Opinion article for Jornal Económico: What will tomorrow look like in the world of work? Answer who can…

The pandemic has accelerated the all too certain digital transformation but has brought bittersweet uncertainty to the world in general, and to work in particular. Along with losses, it has opened up opportunities.
Mariana Jordão highlights how 2020 brought us the shock of a global epidemic, for which no one was really prepared. At first, it was strange, then it was understandable, the world shook for everyone, with different intensities. From irreparable human losses, health, jobs, of dreams of a lifetime, to the paradigm shift in the relationship with work and way of living. Remote work, total or partial, which was timidly a trend, is here to stay. Now that the dust seems to be starting to settle, with more and better information, more experience, vaccines, and acceptance, the world is preparing to return to “normality”. And although it is too early to know what this will translate into, no one seems to doubt that management models will have to modernize. In particular, regarding the space and time in which work is carried out, with the remote gaining part of the equation, new challenges present themselves.
How to lead teams in a semi or totally virtual world? How to measure and enhance productivity? How to reinforce, rather than lose, the corporate culture? Is it possible to do all this successfully without the permanent comfort of face-to-face communication? Mariana believes so, something fundamental to success in the “new normal” is to equip companies with the necessary processes, tools, and change management. And technological empowerment plays a central role here. But this adaptation is not only about technology. Communication, in its form, content, channel, and frequency, will have to reinvent itself and the very physical space of what is now an office will have to be adjusted for a different use.
The expectation of change tends to be a factor of discomfort and concern. But it is also an opportunity to learn and evolve. In this sense, Mariana confesses that she sees this historic moment and all the perspectives that are opening up, at a professional level, in a market that is now even more global, with a lot of enthusiasm. When our lives were heading towards the dizzying abyss of the chronic shortage of time, behold, this pandemic came to awaken us to a more present and enriching family life. In all fairness, this unexpected situation also ended up giving us, in general, that valuable gift: more time.
We are living in uncertain and unprecedented times, in which the fear of the unknown is combined with the will to change, in a kind of perfect storm. Some sectors are experiencing unprecedented levels of turnover, a phenomenon already dubbed “The Great Resignation”, which increases the pressure to retain talent and the need to respect their will and decision. What will tomorrow be like? Answer anyone who can… Mariana feels that it is early because we are still writing these pages of our history, but one thing is certain, nothing will ever be the same again.
Read the full article in Portuguese here.
Source: Jornal Económico