What new skills and training will we need for the new world of work?

Answering the big questions from our Work Reimagined festival

Continuing on our quest to answer all your questions from our Work Reimagined Festival, today we’re focusing on skills and training requirements in the new hybrid world of work.

As we move from crisis mode into purposeful planning — businesses and employees will need to think about what skills and training are needed to thrive In the hybrid world. While this will look different for every business, in my view there are a few core things to focus on:

Start with the basics. I don’t believe that employees are yet using the technology they have in the best way possible. I often hear people say that “the tech is rubbish here!”. I’ve worked in big corporations and it’s often not the tech, it’s the person’s ability to use it and I don’t mean that as a criticism — you don’t know what you don’t know!

Next, focus on making meetings effective. Long and ineffective meetings have always been a bugbear of mine and doing them virtually can be even more of a drag, so the strategy needs a rethink. Instead design shorter sessions with pre-read-,they are far more powerful. Brilliant digital facilitation is also a must and be sure to build in breaks if it is a long one! Annabel Staib is a whiz at this and shared some top tips for designing brilliant digital experiences.

Finally, the “R” word — resilience, which is really built from being highly self-aware, setting boundaries and then deliberately contracting with yourself when you need to step outside of them.

At the last day of our Work Reimagined festival we focused on building capability for a resilient workforce. We heard from industry leaders and change makers and it became clear that people are actively seeking to learn the skills they need to thrive in a remote working environment. This isn’t normal remote working. It’s ‘trying to work from home during a pandemic’. Homeschooling, health concerns, social isolation, monotony, financial worry are just a few of the pressures that are making it more than just ‘remote working’. It’s not sustainable, and people are crying out for skills, techniques and support to help manage it all. According to the Senior Director of Employee Comms at Linkedin this is a clear trend. On Linkedin Learning there’s an uptake in courses on time management, productivity, mental wellness and techniques to manage stress. People are recognising that building their ability to thrive in the remote working environment is not only a vital work skill, but a life skill too.

Check out yesterday’s article exploring whether a new style of leadership is required post pandemic.

Jenny Burns is an Executive Partner at Fluxx. For more info on the work we’re doing to reimagine the workplace check out these links or get in touch at Jenny.burns@fluxx.uk.com.