Four Ways in Which Work Is Impacted by the Pandemic | Workplace Policy Institute Report

According to a new report, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change the way we work fundamentally, a new set of challenges is presented to companies. This 34-page report is broken into four sections, covering 1) job markets, 2) the changing nature of work, 3) lawsuits associated with COVID-19, and 4) a chapter on state and federal efforts to address the pandemic. While each chapter contains several insights, the changing nature of work section (chapter 2 beginning on p.13) has interesting elements–each of which brings new challenges. The issues discussed in this section include Changes to On-Site Work, Allure of Automation, and On-Demand Economy. Concerning the On-Demand Economy, the report indicates that The demand for certain gig economy services, such as food service delivery, increased significantly. As more permanent jobs disappear, more workers are expected to pivot to work as independent contractors. However, certain legislative efforts at the state and federal level might make this transition more difficult.“ Although the gig economy was already on the rise before the pandemic, its accelerated growth post-pandemic presents an opportunity to reinvent aspects of strategic workforce planning (SWP). And as many organizations will continue to want flexible work models and cost structures, the “borrow” component of most SWP frameworks (Build, Buy, Borrow, Bot) is likely to become a more utilized lever for many organizations. In what ways will your organization need to adjust its workforce plans to reflect contingent workers–or borrow-based strategies? How will these plans change based on different future scenarios that your organization might face (e.g., a decline in revenue, business growth in a particular geographic region, etc?)