The world of work as we know it is going to look drastically different from it is now, post-COVID-19. Skills required will change; learning experiences need to be changed for this new world of work. Thus, there is an imminent need to relook at our talent practices and how we can improve the experience of our employees during and post this global crisis. The People Matters EX Virtual Conference on 19th June is our endeavor to throw the spotlight on employee experience (EX) to reiterate its importance, especially in today’s changing times.

The Virtual Conference aims to spark ideas and initiate actions on accelerating the development of a consumer mindset to solving people & work challenges in order to attract and retain future talent, bolstering productivity and ultimately building happier workplaces. The conference will bring together experts who are leading the conversation on EX in their respective organizations. 

One such expert is Ben Eubanks is the Principal Analyst at Lighthouse Research & Advisory. Ben is also the author of Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Build a Successful Workforce. Ben is an expert in the future of work as it relates to talent, technology, and innovation.

In an exclusive interaction with People Matters, Ben shares key skills that will become more important post-COVID-19 and HR’s new role in the post- COVID world. Here are a few excerpts:

What are some of the skills that the pandemic will bring to the fore for people to adapt to the new world of work? 

Skills like creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration were already important, but this crisis has pushed each of these capabilities into even greater demand in the workplace. 

How can leaders and organizations train their employees for adaptability? 

Our research shows that learners prefer to pick up new skills through experiential learning (on the job), followed by coaching and mentoring (social), and then any formal courses and content last. HR leaders often think that creating content is the best way to help employees learn, but that is not their preference according to our data. 

The COVID-19 epidemic will lead to a surge in digitization and the use of AI. What are some of the human skills that will still be unreplaceable? 

The Lighthouse Research & Advisory Human Skills Model shows that creativity, curiosity, compassion, critical thinking, and collaboration are all essential human capabilities and it is incredibly difficult to teach AI to replicate any of those. 

What will be HR’s new role in the post-COVID-19 world? 

HR will be more strategic than before because the recent changes have pushed HR to the forefront of many business conversations. It's critical that we don't let things go back to "the way they were" pre COVID because HR leaders at many companies finally have the credibility that they have longed for. 

What are some major trends that will dominate the post-COVID-19 world of work?

There will be more remote work overall, which creates opportunities to work with teams across the globe; however, it is critical that we intentionally leave time in for socializing and innovation, as those are the two aspects that first break down in a remote work context. 

Ben will be speaking on building new workforce skills and cracking digital learning with a focus on building a continuous learning experience.

To learn from him and other experts as to what it takes to create a world of incredible experiences, join us for the People Matters EX: A Virtual Conference on 19th June

Click here to register.