Phillips Consulting Limited, a foremost business, and management consulting firm in Africa has tasked organizations to prepare for the future of work post-pandemic.
The consulting firm made this advice after its Webinar held recently in collaboration with the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce, (NSACC) where the participants shared practical experiences and proposed viable solutions for a unique future of work and market post-pandemic.
The “post-pandemic” world of work will continue to evolve. With no clear answers in sight, organizations will continue to search for best-fit solutions to navigate the uncertainty around us. There is no doubt that this will have an impact on our lives”, experts said at the program, according to a statement.
During the webinar, it was made clear that differences in everyday realities such as technology adoption, economic strength, demographics, and educational levels affect the pattern of evolution in developing and emerging markets.
According to Joshua Ademuwagun, Head of Advisory- People Transformation, who delivered PCL.’s perspective on the future of work, he emphasized that people can neither stop nor fight the future of work. He advised that organizations should position themselves to ride the wave of change by answering the questions about why, by whom, when, and how they will do work in the future.
He stated that critical considerations for preparing for the future of work include rethinking business strategy and processes to allow for agility and digital transformation. With the global economy tilting towards digital platforms, it is not enough for a Nigerian organization to only use digital to optimize operations. They must move to a level where technology is integrated into business models and critical processes.
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According to Omorinsola Sofola, Partner Strategy and Operations Transformation, plc, who spoke about Phillip Consulting’s experience and how the firm has evolved to meet the new demands of remote work during the lockdown, mentioned that engaging employees in designing their future workspace created a sense of ownership and identity.
She further cited PCL.’s Strategic Preparedness Report, stating that organizations need to ensure a culture built on diversity and inclusion. This often involves engaging key staff members, not just executives. She discussed how PCL. had used its Phillips Accelerated Solution Environment (pASE™) to help clients solve culture and community challenges.
Meanwhile, Remi Dada, CEO of Spacefinish, noted that nobody knows the answer to the future of work and that we are all experimenting. “The good news is that we are probably making the correct guesses.”
He pointed out that the future of work is not just about physical buildings but about human and social behaviours.
Speaking on the effect of technology in new future of work, Tosin Okojie, VP Financial Planning and Analysis of Andela, revealed that technology is now the trusted intermediary between employer and employee, creating a network effect that has scaled the gig economy and, in the process, made organizations more agile.
In his opinion, Babajide Duroshola, General Manager of M-Kopa reminded stakeholders that the future of work is borderless, even for the Nigerian market. “We no longer need to have people confined to working in a specific geographical location. With COVID-19 pushing globalization and allowing for accessible communication and dissemination of information, employees no longer need to be in the same country or time zone.”
