“I can’t believe that we were talking about the future of work 10 years ago. We knew that technology and behaviors were changing in a way that put employees in charge of their own destiny instead of having a company own their destiny, which is how it was when I started my career. Personal empowerment was getting stronger through the past decade. Then the pandemic happened and put everything on steroids. As a result, we have seen more change to the ways we work more quickly than ever before.”
Source: Maynard Webb, Fast Company
AT A GLANCE:
Writing for Fast Company, Maynard Webb, former CEO of LiveOps and the former COO of eBay, and the author of the 2013 book “Rebooting Work,” examines the future of work in the post-pandemic era. “A confluence of events and progressions in technology” has enabled workers and employers alike to learn that remote work isn’t just possible, but that it offers tangible benefits to both sides of the equation.
Looking ahead, Webb predicts four trends for remote workers and the companies that hire them. Increased flexibility from employers will become norm, opening up wider pools of previously untapped talent. Geography will also become more flexible: as our cities and towns change, many workers will “no longer have to choose between having a great job and living where they desire.” Business travel will be “forever changed” as busy executives increasingly adopt teleconferencing tools as a replacement for out-of-town travel. Finally, when it is safe to do so, there will be a return to “lots of in-person time,” Webb writes, “When we can do that without fear again it will be amazing and more appreciated than ever.”
