As companies begin to bring employees back into the workplace post-pandemic, they need to consider the layout and density of the workspace in order to keep employees safe, while still creating a vibrant workplace culture. Opportunities to collaborate, concentrate, and innovate will all be critical to stimulating business performance moving forward, advises Bernice Boucher, managing director of Strategic Consulting at JLL.

With that in mind, companies need to renew their focus on training and development to give employees the skills they need beyond the pandemic. Speed, agility, and a commitment to lifelong learning will separate those organizations that merely survive the pandemic from the ones that grow and thrive. Just as the scale of remote work has accelerated, much of this training will take place virtually so it will be available 24/7 and in its entirety to new employees on day one.

{{RELATEDLINKS}} There will also be a greater emphasis on cultural and neurological differences of those being trained as this affects “styles” of learning, Boucher explains. This is a natural outgrowth of companies’ need to incorporate diversity and inclusion into every aspect of their business.

A focus on diversity has been particularly important to the tech industry and the healthcare industry, among others, which employ many individuals from foreign nations who have been granted H-1B and other work visas. The Trump administration’s extended freeze on these visas has many businesses that rely on these workers concerned that the policy will hurt U.S. global competitiveness as we move past the worldwide pandemic.

In this regard, Canada’s more welcoming attitude to foreign workers may give it an advantage over the United States. Canada continues to process new applications for permanent and temporary residence, which will enhance its skilled labor pipeline.

As your business navigates the latest “new normal,” Area Development will continue to bring you valuable information to move your company forward.