Jason Averbook - Global Thought Leader, Industry Analyst, and CEO of Leapgen - says we must stop looking to the future of work. Instead, we must focus on the NOW of work. Along with sudden change and jolting obstacles, COVID-19 is making us take stock (if we’re smart) – and we’re never going to have this opportunity again.

Jason has defined 10 New Guideposts for the NOW of work:

1. Aligned Mindset. Focus is more important than ever.

Ask yourself what matters now to your workforce? What is high-impact to your organisation right now? Set a coordinated and clear vision and strategy for how to get there and be fully committed and accepting of change.

 

2. Work as we know it has changed forever.

No exaggeration. Working remotely. Socialising remotely. Spending more time with family. 92% don’t want it to go back to the way is was before. We must stop processes that don’t add value NOW and truly focus on navigating as work is redefined weekly.

 

3. New HR/People Operating Model: ‘Digital Delivery’ Required

This doesn’t mean getting rid of people. HR must shift from a siloed technology operating model to a coordinated digital model. The days of having HR, HR Operations and an HR technology function are over. It is now time for HR to embed a digital mindset into function.

 

4. Employee Experience Layer a MUST: not a nice to have

People are searching for answers and not finding them. No more “link farms” with links to systems, old content and information that isn’t personalised to me. We MUST optimise our Intranets, Portals and Experience Layers to the NOW of work.

 

5. Moments that really matter

Our job is to enable experiences, communications and capabilities that can drive the highest impact on the organisation over the next three to six months.

 

6. Managers/Leaders in the New Now of Work

They can be HR’s biggest advocates. Employees will listen to them like never before. What we have been thinking about workforce experience has changed overnight. We must think about communication, coaching, feeling and wellbeing … which is much more than a nice user interface.

 

7. People Data – a whole new world

Our #nowofwork requires us to know more about our people, who they connect with, how they are feeling, what they are thinking, and in real time. We need to shift from counting heads to making people count. Let’s rid ourselves of the once-per-year engagement survey model. It’s time to move to truly listening, monitoring and action model to truly understand our workforce. We have wasted trillions of dollars and millions of employee and manager hours doing talent management practices that simply DON’T MATTER -  our time to reinvent is now.

 

8.  Digital Workplace is now a BIG PART of HR’s responsibility

The Digital Workplace is a new mandate for every organisation in the world. HR needs to play a big part in this strategy – if not own it! We are finally shifting from tech-led change to people-led change enabled by tech.

 

9. Roadmaps need revising NOW

What we planned on doing in 2020 more than likely makes no sense any longer. Priorities have changed; intentional sequencing more important than ever and a focus on the NOW to NEXT.

 

10. Mindset - #nowofwork

We have the biggest opportunity of our careers right now to reshape, reframe and reset the future of HR’s function. Each day we should challenge ourselves to break the status quo. 20f20 will be the year HR changed forever; because of us!

 

To see Jason expand on these points all the while enjoying some energetic feedback (and debate) from attendees, check out this lively presentation in the Tech Fest webinar series.