COVID-19 brought illness and death, unemployment and poverty, restrictions and loneliness.
But the pandemic also triggered an unexpected and unprecedented acceleration in the world of work — changes that might not have occurred, or at least not so quickly, without the virus.
Corona as an Accelerator
This, researchers assure us, will define the future. „Corona was a magnifying glass, an accelerant for the shift toward virtual working and communication.“
Many business trips had already been unnecessary before. Now it’s clear who can work fully from home without any loss in productivity.
For many people, the pandemic disrupted familiar routines — and also challenged them.
„When everything is going well, change is difficult,“ say the researchers. „That’s why digitalization progressed so slowly. Our workplaces barely changed — we just had ten years of inertia, where no one wanted to rethink anything.“
It took the external shock of the pandemic to show what could work differently — and often, better.
A Partial Return to Old Habits?
However, researchers also predict a partial return to familiar patterns.
„We won’t swing from one extreme to the other. There won’t be zero business travel or only online meetings — but probably half as much of both.“
People want to keep the positives from both worlds — aiming for a healthy balance.
No Obligation to Embrace New Work Models
Still, not everyone can or wants to be part of this new working world.
„I kind of missed the boat on setting up a nice home office,“ one person said.
„My commute to the office isn’t long, and I get into the flow more easily at work,“ said another.
Many employees continued working on-site throughout the pandemic.
For those who preferred to be physically present, companies created safe and hygienic work environments.
Production staff, for example, couldn’t work from home — for them, not much changed.
Most are now simply hoping for greater flexibility in the future.
Companies Must Offer Flexible Work Options
These are now called hybrid models.
Any company that wants to remain competitive must offer flexible work structures and embrace virtual communication.
Work-life balance is becoming increasingly important to employees.
Those who can’t offer it will need to provide very good reasons to convince applicants otherwise.
That’s why industries suffering from a shortage of skilled workers or young talent are now driving the transformation forward.
„The Entire Business World Will Change Faster Than It Would Have Without Corona“, says Thomas.
„Retailers are becoming online vendors, virtual business processes run much faster than analog ones, and e-commerce and artificial intelligence are beginning to reshape logistics and production.“
What’s most important, he says, is that this new world of work must be developed together with the workforce.
Surveys show a strong desire among employees for choice — between on-site, remote, and hybrid work models.
