Tag: covid19 and jobs

The Future Of Jobs And Education

The world of work has been changing for some time, with an end to the idea of jobs for life and the onset of the gig economy. But just as in every other field where digital transformation is ongoing, the events of 2020 have accelerated the pace of this change dramatically.

The International Labor Organization has estimated that almost 300 million jobs are at risk due to the coronavirus pandemic. Of those that are lost, almost 40% will not come back. According to research by the University of Chicago, they will be replaced by automation to get work done more safely and efficiently.

Particularly at risk are so-called “frontline” jobs – customer service, cashiers, retail assistant, and public transport being just a few examples. But no occupation or profession is entirely future proof. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), even tasks previously reserved for highly trained doctors and lawyers – diagnosing illness from medical images, or reviewing legal case history, for example – can now be carried out by machines.

At the same time, the World Economic Forum, in its 2020 Future of Jobs report, finds that 94% of companies in the UK will accelerate the digitization of their operations as a result of the pandemic, and 91% are saying they will provide more flexibility around home or remote working.

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If you’re in education or training now, this creates a dilemma. Forget the old-fashioned concept of a “job for life,” which we all know is dead – but will the skills you’re learning now even still be relevant by the time you graduate?

One thing that’s sure is that we’re moving into an era where education is life-long. With today’s speed of change, there are fewer and fewer careers where you can expect the knowledge you pick up in school or university to see you through to retirement. MORE FOR YOUThese Are The World’s Best Employers 2020The Value Of Resilient LeadershipEmployers Must Act Now To Mitigate The Impacts Of The Pandemic On Women’s Careers

All of this has created a perfect environment for online learning to boom. Rather than moving to a new city and dedicating several years to studying for a degree, it’s becoming increasingly common to simply log in from home and fit education around existing work and family responsibilities.

This fits with the vision of Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of online learning platform Coursera. Coursera was launched in 2012 by a group of Stanford professors interested in using the internet to widen access to world-class educational content. Today, 76 million learners have taken 4,500 different courses from 150 universities, and the company is at the forefront of the wave of transformation spreading through education.

 “The point I focus on,” he told me during our recent conversation, “is that the people who have the jobs that are going to be automated do not currently have the skills to get the new jobs that are going to be created.”

Without intervention, this could lead to an “everyone loses” scenario, where high levels of unemployment coincide with large numbers of vacancies going unfilled because businesses can’t find people with the necessary skills.

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The answer here is a rethink of education from the ground up, Maggioncalda says, and it’s an opinion that is widely shared. Another WEF statistic tells us 66% of employers say they are accelerating programs for upskilling employees to work with new technology and data.Models of education will change, too, as the needs of industry change. Coursera is preparing for this by creating new classes of qualification such as its Entry-Level Professional Certificates. Often provided directly by big employers, including Google and Facebook, these impart a grounding in the fundamentals needed to take on an entry-level position in a technical career, with the expectation that the student would go on to continue their education to degree level while working, through online courses, or accelerated on-campus semesters.

“The future of education is going to be much more flexible, modular, and online. Because people will not quit their job to go back to campus for two or three years to get a degree, they can’t afford to be out of the workplace that long and move their families. There’s going to be much more flexible, bite-sized modular certificate programs that add up to degrees, and it’s something people will experience over the course of their working careers,” says Maggioncalda.

All of this ties nicely with the growing requirements that industry has for workers that are able to continuously reskill and upskill to keep pace with technological change. It could lead to an end of the traditional model where our status as students expires as we pass into adulthood and employment.

Rather than simply graduating and waving goodbye to their colleges as they throw their mortarboards skywards, students could end up with life-long relationships with their preferred providers of education, paying a subscription to remain enrolled and able to continue their learning indefinitely.

“Because why wouldn’t the university want to be your lifelong learning partner?” Maggioncalda says.

“As the world changes, you have a community that you’re familiar with, and you can continue to go back and learn – and your degree is kind of never really done – you’re getting micro-credentials and rounding out your portfolio. This creates a great opportunity for higher education.”

