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

During the corona crisis, the working world was turned upside down. Until spring 2020, working remotely was unimaginable in many industries. However, with the lockdown in March 2020, many sectors (out of necessity) developed new and primarily digital solutions. 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 collective term for the new forms of collaboration that have emerged primarily due to the corona crisis. Many companies experienced significant changes, and at home, working parents especially had to readjust and reorganize significantly. But what have we learned about the working world through corona?

Corona as a Digitalization Booster in the Working World

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

Working during the corona pandemic - On the way to the New Normal (Fraunhofer, 2020) // Presentation: blink.it

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

Many companies seem to have only now learned that home office is not an impossibility and, more importantly: Digital work does not lead to a deterioration of cohesion and especially collaboration!

New Normal: The New Forms of Collaboration

An important note beforehand: These new working forms do not regulate themselves! As a supervisor, you must provide your employees with clear instructions. This way, you avoid unwanted routines that can sneak in faster in the home office than in the office.

But what new forms of collaboration are there through New Normal?

New Work

Home office or mobile working is already familiar to most employees with office tasks, yet it was often frowned upon by many bosses before the crisis. With corona, it was then implemented 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 what regulations will be established. Ask yourself and your employees what works well and what does not in the home office. Consider where problems exist and how you can resolve them. This way, you ensure that the needs of all employees are taken into account. At the same time, you clarify to your employees the goals of your company, and therefore what they are actually working for.

New Leadership Models

Working remotely also leads to a change in management. When the bosses are sitting in the home office, they can hardly look over their employees' shoulders in the office. And that's a good thing! Nevertheless, it is particularly helpful in virtual collaboration to centrally document each employee's progress. This serves not for control but for aligning goals with reality.

Documenting one's own tasks should never be perceived as a compulsion. After all, it also helps employees see how productive and focused they are at their own desk.

New Working Hours

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

Of course, core working hours are an important prerequisite to ensure that scheduling appointments between colleagues doesn't become impossible. Many companies should also consider relaxing working hours in the spirit of New Normal to maintain the work-life balance of their employees during prolonged home office periods.

New Work Culture

In remote work, the individual work culture plays a significant role. Ultimately, in virtual collaboration, contact and exchange with colleagues are lacking. To create virtual closeness, it makes sense to enable new communication channels, making the work of less visible colleagues more recognizable.

For certain issues that might have been clarified over coffee in the office, no additional meeting is necessary. For such cases, a group chat is entirely sufficient! This often leads to further small groups focusing on specific topics.

New Competencies

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

Tip: Before implementing new regulations across the entire team, it is also helpful to conduct mini-pilot projects. For example, if you are introducing a new meeting tool, you should test its usefulness in a small framework.

New Normal, the New Now of the Working World

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

Therefore, now is exactly the right time to promote competencies for digital work. Of course, it is particularly appropriate in this subject not to rely on an in-person seminar but to start directly with digital training offerings. For a smooth entry into online training, we particularly recommend Blended Learning or Microlearning.

Seize the opportunity for a fresh start into the New Normal and digitize your training in the long term!