What will the modern workplace look like by the end of 2022 and beyond?
At Dial A Geek, we think that the many changes 2020 and 2021 have started or accelerated some key trends.
Specifically, we think there are five trends we’re seeing now that will be ongoing features of the workplace of the future.
Here’s what we think those trends are and how we foresee them affecting the businesses and people of the industries we work with.
2022 and trends in the modern workplace
1) Digital transformation
2020 and 2021 saw more businesses than ever before – and in a wider range of industries – begin to integrate digital technology into the way they work.
COVID-19 and the accompanying lockdowns have shown how vital this kind of transformation is. So has the ever-more threatening modern cybersecurity landscape.
There is still resistance in some quarters. But as accurate data on the benefits of making this kind of change spreads, technologies like AI, automation, and integrating products and hardware with the Internet of Things are going to spread with it.
2) Cybersecurity
With 4 out of 10 UK businesses suffering a cybersecurity breach in 2021 and the average cost of each breach now over £13 000, global cybersecurity concerns have never been higher.
Cybercrime numbers were huge even before COVID-19 saw a rapid acceleration. Smart firms are already putting protections in place. But the type and sophistication of attacks are always changing.
These days, your team is much more likely to fall victim to social engineering attacks than other “traditional” forms of hacking. That proliferation of threats and the need to tackle them is only going to grow in the workplace of the future.
3) Remote working
The COVID-19 pandemic also saw remote working numbers grow higher than ever before – and demonstrated the benefits of the model. Boosts in team productivity, morale, collaboration, and recruitment not least among them.
But there are challenges too. Business leaders need to choose the right technology and encourage their teams to be productive, connected, and interact without being overbearing.
We predict that those companies that master their remote working offering are going to continue to gain the advantage over those that don’t.
4) Environmental and social responsibility
The trend towards businesses doubling down on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has also taken off in the past few years.
This is driven by issues like climate change, equality, and diversity reaching boiling point in recent years (hopefully not literally as far as the world’s oceans are concerned).
We fully expect the job talent and consumers of the future to increasingly flock towards businesses that commit to CSR issues they support – that’s why we’ve recently joined other companies in working towards our B corp certification and we think lots more businesses are going to do the same in the near future.
We also foresee more and more businesses using tech to address social and green issues. Think of the advantages of the Software as a Service model on the environment, for example.
5) Productivity
“Productivity” is one of the buzzwords of 2020 and 2021. We think it’s going to be a major factor governing the ways developing trends are judged in the workplace of the future too.
New trends like remote working and the digital transformation are going to be weighed on the merits of how they impact a business’s productivity.
Yet the need to collect data and make judgements on these changes is also going to create ethical problems for employers. Leaders will need to decide where they draw the line as far as monitoring their staff goes.
Workplace trends to follow in 2022 and beyond
We love technology. So we’re more than a little excited to see how the workplace of 2022 and beyond is going to continue to embrace it.
On top of that, we’re loving this shift towards a more ethical way of doing business – we’re sure it’s going to become more pronounced. Heck, we could be seeing a new form of capitalism on the horizon!
Okay, we’re not holding our breath for that one. But as far as the workplace of the future is concerned, we think productivity, remote working, cybersecurity, social and environmental responsibility, and the digital transformation as a whole will be the overarching trends to follow.
Want to see our full report on the key trends in the workplace of the future?
Download the full PDF version here.
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