How Data and Community Are Empowering New Trends for the Future of Work

As students go back to school, the age-old ‘back to routine’ rhetoric remains challenged by ongoing uncertainty around the return to in-person work. The confluence of a reduction in COVID protocols and the diminishing prevalence of the pandemic is arguably a turning point for a comeback. The reality, however - as put forth by future of work reporter Emma Goldberg - is expected to be more ‘like a trickle than a flood.’ This skepticism is backed up by a recent New York Times report which showed office occupancy continues at less than 50% in New York City and just 8% of Manhattan office workers are back in-person full time.

While the long-term future work may remain unclear, one conclusion can be drawn with near certainty: the parameters of people’s work and life choices have become more entwined than ever. While many companies are not quite yet convinced their staff can work ‘anywhere, everywhere, all at once forever more,’ employee surveys do suggest that hybrid models at least have emerged as the clear majority preference of staff moving forward.

Faced with this new paradigm, the question is raised as to how companies should respond. Double-down on forcing office workers back to the world we knew pre 2020 or accept the will of the people and embrace adaptation? If adaptation and evolution are to be the name of the game moving forward, companies looking to capitalize on the new dynamic should be looking for ways to optimize the incorporation of remote and hybrid working into their business models. One key in unlocking this potential, might lie with a word often invoked, (but not always understood) when describing workplace culture: community. 

The community opportunity

The historical evolution of industry and society meant people lived where they worked. This has often been to the detriment of remote locations and smaller communities. Without the staying power of employment opportunity, these places have found themselves progressively hollowed out as people left for larger cities and their accompanying job opportunities. 

However, the rise of remote and hybrid working has had the power to arrest this trend and reverse the long-term decline, allowing new localities the chance to compete in new ways. The pandemic saw numerous talented professionals around the globe leave large cities for more rural areas, attracted to their better quality of life and access to green spaces. For many, this is their new normal, and they are looking for careers that will facilitate that flexibility. They are contributing to communities in new ways and building not just their own professional future but that of their region. A good example of this is Grow Remote, an Irish-born community initiative started by a WhatsApp group in 2018 curious about remote work and how it could help local communities. It’s quickly grown to 4 countries with 3 million members highlighting the changing current in how professionals are balancing life and location when it comes to the future of work.

There is an opportunity here for employers willing to see it. Whether they have staff working fully remote or part-time, organizations need to leverage the power of shared community and better understand this new reality.  Remote and hybrid working models open more doors for those looking for new talent. It creates access to an untapped pool of employees who felt sidelined by traditional bias, whether it be in terms of location proximity (i.e., rural communities) or societal expectations (i.e., the often-female role of caregivers).

Companies that take the time to understand and connect with the broader context of employees’ lives can turn vulnerabilities into opportunities, and reap the rewards that come from talent commitment, retention, and cultural buy-in. 

The power of data

To leverage this as an opportunity for talent acquisition effectively and in a sustainable way, organizations need to be able to harness the power of data. Access to community data on population, skills, academic and talent insights is key to bridging the link between localities and employers and unlocking access to this talent.

When it comes to remote and hybrid working models there needs to be a calculation between capability and community. This means accessing existing and new skills data and using algorithms to predict gaps and create future need assessments. To highlight the key nature of this data, the European Commission partnered with the talent matching platform Abodoo. This partnership aims to gather insights on rural communities across Europe with intent to boost the growth of remote towns and villages by connecting them with talent and opportunities and creating hubs for entrepreneurship and rural innovation. A future where human capital and capabilities are known and mapped allows data to be used as a key building block of successful remote ecosystems.

For this to be effective there needs to be a concerted effort across business, industry and government to harness the power of data and develop local communities. Employers must be deliberate about the construct of remote and what it means for individuals and the organization. Through partnership with Industry, community and government remote work can enable a more inclusive workforce, reverse attrition and elevate rural areas. Through the power of community and data insights, there is an opportunity for employers to leverage a new flexible world-of-work for competitive advantage.