Trends that will change how we do business in 2021

In just a few short months, COVID-19 transformed every aspect of enterprise operations, from disrupting the global supply chain to putting unprecedented importance on internal communications.

In 2020, many enterprises were in crisis mode, trying to maintain business continuity while ensuring the health and safety of their workers. As businesses continue to navigate the new normal, goals will shift towards boosting efficiency and increasing output while recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

Given the importance of this, we’ve explored some important trends for 2021 for how companies are appraising their strategies. Let’s take a look!

 

Flexibility within Business operations will steadily rise

 

Remote work became the new normal for many employees during the pandemic, and it’s unlikely this will change anytime soon. One-third of companies anticipate that at least half of their workforce will continue working remotely post-pandemic.

We know this by now: the shift towards remote work is one of the current business trends that has prompted companies to become more flexible. And now that employers have experienced how successful remote workers can be, more flexible work policies will likely become the norm.

But what about frontline workers, who do not and will not work in an office or from home?

Companies that employ frontline workers will have to become more flexible in their work policies, too. Frontline workers have been traditionally underserved when it comes to digital communication. During the pandemic, frontline industries have had to find digital tools to keep their employees informed. To maintain frontline worker safety, updating the company bulletin board just isn’t an option anymore.

In 2021, we won’t just see more companies offer flexible work-from-home policies for office-bound employees. We’ll also see frontline industries lean into digital tools in order to offer a more flexible way of accessing information, safety and measurement for their employees!

 

Cross-Collaboration will grow its importance

 

Most enterprises have had to adjust their businesses significantly to adapt to the pandemic. That adjustment is proving to be a permanent change across all industries. 76% of leaders are saying that current business models will be unrecognizable in the next 5 years.

While partnerships between different companies and even industries have been key to minimizing disruption, internal collaboration is one of the organizational trends that will carry over into 2021.

Online collaboration tools have become indispensable for frontline workers during COVID-19, allowing companies to relay critical health and safety protocols. Moving forward, one of the trends that leaders will embrace is integrating communication tools into wider aspects of a company’s corporate machinery. At scale this has its own pitfalls, however, transparency and open access to communications is inherently a net positive 

 

Frontline Workers will need more Support

 

In 2021, front-line/offline workers will still be continuing to work semi-traditionally, outside the home and have a higher chance of being exposed to health and safety risks. Companies that employ frontline workforces will have to introduce new tools and strategies to boost employee physical safety and general wellbeing.

To manage all of this, strengthening mobile communication is a big part of the equation when it comes to improving safety for frontline workers – giving employees instant access to information, including up-to-date safety protocol and creating courses for workplace safety training to provide employees skills and channels to deal with potential risks will be vital over the long run.

Empowering frontline workers through digital enablement tools is one of the current trends in enterprise management, and we’re proud to be helping global organizations manage this situation in a difficult moment for everyone. 

 

Management Leaders Will Focus On Digital Transformation

 

It’s safe to say that COVID-19 disrupted daily operations for enterprise-level businesses. But how did enterprise leaders respond to those disruptions?

Well, It’s clear that enterprise leaders are prioritizing digital transformation in the form of collaboration, communication, and engagement in order to move towards a hybrid workforce.

During the pandemic, business continuity has depended on how well enterprises can use digital tools to connect their employees. While companies may have adopted new tools as a form of crisis communication, there’s no doubt that a centralized, digital platform can offer long-term benefits!

 

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The pandemic has pushed digital collaboration from the nice-to-have to the must-have category. Companies that may have used collaboration software as a temporary fix may need to integrate it into their internal communication strategy.