“We believe in the power of curiosity and continuous learning,” Zurich’s Rock says. “Versatility and the ability to learn, quickly and constantly, are likely to become the most sought-after professional traits.”

Organizations that create an environment of continuous learning will be better positioned for a future of work where employees are always upskilling and reskilling to meet new challenges as they emerge.

Forward-thinking organizations will also develop a more resilient team by making remote work a choice, not a mandate, to avoid additional stress and lower productivity. Many employees forced to go home during COVID-19 have realized they can be productive in this setting; however, others may long for face-to-face interactions with team members and colleagues.

Almost half of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after COVID-19 eases, according to a recent Gartner poll.5 To help the team adapt to this new normal, organizations will need to include training on how to collaborate digitally and adjust performance goals and evaluations for a part-time remote working environment.

As remote working becomes the norm, an organization’s processes and culture will need to enable productive teamwork and clear communications without consistent day-to-day interactions. “Communication between managers and their team members is key to arriving at work arrangements that are fit for purpose,” says Al Crook, Head of HR Business Partners at Zurich North America. “It’s having a level of discussion that’s different from the past. It doesn’t cross lines or break boundaries — I don’t have to tell you everything about my personal life — but there’s a need for another level of sharing and transparency about what the company’s and employee’s needs are. Then it’s about giving people a series of options that are fit for purpose. And fit for purpose isn’t static; it might be your fit for purpose this week or this summer, and then it changes because you have a parent who gets sick or your child is home because school is closed.”

For example, between 90% and 95% of Zurich’s global workforce has worked from home during the crisis. Research points to the majority of workers being as productive or more productive working from home. Others, however, find themselves less so due to childcare or other family needs, loneliness or other factors. This indicates that employers will have to be more flexible in accommodating both those who work well at home and workers who prefer being in a company office. “If you want to get the best out of your employees, you have to make the system even more flexible than it used to be,” said Patrick Sloukgi, Group Head of Business Resilience at Zurich. “Management style will have to change.”

Embedding Resilience to Handle Future Uncertainty

Organizations have been thrust into an accelerated timeline for determining what the future of work will look like. So far, integrating technology and encouraging different employees to collaborate in new ways is resulting in better, faster and even cost-effective ways of operating for many organizations. We know from history that moments of crisis can only be survived through quick, decisive actions by an organization’s leaders. Ensuring the ability to weather tomorrow’s unknown changes, however, requires organizations to create mindfully a sustainable future of work — one that embeds resilience by building agility and flexibility into every process and with each employee.