Personally, I feel that this all points to an exciting future where barriers to education are broken down, and people are no longer blocked from studying by the fact they also need to hold down a job, or simply because they can’t afford to move away to start a university course.

With remote working increasingly common, factors such as where we happen to grow up, or where we want to settle and raise families, will no longer limit our aspirations for careers and education. This could lead to a “democratization of education,” with lower costs to the learner as employers willingly pick up the tab for those who show they can continually improve their skillsets.

As the world changes, education changes too. Austere school rooms and ivory-tower academia are relics of the last century. While formal qualifications and degrees aren’t likely to vanish any time soon, the way they are delivered in ten years’ time is likely to be vastly different than today, and ideas such as modular, lifelong learning, and entry-level certificates are a good indication of the direction things are heading.

You can watch my conversation with Jeff Maggioncalda in full, where among other topics, we also cover the impact of Covid-19 on building corporate cultures and the implications of the increasingly globalized, remote workforce. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Bernard Marr

 Bernard Marr

Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, blockchains, and the Internet of Things. Why don’t you connect with Bernard on Twitter (@bernardmarr), LinkedIn (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/bernardmarr) or instagram (bernard.marr)?

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World Economic Forum

The Future of Jobs report maps the jobs and skills of the future, tracking the pace of change. It aims to shed light on the pandemic-related disruptions in 2020, contextualized within a longer history of economic cycles and the expected outlook for technology adoption, jobs and skills in the next five years. Learn more and read the report: wef.ch/futureofjobs2020 The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change. World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/ Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomi… YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/wef Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/worldeconom… Twitter ► https://twitter.com/wef LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/worl… TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@worldeconomic… Flipboard ► https://flipboard.com/@WEF#WorldEconomicForum

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Job Searching During A Crisis? Here Are 7 Things You Need To Know

In the past four weeks, more than 22 millions Americans filed for unemployment. People across all industries have been impacted in some way either through losing their job or having their hours reduced. As unemployment surges, gig workers and the self employed are also struggling to keep their businesses afloat. Funding for small businesses ran out faster than anticipated leaving the self-employed and gig economy with no other option than to join the millions of other workers seeking work.

Data published by C Space, sponsored by Monster, revealed more than a third (34%) of employees are actively seeking a job, though confidence is low. The job search process will undoubtedly prove to be difficult for college seniors, some gig workers, self-employed and the unemployed. If job seekers want to prevail, they need to be adaptable, persistent and have a strong mindset to overcome mass rejections.

Here are seven things to help job seekers be successful in their job search during this crisis.

Explore Alternative Possibilities

Candidates shouldn’t overlook the possibility of contract, temporary or gig roles. Additionally, they should remain open-minded about flexible hours. Brandi Frattini, Talent Acquisition Manager at CareerBuilder, recommended “job seekers should also look for opportunities in other businesses within similar sections where the demand is growing.”

Focusing on in demand industries and companies such as healthcare, telecommuting software, shipping and delivery services, tech support, warehousing and logistics and food supply chain are great ways to increase ones chance in finding a job.

CareerBuilder released new data sharing current in demand companies and jobs.

The top businesses hiring are:

  • Amazon
  • Dollar General
  • Aldi
  • Oracle
  • Walgreens
  • Decker Truck Line
  • Home Depot
  • Lowes

The jobs with the highest growth are:

  • Financial analysts and advisors
  • Nurses
  • Sales (retail and insurance agents)
  • Customer services representatives
  • Laborers
  • Data entry and administrative support
  • Managers (frontline, project, etc…)
  • Truck drivers

There are alternative ways to gain experience while job searching. Unpaid opportunities provide invaluable experience and keep skills relevant while job hunting. For this reason, job seekers shouldn’t overlook internships, apprenticeships, volunteering or organizing virtual efforts such as masterminds.

