Get Ready for The Great Return...Anxious about limited networking and business generation...

There’s little doubt that this global work-from-home experiment will change the way many of us work forever. We have adapted to remote working. So when we return, it will be with new skills and different expectations. How will your employees, colleagues, and leaders be changed? What does the Great Return look like for them? Grail Insights identified five worker personas likely to emerge in a post-COVID world.

WORK STYLE REMOTE WORK CHALLENGES

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INFORMATION RESOURCES

WORK STYLE REMOTE WORK CHALLENGES

TOOLS AND SOLUTIONS PREFERRED COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

INFORMATION RESOURCES

WORK STYLE REMOTE WORK CHALLENGES

TOOLS AND SOLUTIONS PREFERRED COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

5 Worker Personas for a Changed Workplace

GET READY FOR THE GREAT RETURN

PREPARE FOR A FOREVER CHANGED WORKFORCE

Scheduled in-person meetings with team members

-Impromptu face -to-face conversations withcolleagues

Phone: Yes, they still use their phone for phone calls

Early to the office and keeps regular hours

Only works from home when sick (or waiting for the cable guy)

Not a digital native, so digital productivity platforms don’t come easily

Travels heavily to meet with clients and develop new business relationships

Values in-person meetings

Doesn’t feel productive and in charge in a WFH environment

Uncomfortable with online collaboration tools

Takes short or no breaks during the day, impacting health

Anxious about limited networking and business generation opportunities

Simple technology solutions without “bells and whistles”

Consistent work hours with predictable meeting times

-Limited unscheduled, “pop in” live video calls

Time and focus management solutions

Conferencing solutions with an easy way to restrict video feed

Meet the “Office Oracle” a married Gen X employee in a senior executive role. Plays tennis. Watches cable TV. Has grown

children. Recently bought a boat.

THE OFFICE ORACLE

WHAT THE GREAT RETURN LOOKS LIKE FOR THE WFH NATIVE

Remote working suits them; they will look for opportunities to do

more of it

After learning how to support clients remotely, travel (and

travel expenses) will likely decrease

Increased focus on cementing personal relationships and remote

networking

Increased career opportunities; geography is no longer

a limiter

Face-to-face meetings with office colleagues, both scheduled and impromptu

Chat and Text with colleagues for quick response and resolution

Calling and video conferencing for complex issues

Video -conferencing applications

Online calendar that is easily integrated across various devices

Cloud-native collaboration drive

Company communication platform

Meet the “WFH Native.” A Millennial mid-level employee. City dweller. Avid traveler (pre-COVID). Career-minded. Has a plan,

but plans change. Loves their dog. Probably a rescue.

THE WFH NATIVE

Always on email

Team members who are struggling with WFH

Stress of a high workload due to low productivity of team members

Limited networking and business generation opportunities

Generalized social isolation

Dog barks during conference calls

Not an “8 -5” type

Coordinates with the team online

The boss is chill with their need for flexibility

Frequent business traveler; missing facetime with clients

Frequently works from home

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Social Media Active web search Free trials

WHAT THE GREAT RETURN LOOKS LIKE FOR THE NEWBIE

Will they return? Learning geography is not a career barrier; they may be exploring other

opportunities while working from home

Leveraging social networks for identifying career guidance

and opportunities

Back to school for an advanced degree?

Face-to-face meetings with office colleagues, both scheduled and impromptu

Chat and Text with colleagues for quick response and resolution

Office communication and collaboration tools

Scheduled in-person meetings with team members

Task management tools

Wearable gadgets (like smart watch) that integrates with an online calendar

Stress buster and relaxation applications

Self -learning online resources

Meet “The Newbie,” a freshly-minted Gen Z graduate, sharing an apartment with friends. A gadget lover. Plays video games.

Goes out on weekends (pre COVID).

THE NEWBIE

Always on email

Decrease in attention span

Reduced productivity and concentrationRecently onboarded and new to corporate culture

New work colleagues are becoming new friends

Likes to take breaks and takes part in office activities

Feeling socially isolatedWorks from the office, sometimes late

Technology blogs

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WHAT THE GREAT RETURN LOOKS LIKE FOR THE JUGGLER

Increased use of video teleconferencing

solutions

Decreased expenses for client travel, since they too are embracing remote work

solutions

More professional development through online conferences and

training sessions

Having learned how to work effectively with other freelancers

and remote teams, sees more opportunity ahead

Face-to-face meetings with office colleagues, both scheduled and impromptu

Chat and Text with colleagues for quick response and resolution

A frequent work-from-homer; has an impressive home office setup

On a long-term contract

Works across time zones and is comfortable with flexible schedule

Balancing homeschooling with the ‘do not disturb’ work schedule

Kid noise during live meetings, even from a dedicated home office

Anxious about limited networking and business generation opportunities

Capability to share calendars within family

File sharing platforms to access files across multiple devices

Always on emailTime management solutions

Video conferencing solution with background noise cancelling capability

Meet “The Juggler,” a Millennial with three kids at home. Married to a busy entrepreneur. PTA parent. Home chef.

Wine lover (ya know, kids).

THE JUGGLER

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Expanded career options in a time where remote work is increasingly considered just

“work”

WHAT THE GREAT RETURN LOOKS LIKE FOR THE ARTIST

Discovering that some virtual collaboration tools work well;

might work remotely more often

Rethinking how to optimizeoffice time for in-person

creative work, like whiteboarding

Considering a co-working space as an alternative for

ad-hoc brainstorming

More open to hiring remote freelancers

Face-to-face meetings with office colleagues, both scheduled and impromptu

Manages the corporate design team

Frequently conducts in-person whiteboarding brainstorming sessions

Works mostly from the office to collaboratewith the team

Virtual collaboration and communication tools for screen sharing and collaborating workstreams spread across team members

Online whiteboarding tools

All -in-one tools for project management, task management, and time management

Meet “The Artist,” a Gen X employee, married with one child. Homebody. Paints, draws, gardens. Dreams of opening a

design firm.

THE ARTIST

INFORMATION RESOURCES

Social Media Active web search Free trials

Maybe it’s time to start that independent

design firm?

Inefficient brainstorming sessions

Fragmented team communication

Workstreams spread across team members makes managing timelines difficult

Limited networking and business generation opportunities

Tell us what new skills your workforce is acquiring. What tools are they embracing and how is this changing their expectations and your needs, both short and long term? We’d love to help your organization prepare for the Great Return.

Contact us about our flexible solutions at hello@grailinsights.com

Scheduled in-person meetings with team members

Chat and Text with colleagues for quick response and resolution

WHAT THE GREAT RETURN LOOKS LIKE FOR THE OFFICE ORACLE

Ready to return, but they will likely WFH more often

Will reduce travel, having realized that some types of

meetings are fine online

Will scout beyond geographic boundaries for talent; more open to hiring freelancers and contractors

Has realized they could work remotely/consult into retirement;

may just give it a go!

Missing mentoring and regular guidance

WORK STYLE REMOTE WORK CHALLENGES

TOOLS AND SOLUTIONS PREFERRED COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

INFORMATION RESOURCES

WORK STYLE REMOTE WORK CHALLENGES

TOOLS AND SOLUTIONS

Technology magazines

INFORMATION RESOURCES

Blogs and articles on how to use technologyfor increased productivity

Tutorials on video-sharingplatform such as YouTube

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