Vicky O’Neill
HR Strategy Specialist, Ibec
The future of work stands as a critical arena of transformation, offering both opportunities and challenges. For businesses to sustain success, understanding these changes is paramount.
The opportunity for remote and hybrid work models provides numerous benefits. Flexibility allows employees to manage their personal and professional lives more effectively, enhancing work-life choices. The diversification of skill requirements offers opportunities for career advancement and learning. Additionally, technology can enable more seamless collaboration and connectivity, helping employees to work efficiently from anywhere and providing access to more diverse talent.
Implications for workplace wellbeing
Despite the positives, the new work paradigms also pose challenges. Remote work can blur the boundaries between work and life, leading to risks of an imbalance, social isolation, stress and burnout. Talent continues to be scarce, and skills requirements continue to shift.
Isolation from colleagues may result in feelings of loneliness and detachment, which can adversely affect wellbeing and productivity. A more distributed remote or hybrid workforce can increase the risk of missing opportunities to innovate through creative conversations and collaboration. The constant connectivity enabled by digital tools may also create an ‘always-on’ culture, adding to stress and reducing downtime.
Thoughtful strategies and leadership approaches
Leaders must transition to more empathetic and supportive leadership styles focused on talent support and development. This will include promoting clear boundaries between work and personal time.
Investment in learning is paramount. Employees want to know early on in their careers what career paths, coaching and support are available for them to progress throughout a business. This is equally important to employers striving to bridge skills and opportunity gaps.
Leaders must transition to more empathetic
and supportive leadership styles.
Digital tools and team cohesion
To thrive amid digital transformation, employees must be equipped with the necessary tools and training. Employees expect technology to enhance — not hinder — their work experiences. Human-centred design will include structures for digital accessibility, understanding different requirements for digital immigrants and digital natives.
Conscious interventions to create opportunities for regular virtual and in-person interactions help maintain team cohesion and foster social connections. This involves formal engagements and informal catchups to combat isolation and enhance collaboration.
Prioritising talent and progression
These are just some focal points for attention. Ibec’s wellbeing accreditation, The KeepWell Mark, was recently updated to reflect the latest evidence and best practices to help organisations achieve sustainable success.
By prioritising talent support and development and adapting leadership practices to the evolving work environment, Irish businesses can cultivate a resilient and engaged workforce poised to navigate future uncertainties and capitalise on emerging opportunities.
For more information on The KeepWell Mark, please contact [email protected] and a member of our KeepWell team will contact you.
