COVID-19 accelerated changes that were already reshaping the workplace, including digitization, remote working, distributed workforces, asynchronous and virtual collaboration, and reskilling and upskilling. Companies can keep the momentum going—there is an opportunity now to boldly design a future of work that’s based on what the work requires and what talent needs.
Work will never be the same. A June 2021 study from Future Forum (of which BCG is a founding member) assessed more than 10,000 knowledge workers in six countries and found that 93% want a flexible schedule, 76% want flexibility in where they work, and 56% are open to a job change.
As leaders navigate the future of work, they must balance two fundamental goals: to manage the operational challenges of near-term decisions regarding a return to premises and to invest in innovative work and talent models designed to address customers’ and employees’ changing demands. To achieve these goals, organizations must excel in six areas:
We have developed an integrated approach that enables companies to understand how to prepare for the future of work, expand their thinking from the tactical to the strategic, and redefine the way work gets done.
We have an opportunity to create a future of work that is more engaging, productive and humane. Find out how we can stop contorting our lives around work — and instead reshape work to better fit our lives.
Explore BCG's expertise on the Future of Work
Senior executives say that their organizations still have a long way to go in improving the future-of-work experience for employees, especially for deskless workers.
How can organizations recalibrate their outdated approach to leadership, work, culture, and purpose? Deborah Lovich, who leads BCG’s people strategy topic, and Brian Elliott, executive leader and senior vice president of Future Forum, explore.
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The pandemic has shown companies that their employees can be just as productive working without the former constraints of time and location. Business leaders have the opportunity and imperative to intentionally design the future of work to unleash a new wave of productivity.
The pandemic has caused unprecedented organizational disruption. But it also has offered valuable lessons about the way we work—and created significant opportunities.
A systematic approach to postpandemic ways of working can capture the upsides of these models while mitigating the risks.
Leaders should be managing remote working conditions amid the uncertainty of today and prepare for and optimize the hybrid working models of tomorrow.
The pandemic forced companies to embrace remote work very quickly. This sudden shift—which has now settled into a hybrid work model for many businesses—gave companies an opportunity to reimagine the way work gets done.
Hybrid working models can get messy. Companies must establish principles to focus the organization on behavior change—and put guardrails in place to avoid creating inequitable experiences.
One in five knowledge workers is likely to jump to a new company in the next year, and more than half are open to looking for a new position. Meanwhile, companies are rethinking their talent models—including what a “job” looks like. This is about to be the fiercest race for talent we’ve ever seen.
They’ve been called heroes during the pandemic, but many of these workers aren’t satisfied with their jobs. Here’s what leaders can do to change that.
One-third of "deskless” workers—those who need to be physically present to do their jobs—may leave their jobs within six months. Debbie Lovich explains why these employees are looking elsewhere and what organizations can do to improve work for this group.
The US desperately needs workers. Workers desperately need help taking care of their children and (increasingly) their parents.
The pandemic forced many organizations to rethink their working models overnight. Employees, as a result, are reassessing their work lives. BCG's Sharon Marcil discusses how organizations can build a culture that attracts, retains, and sustains the best talent.
Today's workers want a flexible schedule, flexibility in where they work, and a good portion are likely to jump to a new company in the next year. To win the war for talent, employers should take note.
A study of 209,000 people in 190 countries hints at how workplaces will have to change in the future.
By the end of 2023, the gig economy was expected to account for more than $450 billion in revenue. Based on what we experienced over the past year and a half, that projection now seems far too conservative.
With employees jumping ship in record numbers in the United States, companies are facing a talent crunch. One HR strategy they should embrace is to make themselves so attractive that employees won’t want to leave.
Companies that understand which jobs are growing and which are disappearing—as well as which skills are increasingly in demand and which are becoming obsolete—will gain a significant advantage over competitors.
An in-depth analysis of the US, Germany, and Australia shows how technology will disrupt labor markets by 2030—displacing millions of workers but creating new opportunities as well.
A study of 209,000 people in 190 countries shows the appeal of professional reinvention at an uncertain time.
There is a clear need for upskilling and reskilling on a large scale. But how can this be accomplished and funded?
Companies are transforming their operating models to enable faster innovation and adaptation using agile at scale, AI at scale, and bionic ways of working. The best way to redesign an operating model in the postpandemic era? Boldly and quickly.
In cooperation with the World Economic Forum’s Future of Work project, BCG is developing a blueprint to help companies assess and manage changes and challenges in the future of work.
Can companies find the right design to unleash the power of technology?
Why do digital natives grow into the world’s most valuable companies seemingly overnight while the world’s largest legacy companies achieve only incremental digital progress?
Associate Director
Platinion – Pittsburgh
