What Will Work Look Like in 2022?

In 2021, the epidemic has brought about a great change in our working styles. We have changed from a fixed office model that was once "as it should be" to a flexible hybrid working model. It is foreseeable that 2022 will continue to be affected by the pandemic. Driven by it, companies will adjust their work models at an "unprecedented" speed and transform to hybrid work. So what will work in 2022 look like specifically? Will there be any huge changes in future work?

Hybrid working will be more popular

The most likely change in 2022 is that hybrid working will go deeper into various companies, and employees have more choices to determine their working hours and locations, and thus can achieve a better balance between home and work. The pandemic has prompted companies to pay more attention to how employees feel. The decision makers need to seriously consider a new hybrid working strategy to give employees more freedom to choose where and how to work.

Companies need to focus on improving employees’ productivity and well-being at the same time. Avoid brain drain by improving welfare. In the future, companies that adopt a hybrid working model will address the problem of talent shortages by focusing on diversity, fair practices, and goals. In general, hybrid work will no longer be seen as a temporary solution to the pandemic lockdown or employee benefits, but as a hedge against future crises.

Equitable meeting experience is more important

Many people think that people who work at home are less important than those who work in the office. This idea comes from the fact that telecommuting did not offer an equal meeting experience in the past, which means that when a video conference is held, people at home and those in the office cannot have an equal meeting experience. In 2022, hybrid work will promote an equal meeting experience and eliminate the influence of "approach bias". Only by letting employees who work remotely feel the same value as employees who work in the office, and letting all employees feel equal and inclusive no matter where they choose to work, the productivity of hybrid work will be improved.

Video conferencing will be better

If hybrid work can improve efficiently, we need to do better in video conferencing. In 2022, delivering better video conferences will become a factor affecting employee promotion. In order to better communicate online, employees need to be familiar with key hybrid work skills, such as creating engaging content and promoting inclusiveness and participation. Of course, video conferencing devices and applications will also be greatly upgraded, such as the hardware configuration of 8K ,more intelligent AI algorithms, the software configuration of virtual avatars (Microsoft Mesh) and so on. The future of video conferencing will promote communication between people in different locations, therefore improving efficiency within organizations.

Non-linear working hours are more important than location

Under the hybrid work model, the office is no longer limited to the previously fixed office building, and its nature will be expanded to adapt to the new way we use them for remote offices, collaboration and social activities. At the same time, our working hours also need to be sorted out and more rationally allocated. The year of 2022 will mark the transition from traditional working hours to nonlinear working hours, and real-time collaboration will become a new and important topic.

Integration of work and new technology

In 2022, our work model will be combined with more emerging technologies, such as metaverse. We can imagine a noun like this: Metaverse workplace. Although we don't know what it looks like at present, it will be an important way for hybrid work to enhance relationships and stimulate employee’s creativity in the future. New technologies such as the 3D environment, AR and VR will also change the way we interact and work among our colleagues.