Future of Work Roundup: August 5

This week’s Future of Work Roundup looks at what six experts forecast for the future of remote work, plus how to drive higher hybrid work performance through closer connections.

Experts weigh on their predictions for the future of remote work.

While no one can predict the future of work, we can all speculate about what it’ll look like. Will remote work be ingrained in our work culture forever? Will it impact the chances of raises and promotions? Could one be so far removed from the office that their job simply gets outsourced??

Whoa, whoa, whoa… let’s calm down.

• Look, these are all questions percolating in our mind-grapes. So Vox spoke with six experts – men and women from Ivy Leagues to heads of HR – to get their take on what the future of remote work could look like. 
• Their thoughts vary, as one can imagine, but there’s a few things that are clear: remote work is here to stay, at least in some capacity, and orgs have to prioritize ways to streamline comms for their teams (which are now fully hybrid) in order to build camaraderie and attract the best talent.

The bottom line: Businesses have to start considering their tech stack that behooves their remote teams, particularly around how they broadcast company-wide comms in a way that’s engaging and informative.

Source: Vox

Achieve higher hybrid work performance through closer connections.

As the realization becomes clearer and clearer that remote and hybrid work is here to stay, it becomes increasingly important to understand how we can do these things well. And the folks at Reworked have some answers.

Hold me closer, tiny dancer.

• Basically. Data from RedThread Research shows that connection is the number one thing hybrid workers need to feel and perform their very best.
• Look, even people who love to work remote can still feel (on a island?) lonely, disengaged with their teams, or feel FOMO when those in-person do get together. That’s why things like (not at all scary) informal check-ins and better on-boarding are shown to help foster a better sense of connection. 

The bottom line: It’s entirely complex: just because people want the better work/life balance that comes with remote work doesn’t mean they want to be hermits that don’t talk to anyone ever. So companies need to become more diligent in connecting with their hybrid teams by having the right tools in their comms stack to do so effectively.

Source: ReWorked