New Normal, what is that actually? In line with the new year, we have encountered a current trend in the world of work. In this article, we clarify the term and show you how your company can benefit from the "New Normal."

In the wake of the Corona crisis, the world of work has been turned completely upside down. Until spring 2020, remote work was unimaginable in many industries. However, with the lockdown in March 2020, many sectors developed new and primarily digital solutions (out of necessity). Slowly but surely, for many employees, working from home became the new normal: the "new normal," as many HR developers call it today.

New Normal – of what?

The trend New Normal is actually a type collective term for the new forms of collaboration that have emerged mainly due to the Corona crisis. In many companies, there were significant changes, and at home, especially working parents had to reorganize and adapt significantly. But what have we learned about the world of work through Corona?

Corona as a Digitalization Booster in the World of Work

The Fraunhofer Institute published a relevant study on the impacts of Corona on virtual work in mid-July. The results frighteningly show how few companies were prepared for digital work:

Working during the Corona pandemic – On the way to New Normal (Fraunhofer, 2020) // Illustration: blink.it

The study makes it clear that many companies were indeed able to switch to pure home office in a short time. The survey also shows that this option is still desired in the future. Almost 40% of the respondents explicitly stated that they even want to expand this offer – hardly any respondent indicated that they were against new digital measures.

Many companies now seem to have just learned that home office is not an impossible thing, and much more importantly: Digital working does not lead to a deterioration in team spirit and especially collaboration!

New Normal: The New Forms of Collaboration

An important note in advance: These new forms of work do not regulate themselves! As a supervisor, you must give your employees clear instructions. This way, you avoid unwanted routines that establish themselves more quickly in the home office than in the office.

But what new forms of collaboration exist through New Normal?

New Working

Home office or mobile working is already a term familiar to most employees in office jobs; however, before the crisis, it was often viewed unfavorably by many bosses. With Corona, it was introduced in many companies.

For mobile working to be successfully implemented, regulations should be planned with the team. This means: both employers and employees decide together which regulations are made. Ask yourself and your employees what works well and what does not in the home office. Consider where there are problems and how you can resolve them. This not only ensures that the needs of all employees are taken into account but also clarifies the goals of your company to your employees and thus what they are actually working for.

New Leadership Models

Remote work also leads to a change in upper management. If the bosses are also working from home, they cannot easily look over their employees' shoulders in the office. And that's a good thing! However, in virtual collaboration, it is particularly helpful to centrally document the progress of each employee. This serves not to control, but to align goals and reality.

Documenting personal tasks should never be perceived as coercion. After all, it also helps employees see how productive and focused they are at their own desks.

New Working Hours

Through New Normal, many employees desire more flexibility in the home office. This also applies to working hours. After all, not everyone is top fit at eight in the morning or wants to sit at their desks late into the evening. As long as there are no shared appointments, there’s nothing against flexible working hours that fit the workflow of the employees.

Of course, core working hours are an important prerequisite so that finding appointments among colleagues does not become impossible. Many companies should consider relaxing working hours in the spirit of New Normal to maintain their employees' work-life balance with ongoing home office arrangements.

New Work Culture

When working remotely, one's own work culture plays a major role. After all, virtual collaboration lacks contact and exchange with one's colleagues. To create virtual closeness, it is therefore sensible to enable new communication channels. This way, the work of rather invisible colleagues becomes more visible.

For some questions that may have been resolved while getting coffee in the office, there is no need for an extra meeting. For just such cases, a joint chat is completely sufficient! This often leads to further small groups that focus on specific topics.

New Competencies

Very important: New Normal is new for all of us, so we all need appropriate new competencies. Actively promote all employees and offer relevant training sessions. Topics such as software training, collaboration, customer contact, and leadership are particularly important.

Tip: Before you implement new regulations for the entire team, it is also helpful to conduct mini-pilot projects. For example, if you introduce a new meeting tool, you should test its usefulness on a small scale.

New Normal, the new Now of the World of Work

How long we will remain in the home office is currently still uncertain. The past months have shown that digitalization has also arrived in the world of work. As the term "New Normal" itself already indicates, digital working is more or less new for everyone!

Therefore, right now is the perfect time to promote competencies for digital work. Of course, it is fitting for this topic that you do not rely on an in-person seminar but instead start directly with digital training offers. For an easy start into online continuing education, we particularly recommend Blended Learning or Microlearning.

Seize the chance for a fresh start into the New Normal and digitize your training in the long term! For examples of what your Blended Learning in practice could look like, successful implementations from some of our clients are shown. In the free overview, you will learn how differently Blended Learning is implemented in various companies:

More practical examples

Successful Blended Learning in Companies

Get to know three Blended Learning concepts from successful companies! Download the free overview now and develop your own concept!

Download Blended Learning concepts now

Do you have questions about blink.it or this article?

Please feel free to write to us if you have questions about the product or specifically about this article. Our marketing team is available to you via email or will pass on your inquiry to a suitable Blinkie 😊