Ditch Desperation, Lead With Purpose

Competition for jobs are higher than normal resulting in heightened emotions for everyone. Monster conducted another poll and found 73% of employees are experiencing mental health stress such as depression due to the impact of the Coronavirus. Common advice is to spend eight hours a day applying for jobs. The job search process should be about quality over quantity. Additionally, when a job seeker is burnt out, their effort is affected. Avoid burnout by prioritizing self-care through walks, short breaks and anything that can help increase motivation and energy. Don’t become discouraged with the belief that finding a job isn’t possible. It is, but it will require extra patience.

Most job seekers act out of desperation and accept the first job offer without doing their due diligence. As someone who was bullied by my HR boss, I know the consequences of accepting a position out of desperation. The immediate income wasn’t worth the experience or the impact it had on my health. Thoroughly research the company, ask specific questions during the interview and make sure all red flags and doubts are addressed before accepting.

Leverage And Cultivate An Online Network

The old adage “it’s not what you know but who you know” still holds true even during a crisis. If ever there was a time to focus on leveraging and cultivating a network, it’s now. Due to social distancing, people are more receptive to virtual connections than before. LinkedIn is an underrated platform that helps bridge the gap between job seekers and employers.

Job seekers can utilize LinkedIn to seek out organizations and opportunities they’re interested in and reach out to people currently working in that department or company. While LinkedIn has more than 20 million open job listings, 80% of new jobs are never posted because they’re found or created through networking. According to the Undercover Recruiter, employee referrals account for 40% of all hires.

Job seekers can maximize their social media platforms by joining groups, putting out a post to their network and making new connections. Facebook, Reddit jobs thread, Twitter #jobsearch or setting a job alert for words or phrases such as “hiring”, “we’re looking” or “join my team” are a few creative ways to find opportunities outside of traditional job boards like Indeed or Monster.

Be Proactive And Schedule A Follow Up

This pandemic blindsided many companies to the point where companies like Amazon are unable to keep up with hiring demands. As a result, candidates are being lost in the process and recruiters are forgetting to follow up. Candidates should make it a priority to follow up. If an interview is conducted, job seekers should always ask the interviewer when they can expect to hear back. Then, based off of the answer, they should set a reminder to follow up if they haven’t heard anything by that date.

Build A Personal Brand

Northeastern University describes a personal brand as being “who you are, what you stand for, the values you embrace, and the way in which you express those values.” A job seekers personal brand is what will set them apart from the competition. A personal brand forms regardless if someone is intentional or not about creating one. The more clear and aligned someones brand is, the more it appeals to an employer.

Building a personal brand goes beyond a resume and cover letter. Employers are known to Google candiates to see what their online presence portrays about them. Employers want to avoid hiring potential liabilities and those who contradict their core values. An example would be a company promoting inclusivity but has employees making discriminatory comments.

In addition to maintaining their current social media channels, job seekers should entertain additional avenues to demonstrate their skills. These can include creating a YouTube series, writing a blog, contributing to industry publications or designing a website to showcase their talents.

Uplevel Your Marketable Skills

This quarantine provides ample opportunity for job seekers to uplevel their skillset through courses and certifications. Harvard, MIT and Yale are a few of the Ivy League schools offering courses for free through Class Central to help job seekers bolster their qualifications.

Some in demand skills job seekers should focus on are

  • Time management
  • Customer service
  • Communication (written and verbal)
  • Crisis management
  • Remote work

Monster also has a dedicated Coronavirus page where job seekers can find advice and content on in-demand jobs, working from home, managing a team remotely, conducting a video interview and more. It never hurts for a job seeker to practice and improve upon their interviewing skills by utilizing friends and family to provide feedback.

Optimize Your Resume

Recruiters typically receive around 250 resumes per position and only spend 7.4 seconds reviewing each resume. This is why it’s important to focus on quality rather than quantity. Job seekers should optimize their resume and tailor it for each role they apply to. To do so, they should utilize the keywords in the job description and appropriately modify their resume.

