Across industries, smart leaders are mindful of “proximity bias”—the potential to unequally distribute opportunities to those who are more physically present, to the disadvantage of those who are remote. Avoiding this requires an acute focus on culture and providing an equitable, omni-connected experience in which people can forge relationships, create both personal and business value and impact, and grow their careers. The four key future of work strategies to create value through omni-connected experiences are:
- Instill modern leadership: Lead with empathy, transparency and trustworthiness.
- Grow a thriving culture: Nurture cultural norms that prioritize purpose, authenticity and psychological safety.
- Enable the agile organization: Take flexibility further and scale new ways of working.
- Empower people through technology: Provide access to a robust foundation and the ability to experiment.
Omni-connection provides a sense of purpose. However, only 26% of CEOs are ready to transform the work experience and manage people and their organizations in new ways. Many are reluctant to prioritize work models and approaches that differ from those used in the past. Future-ready CEOs will be at a distinct advantage moving forward because they:
- Connect people to purpose in ways that are personal and impactful by giving them a sense of dignity and clarity at work.
- Embed learning and development across the experience of every worker through reskilling or upskilling opportunities.
- Enable people to be productive anywhere, ultimately creating organization-wide cultural practices that drive successful omni-connection in the future of work.
- Develop an organization-wide digital strategy in which digital tools are at the center of how people connect, work and grow.
The collective call to reimagine how and where we work is strong. Optimizing the resources that ensure a healthy and productive workforce, regardless of physical location, can be daunting—but organizations that do will see bottom-line benefits.
