Page 68 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Spring 2021 Digital Interactive Issue

THE INDUSTRIOUS REVOLUTION

MARY DANIELS ZACK BOORSTEIN
DIRECTOR OF TRADE |TRADEBRIGHT DIRECTOR OF TRADE |TRADEBRIGHT

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted workforces automation has improved communication and (10+ years)…see flexible workspace operators as
globally during 2020. more streamlined operations, and lastly the next the winners. The flexible office option for companies
wave of international trade and the new world of is just that, flexible, memberships can span through
The short-term consequences were sudden and ‘co sourcing’ to find higher operational efficiencies. different cities, and employees can now even book
often severe. Millions of people were furloughed times to come to the office through where they
or lost jobs, and others rapidly adjusted to working During “normal” times employers were skittish only pay for the time that they use, offering even
from home as offices closed. about allowing workers to work from home. There more flexibility.
was no data related to performance, productivity
Today we examine the medium and long-term or the natural disconnection between work and There will, however, be a return to a different
adjustments many will have to make as we the rest of life. A major polling agency found normal for many. Before COVID-19, the largest
contemplate what the future of work is really going that only 31% of Americans had ever worked disruptions to work involved new technologies
to look like? remotely prior to the pandemic lockdowns. Since and growing trade links. COVID-19 has, for the
the pandemic started, over 62% of the American first time, elevated the importance of the physical
When the Covid-19 pandemic is under control, workforce has now experienced working outside dimension of work.
and the world tries to return to some normalcy, of their main office.
there is no question that the disruption created More than 60% of the workers in the US economy
over the last 12 months will play a role in what One thing is for sure, the option to work remotely cannot work remotely, as the ability for complete
the new definition of what workplace normalcy is. is here to stay. 83% of employers in a December remote work is highly condensed in a small
The audience has been retrained and that is the 2020 PwC study said that the shift to remote work number of industries including: IT, Finance,
starting block in which we must build around. has been successful for their company. Additionally, insurance, and Management. For the company’s
another study performed by Stanford University that require their people to return to the traditional
TradeBright is an International trade development showed that remote work has increased employee office model preparing the workplace for basic
agency headquartered in Ireland and Washington productivity by 13%. When schools reopen and infection prevention measures will not be a simple
DC US. We work with private and public sector working parents can focus even more on their task. Investments in ventilation systems, sanitizing
all around the European Union and the USA professional obligations, we believe a flex work stations and increased housekeeping are only
who are focused on International expansion, option will begin to emerge more so than it did a small part of the obligations employers will
market entry and deal creation. prior to the global lockdowns. undergo to bring staff back to work.

In this contribution we would like to focus on 3 For example, TradeBright leases space in the United Finally we look at our 3rd track of displacement
different elements of what the future of work will States from Industrious Office, the largest distributed and new trends that are emerging in the disruption
look like post-pandemic. network of co-working space in America with over of workforce.
100 locations across 50 major US cities. Colliers
First, we will discuss the work at office/remote International states that “COVID-19 has made The 1st question to ask in and around is ‘ How do
work conundrum, next how digitization and people uneasy about signing long term leases you expand internationally when you are limited