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Heidi Lynne Kurter

Heidi Lynne Kurter

I’m a Leadership Coach & Workplace Culture Consultant at Heidi Lynne Consulting helping individuals and organizations gain the confidence to become better leaders for themselves and their teams. As a consultant, I deliver and implement strategies to develop current talent and create impactful and engaging employee experiences. Companies hire me to to speak, coach, consult and train their teams and organizations of all sizes. I’ve gained a breadth of knowledge working internationally in Europe, America and Asia. I use my global expertise to provide virtual and in-person consulting and leadership coaching to the students at Babson College, Ivy League students and my global network. I’m a black belt in Six Sigma, former Society of Human Resources (SHRM) President and domestic violence mentor. Learn more at http://www.heidilynneco.com or get in touch at Heidi@heidilynneco.com.

Source: Job Searching During A Crisis? Here Are 7 Things You Need To Know

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Join career and leadership expert and award-winning author Andrew LaCivita for today’s video on how to job search during the coronavirus pandemic! You’ll learn all the adjustments you need to make to job searching, networking, job interviewing and more during the COVID-19 outbreak! ——————– FREE JOB SEARCH CHALLENGE VIDEO SERIES ——————– This is an amazing 5-part video series that teaches you exactly how to actually job search! Learn the most valuable steps and techniques that help you surface job interviews fast! I cover the overall approach, how to target companies, identify people to contact, and teach you how to craft networking messages that get replies. Plus, I show you the problems you’ll encounter and how to overcome them! Check it out here and start NOW: https://www.milewalkacademy.com/andre… ——————– FREE DOWNLOAD: INDUSTRIES THAT WILL THRIVE DURING COVID-19 ——————– Make sure to keep your job search thriving with my handy list of 36 industries and position types that will rise as a result of the coronavirus: https://www.milewalkacademy.com/growi… ——————– FREE BOOKS ——————– Make sure to get your FREE INTERVIEW INTERVENTION Hardcover, ebook, and audiobook while supplies last! Details here: http://bit.ly/YTFreeInterviewInterven… ——————– SUBSCRIBE: NEW VIDEOS + LIVE OFFICE HOURS WEEKLY ——————– SUBSCRIBE for new career and life videos weekly and join me Thursdays for Live Office Hours: https://www.youtube.com/andylacivita MORE FREE CONTENT: For much more, see my training and coaching site: https://www.milewalkacademy.com/ ——————– HOW TO JOB SEARCH DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ——————– The coronavirus (COVID-19) has certainly changed the way our world will operate and it has undoubtedly put a crimp in your job search! In the special one-hour video, I teach the key points: – Every crisis leaves an indelible mark – Revolutions, slow then accelerate – Impacts for you going forward – Industries at risk, likely to rise – Tactical changes to your job search – What to expect with job interviews – Tips on video interviewing – Skills employers will NOW look for – Questions to ask the employers – Following up, networking, interviewing I hope you can join me for how to job search during the coronavirus pandemic! ——————– RELATED VIDEOS ——————– Video Interview Tips for Job Seekers: https://youtu.be/05WWE0Afz1k Hirevue: How to Ace Video Interviews: https://youtu.be/z0uwx6r5z8c ——————– JOIN MY JOB SEARCH BOOT CAMP ——————– Get my worldwide proven system, resources, and live support for job search success. It comes with lifetime access, ongoing support, 24-30 live, private, group coaching sessions every year and so much more. Learn to… – Start in the right place (your headline/pitch, your why, your needs, your questions to employers) – Create marketing material that wows (resume, cover letters, LinkedIn Profile) – Run the perfect job hunt (most advanced job search strategies) – Interview to win the job (ace any type of interview and learn advanced selling techniques) – Negotiate like a pro (learn the nuances, psychology and steps to get paid what you deserve) Learn more here: http://bit.ly/LaCivitaJobSearchBootCamp

Georgia Lets Close-Contact Businesses Reopen Despite Coronavirus Cases Rising

(SAVANNAH, Ga.) — Some salons, gyms and other close-contact services in Georgia prepared to open Friday as the Republican governor eased a month-long shutdown amid experts’ warnings of a potential new surge in coronavirus infections and a potent objection from President Donald Trump.

