The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented change in the way the world used to work. The effects of transformative technologies are evident in our daily lives. It has changed how we work, shop, communicate, and care. Every industry has been revolutionised by advancements in automation, IT, and globalisation to the extent that the HR domain is not immune to it. The pandemic has reshaped and redefined the meaning of employee, brought HR people to the centre stage, and many more.

A panel of experts comprising Prasad Rajappan; Founder and MD, ZingHR, and Anthony Raja Devadoss; Managing Director and Senior Client Partner, Malaysia, Korn Ferry, and Prasanth Nair; Chief HR Advisor, TVS Capital Funds discussed the future of work and how organisations can prepare for it, at People Matters TechHR SG.

It is important to note that the future of work will be about value addition, irrespective of the time and place it is added. The concept of employee will also be no longer there while visualising the future of work. “Thanks to the rising culture of the gig economy, employees of future will no longer just be an employee, indeed they will be business partners,” says Nair. Adding that, there will be no hierarchy in the future workplace. It will be a cluster and network that will dominate future organisations.

Defining the upcoming workplace, Nair emphasised that hobbies, interests, and passion would define the work while the future of work can be defined as ‘NICE’ networked, integrated, collaborative, and experiment mode.

Role revision for HR people

As Covid accelerated the adoption of technology in our daily lives, the role of HR professionals also got reshaped in a post-pandemic world. “In view of the changing work culture, HR professionals have come at the centre stage. They are more oriented,” said Prasad. However, he foresees that the future workplace will not have a dedicated HR department, but their role would become more prominent and continue to evolve,” said Prasad. He further added that learning finance and technology would help to survive in the changing world.

Everyone has gone through the disruption and so is HR. In fact, the last two years were the most disruptive phase for them. They have undergone a huge change from functional and people’s perspectives.

Emphasising the changes in HR functions after the pandemic, Anthony Raja Devadoss said that reinvention, scarcity, vitality, sustainability, inclusivity, accountability, and agility are the seven themes that emerged after Covid 19.