID-19 hit, co-working spaces were projected to increase more than [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] .

The paradox of remote working is that people crave the flexibility but know that being around others boosts productivity. My research shows that over time remote workers [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] that comes with just being alongside other people. It's exactly why in 2017 IBM pulled many employees back into the office, despite having previously published a [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] .

Local co-working spaces, as opposed to big investor-funded brands such as WeWork, will do well. Independent co-working spaces in some areas were thriving before COVID-19 - they may become more mainstream if they survive lockdown.

[To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] are extreme remote workers that post Instagram stories from exotic locations. Right now, that lifestyle seems unrelatable, impossible and to many unethical.

Nonetheless, many decently paid workers in New York, London and Paris are stuck in [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] , dreaming of escape from lockdown. As a housing manager recently confided to me: 'London living without nightlife and culture, isn't fun. Everyone wants to escape to somewhere outdoorsy when allowed. I'm not sure I approve but it's understandable.'

For now, remote working from different locations is not allowed. But the allure of relocating to a picturesque location remains – and Brian Chesky, CEO of AirBnB, is banking on it. He sees COVID-19 as a business opportunity and [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] : 'People are realising they can work remote … that's a huge opportunity.'

Not all will agree – it could cause [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] – and many will not [To enable links in your articles, contact MENAFN Click here ] . But when lockdown fully lifts, who's to say more people will not work remotely from different parts of the world, beyond their living rooms.

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