I have compiled for you 12 meaningful articles that I have read lately on how companies and managers can take up the main challenges in the post-Covid19 period.

I have selected 5 areas of focus : (I) Remote and flexible working; (II) Management style & leadership; (III) Labour market and perspectives; (IV) Employees wellbeing; (V) Continuous and digital learning

I. Remote and flexible working 

1 – NewsWeek 

May 04 2020 :  54 Percent of Americans Want to Work Remote Regularly After Coronavirus Pandemic Ends, New Poll Shows 

Important data : An IBM survey released on Friday found that 54 percent of the 25,000 adults polled would like to be able to primarily work from home and 75 percent would like the option to do it occasionally. Once businesses can reopen, 40 percent of people responded that they feel strongly their employer should offer opt-in remote work options

2 – We Forum

June 03 2020 : Coronavirus: Is working from home working?

This article is about the pros and cons of remote working. While 98% of people surveyed said they would like the option to work remotely for the rest of their careers, they also underline the struggles they have and especially the blur line between work and personal life. As for the managers, their struggles are how to keep the focus and the productivity of their team. 

3-  BBC NEWS 

May 22 2020 : Flexible working will be a new normal after virus

Both working from home and shorter working weeks have been applauded by human resources experts as an alternative to a mass return to offices. A shift towards more remote working also allows companies to rethink their expensive office space. A growing list of business leaders(Amazon, Barclays, Facebook, Google) are adding their weight to working from home and more flexible working arrangements, aided by technology and video-conferencing platforms.

II. Management style & leadership

4 – We Forum 

June 02  2020 : 5 ways COVID-19 has changed workforce management

COVID-19 is a catalyst to reinvent the future of work for managers. New technologies are going to necessitate new roles, which is one reason to encourage new skills. This article focuses on the 5 changes that should be on the radar of managers to reshape their management style. 

5 – Executive Academy

May 06  : 6 Leadership Lessons from Covid-19

The story of the Covid-19 crisis is not finally told. However, what is clear is that it will be a story of leadership success and leadership failure. Throughout the crisis, we have seen examples of leaders at all levels of government, business, and civil society who rose to the challenge successfully.. And we’ve seen lots of leaders who failed miserably in this regard. “Whatever the outcome of this crisis will be – there are important leadership lessons to be learned”. 

6 – Architect magazine 

May 05 2020 :  Guide to Remote Work and Team Management During—and After—the Coronavirus Era

In this article, there is a compilation of tools and best practice to bring your team to a better management style. 

III . Labour market and perspectives

7 – We Forum 

May 01 2020 : 5 ways to reset labour markets after coronavirus recovery

While it was a microscopic invader rather than the expected rise of the robots that led to the current collapse of the labour market, there is an opportunity to “build back better” in 5 areas: reskilling and upskilling; supporting the jobs of tomorrow; prioritizing redeployment and re-employment; re-evaluating essential work and improving the quality of jobs; and resetting education, skills and jobs systems for the post-pandemic recovery. The World Economic Forum highlights that collaboration between employers, governments and workers both nationally and globally are critical to the recovery. 

8 – HBR 

June 05 2020 :  Lessons from Chinese Companies’ Response to Covid-19

More than 350 senior executives have been surveyed to ascertain how the Chinese corporate world has adapted, and innovated. The main findings were the following: Leverage digital technologies so that they could adapt and innovate; try out novel business models; develop new business processes and practices; and redefine models for collaboration and teamwork. An interesting perspective from China on lessons learnt from the crisis.

IV . Employees wellbeing

9 – Marsh & McLennan companies 

Employee Concerns About COVID-19

A survey highlights that employees want support for their financial, physical, and psychological well being during this health crisis. However, only one third of employees think their manager’s response to the crisis has been less than effective

10 – Hr executive 

June 08 2020 : What to know about wellness during COVID19

Employees are now more likely to believe their employers have a responsibility to address their health and wellbeing and this has increased with the Covid19 crisis (80% in April 2020 vs. 73% in late 2019). Top benefits employees want. Employees say offering flexible work hours is a top action their employers can take to help alleviate their stress and increase their wellbeing. Employers who show heightened support during COVID-19 will benefit. The COVID-19 pandemic has required employers to show heightened support for their employees.

V . Continuous and digital learning

11 – Raconteur.net 

May 28 2020 : Learning remotely: the new way to keep staff happy and engaged  

Should online learning become the new normal for remote workers? This article points out that remote working should support the learning on a day-by-day basis to be able to match training content with your business. 

12 – Elearning journal 

April 27 2020 : Corporate Learning and Development During the COVID-19 Pandemic

As eLearning enables corporate training during this pandemic, the workforce entirely relies on online based courses and insights. Learning and Development strategies now maximize the use of online learning platforms and also consider the avid use of technology to enable accessible learning and communication methods.

 

And you, what are the latest readings that have been really meaningful to you on the main challenges faced by companies and managers?