With deaths and infections still rising in Georgia, many business owners planned to remain closed in spite of Gov. Brian Kemp’s assurance that hospital visits and new cases have leveled off enough for barbers, tattoo artists, massage therapists and personal trainers to return to work with restrictions.

David Huynh had 60 clients booked for appointments Friday at his nail salon in Savannah. He said that’s less than half the customers he would normally see. But he’s also starting back with fewer nail technicians to allow for empty work stations between them.

Huynh’s business, Envy Nail Bar, has been closed since March 26. But the losses extend beyond just the month he’s been shut down.

“We lost graduations, proms and weddings,” Huynh said. “Already I see stores closing down permanently. … A lot of people don’t realize, if the nation stays shut down any longer, there will be severe consequences.”

Kemp’s order allowing certain businesses to reopen Friday requires precautions such as screening customers for potential symptoms, providing staff with masks and other protective gear as available and doing frequent cleaning.

The governor has said it’s imperative to begin easing his state’s economic suffering. The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that 1.1 million workers — about one-fifth of the state’s workforce — filed for unemployment in the five weeks since the crisis started.

Related Stories

Public health experts have warned that reopening too quickly could trigger a coronavirus resurgence. Preventing that will require increased testing and robust tracking of infected people’s contacts. Georgia has ranked in the bottom 10 of states for testing per capita. But the state is showing progress. Georgia on Thursday reported 7,000 new tests, its highest daily total yet.

Kemp’s timeline to restart the economy proved too ambitious even for Trump, who said Wednesday he “disagreed strongly” with the fellow Republican’s plan.

Shannon Pengitore, a massage therapist in Marietta outside Atlanta, had a few clients ask for appointments this week. But she’s not ready, saying she hasn’t seen clear protocols from the state for protecting herself and her clients.

“Massage therapy is continual contact with the customer for long periods of time in a small room,” Pengitore said. “If I’m not really comfortable with this, what’s getting transmitted to them? It’s a lot of anxiety.”

Starting Monday, Georgia will allow movie theaters to reopen and restaurants to resume dine-in service — as long as customers are kept at a distance.

Chef Hugh Acheson, who owns three fine-dining restaurants in Athens and Atlanta, said Georgia’s conducting too little testing to safely reopen. He also doubts it would be profitable.

“If I open up fine dining in midtown Atlanta and … 25 people show up to dinner because I’m brazen enough to do this, that’s not enough to make money and stay in business,” Acheson said.

Bethany Farmer works at an Atlanta yoga studio and tends bar at a burger joint. She said neither has asked her to return yet, and that’s fine with her. She fears slow business would mean reduced wages, and the virus remains too much of a threat.

“I could be a carrier even if I don’t feel anything,” Farmer said. “I get worried about all the other people I would encounter.”

By Russ Bynum/ AP April 24, 2020 9:03 AM EDT

Source: Georgia Lets Close-Contact Businesses Reopen Despite Coronavirus Cases Rising

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Governor Kemp announces immediate steps to reopen part of Georgia’s economy this Friday. Aired on 4/20/2020. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, Meet the Press Daily, The Beat with Ari Melber, Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, Hardball, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more. Connect with MSNBC Online Visit msnbc.com: http://on.msnbc.com/Readmsnbc Subscribe to MSNBC Newsletter: http://MSNBC.com/NewslettersYouTube Find MSNBC on Facebook: http://on.msnbc.com/Likemsnbc Follow MSNBC on Twitter: http://on.msnbc.com/Followmsnbc Follow MSNBC on Instagram: http://on.msnbc.com/Instamsnbc Georgia To Reopen Businesses This Friday, With Restrictions | MTP Daily | MSNBC

Forget China’s ‘Excessive’ Coronavirus Surveillance—This Is America’s Surprising Alternative

Here’s an interesting twist. China has spent years building a vast surveillance state to digitally track its population, a system that has come to the fore in its attempts to monitor and control the spread of coronavirus. For years we have decried this “big brother” monitoring, and yet it turns out that we have a vast surveillance dataset of our own, just waiting for the government to tap into.

