The World of Work in 2021

As we begin the new year in a fragile and uncertain world still struggling with the effects of living and working in the shadow of a global pandemic, it is not easy to predict what will happen next with any confidence. Indeed, we are reminded of the godfather of knowledge work, the economist Peter Drucker, who famously said: ‘Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.’

WORKTECH Academy’s survey of the year ahead has been compiled with their Global Partners and takes a sober look at key challenges and opportunities for organisations.

The report includes an introductory essay by Philip Ross, CEO of UnWork and Academy chairman, which sets out the contours of ‘the next normal’. We look at the importance of building social capital inside organisations at a time when remote working is keeping people apart. We examine the enabling technologies that will help offices to reopen successfully, and we
explore the idea of the 15-minute city as a new spatial framework for life and work.

Furthermore, the survey of trends for 2021 evaluates the new purpose of the office as a social destination rather than a place for daily, routine attendance. There is also space to assess new approaches to workplace wellbeing post Covid-19, and the role that the connected innovations of the Internet of Things (IoT) can play in restoring a semblance of normality.

Global Partners of WORKTECH Academy and survey contributors include Aramark, Condeco, 360's parent company Fourfront Group, Haworth, Signify and UnWork.

Download the report here.