FINAL WORD
The four keys to success in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis
Simon Bennett , CTO EMEA , Rackspace Technology , reflects on the future of work and how empowering staff , taking risks and a cloud native approach are the keys to success in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis .
The 2020 pandemic has changed everything , including the way we work . What
does 2021 have in store for the office of the future , for corporate culture and for the underlying cloud technology that is enabling these changes ? Below are my predictions for the coming year and a final thought on the potential for a ‘ surprise ’ technological integration .
The office as a collaboration space
Will offices ever be the same again ? In my opinion , no . I do not envision rows of desks and workstations being staffed by people , tapping away at keyboards coding , writing reports or servicing customer requirements . As a result of the 2020 pandemic and work-from-home mandates , the chain between desk and keyboard has been broken . The remote work trend is not likely to reverse anytime soon , if at all . Instead , offices will become places of collaboration , where co-workers and customers can meet when needed to innovate and create . Working at home , distant from colleagues and customers , has led to frustration for many people who long for the face-to-face discourse necessary to make ideas flourish and evolve into great solutions that deliver business success .
Repurposing office spaces into meeting places for collaborative innovation has a double benefit : 1 ) with staff coming to the office for meetings only , the company can easily adhere to social distance regulations , and 2 ) the company can continue
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