I used to commute over an hour each way, every day, before COVID. Like so many, lockdown left me with more time — more time to engage with my colleagues digitally, more time with my husband and kids, more time to walk, meditate and exercise.

Although there are no silver linings to COVID, it has forced a fundamental change in how work gets done. The 20th century, office-based business model is over, and in its place is an entirely new way of working that’s built around digital workflows supporting work at home, in physical offices and anywhere else employees choose to be.

At the onset of the pandemic, organizations doubled down on their digital transformation investments to support their remote workforce and deliver a seamless customer experience. Now, as they develop their plans for the future of work, businesses face the challenge of evolving their use of technology to become more agile and flexible for a hybrid and increasingly distributed workforce. The future is not about where work happens, but how work happens.

For business leaders, that means remaining at the forefront of innovation, while maintaining a people-centric approach to technology. Here are three strategies companies can leverage to set their people up for success in this next era of work:

Put people first by balancing productivity with empathy

As leaders develop plans to reopen offices, it is important to avoid a one-size-fits-all mentality and instead put people – and their range of potential needs — at the center of technology strategies. The pandemic has proven that productivity doesn’t have to happen in an office. Organizations should continue adopting flexible solutions for the hybrid workforce and mirror that same flexibility in their workplace policies.

For example, this past year taught us that employers play an increasingly critical role in employees’ physical and mental well-being, so practicing empathy is key. Companies that operate with empathy, listen to their employees’ needs and concerns, and act upon them will have happier, more productive workers.

The same rule applies to our technologies at work: Solutions that enable productivity and give employees the flexibility to work wherever they want will result in a more engaged workforce. This isn’t only good for morale; employee engagement is positively correlated with company performance. Putting people first is good for business.

As we start to reopen offices, there is also an opportunity for companies to step outside the box and adopt creative ways to keep employees connected. Online town halls can now include virtual “backyard buzzes” or skip-level group discussions that connect leaders with their extended teams in an informal way without a strict work agenda. Employee surveys can include deeper questions to better understand employees’ current well-being and sentiment, as well as the range of support that is still needed.

By prioritizing initiatives that promote humanity, flexibility and greater empathy, we help our people show up as the best versions of themselves, ensuring all employees remain invested in furthering a company’s goal.

Remember that work is an activity, not a location

In many ways, remote work has acted as a sort of “equalizer” for the workforce and created a space where employee voices across all levels and geographies are being heard more frequently. Employees who were already remote before the pandemic, and perhaps viewed themselves as “on the sidelines,” now have an equal chance to be seen and heard, creating more visibility for themselves and rising in the ranks as effective leaders.

As we transition to a more permanently distributed workforce, businesses must continue this equalizing trend and ensure that remote employees have the same voice as those sitting in the conference room. Employees – no matter where they reside – must experience the same level of collaboration, productivity and visibility as those experiencing work from an office.

From a technology perspective, it means bridging the divide between those going into the office and those who aren’t to make sure the employee experience stays on a level playing field. It also means ensuring that work conversations remain in collaboration tools. We’ve removed the proverbial “water cooler” forever and in its place is a more equitable and flexible approach to work.

The bottom line: The office is no longer where productivity and collaboration are rooted. Where you work and how you work are forever decoupled, and with that, the ability for employees to do their best work, wherever it resides, has emerged.

Transforming the way work gets done

The pandemic has pushed the world of work to an inflection point where embracing technology is no longer an option but a necessity. Digital transformation is the great opportunity of this generation – streamlining every facet of our work lives. What once took months or years, we have learned, is possible to do in days.​

2020 taught us a lot of things: the need to be more digital, the need to think about how we engage with employees and, most importantly, the reality that the distributed workforce and employee choice are here to stay.

By and large, the workforce will regard the changes to the way we work as positive. We can recruit from anywhere and find the best and brightest globally. Employees can work flexible schedules, spend less time commuting and spend more time in their communities and with family. The environment benefits from our reduced travel. And companies can access new talent pools, diverse skills and perspectives from almost anywhere now.

As we move forward, leaders must now take a human-centric approach to their digital strategies and use it as an opportunity to build tighter, more productive and more empathetic workforces.

Lara Caimi is ServiceNow Inc.’s chief customer and partner officer. She served as chief strategy officer from 2017 to 2020. Earlier in her career, she was a partner at Bain & Co. and also worked with Halpern, Denny and Co. Caimi graduated from St. Olaf College, was a Fulbright Scholar and received her MBA from Harvard Business School. She wrote this article for SiliconANGLE.

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