October 2021
What used to be major news is now becoming a major trend: A majority of companies plan to implement some type of COVID-19 vaccine mandate by the end of 2021. The risk management and insurance company who conducted the survey summarized the findings: “All [these mandates] will have one common goal in mind — to keep their workforce healthy and productive by minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in the workplace.” (Willis Towers Watson)
The realities of an autonomous, remote workforce are endangering the traditional concept of a “hall monitor” style manager (i.e., someone who makes rather than takes orders). The fact is, most white-collar employees don’t need a manager to actually get things done, but rather to mentor, collaborate, and engage — a different skill set entirely from what many “old-school” managers have been trained for. (The Atlantic)
The freedom to work from home is making it easier than ever for older employees to remain in the workforce. However, delaying retirement isn’t a new trend: Boomers as a generation have been pushing back the average age of retirement for years, out of both desire and (often) financial necessity. (Digiday)
The new “Vitality Index” aims to create a near-real-time picture of office foot traffic in more than 20 cities and 30 industries across North America. Office occupancy by city has been closely tied to the epidemiological and regulatory climate, but trends by industry are clearer: “Household and Consumer Products” have actually increased their foot traffic, while “Transportation” and “Logistics” companies saw the largest decline. (Avison Young)
Employees and managers had very different definitions of productivity in a recent survey, with employees saying that “using time efficiently” was the most important measurement of productivity, while managers cited “working as a team.” In fact, while collaboration and communication skills featured prominently in many managerial responses, these priorities were not reflected by employees, most of whom focused instead on deadlines and completion of tasks. (Paychex)
STEM professors are reporting that their youngest students, who grew up with Google and omnipresent search bars, are struggling to grasp the basics of digital file folders and directory structure. Right now, these students are being taught what previous generations (who organized both paper and digital files) understood intuitively, but many computer scientists predict that Gen Z will soon be creating entirely new tools and structures for digital storage. (The Verge)
While most white-collar employees are still working from home indefinitely, some have been back at the office for months now (and a few never left!) Overall, in-person work for non-essential workers remains controversial — many employees are happy to see coworkers and resume regular routines, but returning to the office has not come without significant challenges related to safety, outbreaks, and vaccination status. (The Wall Street Journal)
Once a completely separate aesthetic from home design, offices have begun increasingly incorporating domestic elements into their layouts and furnishings, a style known as “Resimercial.” While this design is supposed to make employees feel more at home in the workplace, many believe that further blurring the lines between work and home life is leading to employee burnout and an inability to disconnect from the office. (The Atlantic)