Managed.IT - issue 59

18 01732 759725 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT work in the future. One notable transformation has been the increased number of people turning to gig working. While it has always been important, agility will be vital for business survival in the post-pandemic era, and the flexibility provided by the gig economy should be taken into consideration by all business leaders. Another crucial takeaway from the past few months is the importance of empathy and social impact. Alongside the need for companies to keep operating, the crisis has made it clear that business leaders need to empathise with and support local communities where they can. James Herbert, CEO & founder, Hastee Over nine months have passed since the pandemic brought about widespread change. With things unlikely to return to any semblance of ‘normal’ anytime soon, many organisations are considering a longer term strategy. How can they keep their customers and their employees engaged and ensure those relationships prosper? One of the greatest negative impacts of COVID-19 has been upon personal finances. According to Hastee’s research, two-thirds (66%) of UK workers have been affected by personal finance- related stress in 2020 and 41% have increased their use of credit, overdraft or loans. However, 59% state that early access to earned pay would have stopped them requiring this high-cost credit. As the economic fallout continues, workers need liquidity to react to changing circumstances: they need to be given more flexible pay structures by their employer. An earnings on demand solution offering staff access to their Liron Smadja, Director of Global Expansion Marketing, Fiverr The coronavirus pandemic has forced many businesses to shift their offering from offline to online, and specialist skills such as SEO, website design, expert copywriting and animation are in high demand as entrepreneurs try to figure out how to thrive in the digital world. Businesses should be looking to recruit freelance talent to help them with this shift. Whether you’re trying to optimise your social channels, launch a product or create your eCommerce store, digital talent marketplaces like Fiverr allow you to build a specialist team that is tailored to your business needs. Now that in-person interactions aren’t possible, working in distributed teams and outsourcing resources have become huge parts of the ‘new normal’. Fiverr empowers people to experiment with new ways of working without breaking the bank with expensive set up costs and agency fees. Sacha Michaud, Co-founder, Glovo In the ‘new normal’, flexibility and safety for workers should be front of mind. From the normalisation of virtual onboarding to the innovative use of technology to support remote work, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped how we will Joshua Zerkel, Certified Professional Organiser and Head of Global Engagement Marketing, Asana I’ve recently read a quote that really resonated with me, saying that work is so omnipresent it can feel like you’re not working from home, but living at work. With the lines between home and work becoming increasingly blurred, it’s critical to be able to separate the two. As businesses seek to establish a work environment that supports employees, whether they’re in the office or working from home, take time to review how you keep your team connected and aligned. Create a supportive company culture that encourages both you and your team to switch off in the evenings and at weekends and establish a safe environment where employees who have to balance work with care for children or dependents can share their concerns around how this is impacting them – and work with them to create solutions together. With a supportive company culture, employees are empowered to thrive. Businesses looking to define the new working normal of distributed teams will need to provide clear goals for individuals, teams and the company as a whole. By providing clarity across the organisation, everyone can see how their work ladders up to company-wide goals, giving them purpose and direction. Now is the time for business leaders to establish the best methods for supporting employee engagement and business success. Make those changes or risk being left behind in the new world of work. How to navigate the ‘new normal’ The pandemic has forced many organisations to rethink their business strategies. Here, eight technology leaders reflect on the lessons they have learnt in the last nine months and suggest what other businesses should do to prosper in the future Joshua Zerkel, Asana Sacha Michaud Liron Smadja, Fiverr James Herbert, Hastee