Last week, I reported on viral coronavirus maps that use marketing databases to show the movements of Americans as they congregate and disperse, illustrative of the potential spread of coronavirus infections. The granularity of the data shocked many—although the subject matter distracted most from the underlying issue. The data is unique to individuals but claims anonymity—however, last year the New York Times exposed just how easily that veil is broken.

It is therefore a surprise that the U.S. government—through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has elected to use this marketing dataset rather than mobile operator data to track coronavirus. “Officials across the U.S. are using location data from millions of cellphones,” the Wall Street Journal reported on March 28, “to better understand the movements of Americans during the pandemic.” The newspaper says the plan is “to create a portal for federal, state and local officials that contains geolocation data in what could be as many as 500 cities across the U.S.”

When coronavirus first hit China, the country repurposed its surveillance state into a contact tracing and quarantine enforcement machine. The infrastructure was in place. Facial and license plate recognition, contact tracing and phone tracking, proximity reports from public transportation, apps to determine quarantine status and freedom of movement, and social media to inform on rule-breakers. Described as “excessive coronavirus public monitoring,” it is expanding China’s already pervasive use of biometric people tracking technologies.

In the West we have no such biometric-powered surveillance state, whatever campaign groups might say. There is the rule of law, warranted tracking, even campaigns to remove facial recognition from law enforcement. Meanwhile, we all carry smartphones loaded with apps that we give permission to track us, wherever we go and whenever we go there, down to a frightening level of detail.

Smartphone tracking is becoming the front-end for coronavirus population tracking—be that individuals confined to their homes, curfews, contact tracing or aggregated analysis on the impact of social distancing. A smartphone is a proxy for a person. Track the phones and you track the people. Each device can be uniquely tied to its owner, whether in Beijing or Boston, Shanghai or Seattle.

In the U.K. and mainland Europe, governments and the European Union have pulled data from the mobile network operators themselves to track millions of citizens, aggregated and anonymized, monitoring adherence with social distancing and travel restrictions. There was even talk that the GSMA might develop a centralised data program across 700 operators to track users cross-border.

Mobile networks hold significant data on customers. Location pings, call and messaging metadata, obviously the identities behind the numbers and whatever their CRM systems store. This data has its limitations. It is also heavily regulated, protected from prying eyes except under legally warranted circumstances.

There is however an even larger dataset that has no such regulatory limitations. It contains information on all of us—we actually give it permission to collect our locations, our browsing activities, where we go, when, how often. The information can be mined to infer where we work and live, what we like to do and with who. It is the closest we have to a surveillance state—and it’s now everywhere.

The database is fuelled by the apps on our smartphones—apps we give permission to access data they do not need to execute their own functions. And that data can be sold to create a revenue stream for its operators. Last year, one project set out to show just how out of hand this has become. A security researcher tested 937 Android flashlight apps—the most innocuous apps imaginable, of which 180 requested permission to access our contacts and 131 our precise locations.

This marketing data source, which gathers information on all of us, all of the time, is quite the surveillance feat. If any western government set out its intention to build such a platform there would be an extraordinary public backlash. And yet the data is there and can be accessed commercially for just the payment of a fee.

Once the pandemic is behind us, the memory of those maps tracking us coast to coast will remain. And as we look to the east, to its vast government surveillance ecosystem, perhaps we will recall the equivalent we live with ourselves. The fact is that the necessity of the coronavirus pandemic has pushed government invention into new and surprising areas. And from a surveillance stance, one of the most powerful ways imaginable has been there all the time.

It is clear that over the coming weeks we will be asked to further trade personal privacy for public safety. Those datasets can be mined for ever more powerful information—the same contact tracing and quarantine breaches China monitors. According to the WSJ, the mobile ad data “can reveal general levels of compliance with stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders—and help measure the pandemic’s economic impact by revealing the drop-off in retail customers at stores, decreases in automobile miles driven and other economic metrics.”

Not bad for a ready-made, off-the-shelf alternative.

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Zak Doffman

Zak Doffman

I am the Founder/CEO of Digital Barriers—developing advanced surveillance solutions for defence, national security and counter-terrorism. I write about the intersection of geopolitics and cybersecurity, as well as breaking security and surveillance stories. Contact me at zakd@me.com.

