3 Modern Work Models That Are Here To Stay for 2022, and Beyond

It seems like it was only yesterday that the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the world was turned upside down. In Malaysia, the first lockdown was initiated back in early 2020, with employers and HR professionals then required to abruptly adjust to work-from-home models as the nation battled the early stages of the outbreak. 

Nearly two years later, COVID-19 very much remains a concern to the workforce, although the vast majority of the adult population in Malaysia have now been vaccinated. The Omicron variant presents a challenge to businesses, of course, with many employers still wary of the economic effects of potential spikes in cases, as well as potential consequences on employee productivity.

One thing is for sure: Businesses need to take pre-emptive steps to build digital resilience in order to ensure that any potential obstacles in the future can be handled with minimal disruption to the business. To begin with, you’ll need to identify the best work arrangements for your employees — if your core team can work from anywhere, you’ll be more resilient as a business.     

Here are 3 modern work models that look like they’re staying for 2022 — and possibly, for good. 

1. The global talent pool

When we think of remote work during the pandemic, most of us think of working-from-home — after all, that’s what the vast majority of workers were doing when the pandemic first hit. However, remote work extends beyond simply working at home, with many companies even choosing to hire talent from around the globe. 

This allows you, as employers and recruiters, to have access to a global talent pool that isn’t limited by geographic factors. Additionally, there’s an element of cost-saving here, as you probably won’t need to invest quite as much in physical facilities for your employees. 

However, the effectiveness of this can depend on a number of factors, including the nature of your business, as well as whether you have the right digital tools to effectively implement a remote work model.   

2. Flexible work arrangements 

2021 was the year of The Great Resignation, which saw workers leaving their jobs at historically unprecedented rates. The pandemic has forced a shift in the average employee’s mindset, and as such, employers have had to readjust their own ways of thinking in order to attract — and retain — the best talent in 2022. 

One such way is to offer flexibility to employees. This goes beyond physical work locations, as mentioned in point number one above, as flexibility can extend to set work hours, or even the number of work days expected of an individual employee. Again, this requires the right tools, and as employers or HR managers, you’ll need to ensure that you have the right systems in place to maintain (or even improve) employee productivity for flexible work models. 

One such example of this type of flexibility is a reduced work week, something we recently spoke about with the CEO of Piktochart — who successfully implemented a four-day work week. Benefits of this type of arrangement can include improved employee well-being, or even improved recruitment and retention rates. 

3. The hybrid work model

Sometimes, it’s difficult to go fully remote. Certain businesses and job scopes require face to face interactions, while there are contrasting reports that physical workplaces remain popular in certain regions. As such, your business might be best suited to implementing a hybrid work model — one that combines the benefits of physical work spaces and flexible, remote work models. 

There are certainly challenges to making a hybrid arrangement work, however, which can affect employees’ daily productivity. Again, the secret to this is to ensure that your company — and business — has undergone the necessary process of digital transformation. In fact, click here to read more about how Digi-X, the venture builder arm of Digi, managed a hybrid workforce during the early stages of the pandemic, and how the setup still works till this very day.