Source: Forget China’s ‘Excessive’ Coronavirus Surveillance—This Is America’s Surprising Alternative

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Deloitte BrandVoice: Flex Work Is A Frontline Solution And Not Just In A Crisis

Around the world, COVID-19 continues to spread and concern continues to grow. With much still unknown about the virus, authorities are urging those in higher-risk areas to stay home, even forcibly locking down some countries.

For businesses, this poses some unique challenges: How do we support the health and safety of our people, continue to serve customers and clients, and do what’s in the best interest of our communities? How do we foster continuity in times of crisis?

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Deloitte has been encouraging our people to work remotely so they can safely continue serving clients with minimal interruption. Flexible work is nothing new for us. Deloitte first began implementing formal and informal flex work arrangements with an eye toward talent retention decades ago.

What exactly is flexible working? For Deloitte, it means working remotely, predominantly from home; adjusting schedules to accommodate team, home, and client situations; adopting technology solutions to enable seamless collaboration; and teaming and flexing to meet fluctuating business needs. It also may encompass other approaches, such as abbreviated or flexible work hours; working longer, but fewer days each week; and job sharing.

When Deloitte began to roll-out its flexible work programs, we were not thinking about potential pandemics or other global crises. We were looking to provide our people with better work/life balance in today’s “always on” and “always reachable” work environment.

What we’ve learned along the way is that flexible work arrangements can, indeed, be effective alternatives to office-based work—but only as long as the individual, organization, and client are aligned on expectations and rules of the road. That means fostering a workplace culture that recognizes and rewards productivity and performance, not presenteeism. It means ongoing efforts to combat the misconception that flex work is gender-driven. And it means encouraging transparency at all levels so employees can establish work schedules that enable them to prioritize their work and their well-being.

Another valuable lesson learned after years of leveraging flex work is that it can have some unintended, but very welcome, benefits. The use of flex work in mitigating fallout from COVID-19 is a powerful example of that. But there is more.

In recent years, we have found that flex work arrangements can help with Deloitte’s aspirational goals to achieve gender parity. In particular, flex work provides working parents the flexibility that a traditional office can’t, while allowing them to continue pursuing their professional aspirations. It has been reported that companies that enable flexible working have almost three times as many female leaders as traditional companies.

We also learned that flex work can help advance progress toward Deloitte’s environmental sustainability ambitions at a very critical time. When employees work from home rather than commute—by car, train, or plane—they help, in small but meaningful ways, reduce the organization’s carbon footprint. Meanwhile, those would-be commuters get to pocket the money they would have spent on travel, and can even live in lower-cost areas that are farther from urban centers. Organizations can save on real estate and other overhead costs, as well.

The data proves it: Among those who work remotely, both part- and full-time, productivity levels skyrocket—77% feel more productive when working remotely, and 30% feel they’ve accomplished more in less time. Flex workers also take shorter breaks, fewer sick days, and less vacation time. Clearly, flexible work works.

It is hard to know exactly how the COVID-19 situation will unfold. But what we do know is that flex work is putting businesses in a powerful position to help mitigate the impact. My hope is that we continue to leverage that influence long after the threat of COVID-19 has passed. Because when businesses begin to see flexible working less as a back-up option and more as a frontline solution, we can deliver on far more than just the bottom line.

Michele Parmelee

Michele Parmelee

Michele Parmelee is the global Chief People and Purpose Officer at Deloitte. In this role, Michele works to build the firm’s reputation, create a differentiated talent experience, develop insights, and promote and protect the Deloitte brand. In addition, she leads the Office of the Deloitte Global CEO and Deloitte Global Programs. She is a member of the Deloitte Global Executive Committee. As a consulting principal in the United States, Michele has 18 years of experience at Deloitte working with Financial Services clients in the areas of strategy and operations.

Source: Deloitte BrandVoice: Flex Work Is A Frontline Solution—And Not Just In A Crisis

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