What does the future of work look like for development organizations?

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, ways of working have changed beyond all recognition across the globe. In the development sector, many leaders are thinking hard about what the world of work will look like after the crisis. Are organizations going to return to the way things were, or will working practices be forever changed? CEOs, human resources directors, and employment experts have shared some of the trends they expect to see in the coming years: 1. Staffers will not go back to the office full time There is a trend toward hybrid working — not just in the development sector, but everywhere. Most leaders said staffers had expressed a preference for spending some days in the office, but not every day. A Devex poll found that 64% of the 924 respondents want this kind of hybrid working arrangement, while 31% prefer to be fully virtual and only 3% want to be in the office full time. “The next-generation workforce is more purpose-driven. … The more flexible we can be, the more attractive we can be as employers.” --— David Bearfield, director of the human resources office, UNDP “We’ve moved to a more flexible working environment,” said Sean Callahan, the CEO at Catholic Relief Services. “Many organizations in [the U.S.] are either still unsure or they aren’t yet comfortable taking that step.” But Michael Emery, the director of human resources at the International Organization for Migration, warned that for development organizations, the shift to more remote working had the potential to create imbalances between countries of operation and roles. “There will need to be a fundamental rethink of what we talk about when we talk about international work,” he said. “Some organizations really lend themselves to remote work. But if you’re working in a migrant camp, that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to remote work. And what about the country office where staff might not reliably have internet or power or air conditioning at home?” 2. Head offices will be more international NGOs, in particular, appear to have taken advantage of the pandemic to do more hiring from around the world. “We’ve taken the opportunity to have a more global and more diverse headquarters,” said Jon Beighle, vice president of global services at Medical Teams International, a midsize NGO that provides medical support in crisis situations. “Since the pandemic, we’ve realized there’s a lot of top talent around the world. We can work fine together with people in other countries. In the last two years, we’ve hired more people outside the U.S. for home office jobs than we had by far before the pandemic. Being able to access talent globally has allowed us to bring in top people. And it’s added cultural diversity in the process.” Beighle said a global market was emerging for staffers. “We’ve found that East Africa and particularly [the Kenyan capital of] Nairobi have been huge sources of strong talent for us,” he said. Callahan agreed. “We’ve recruited more senior staff in other countries,” he said. “Our country leadership is becoming more diverse and global, and agency leadership can more readily be located overseas. Our EVP [executive vice president] for overseas operations is based in Kenya. Our senior VP for overseas operations is in the Holy Land. Our head of emergencies is in France. Our director of audit is in Kenya.” 3. More power will move from HQ to the field One consequence of these changes is the reduced importance of the head office. As more meetings are carried out remotely and more staffers are based away from headquarters, many feel it becomes less important to be physically close to the organization’s leadership. This is causing practical changes in how organizations are structured. “It’s leveled the playing field for colleagues from other countries,” said Callahan. “As a result, we’re transitioning from using the term ‘headquarters.’ There’s no prominence given to any one office.” Beighle said his organization has hired enough staffers in Nairobi that it may soon have to look at opening an office there. “There’s much more interaction between country offices and head office than there was before,” Beighle said. “That’s allowing all employees to participate more in the work of the organization from where they are.” 4. Offices will change shape After two years in which many have worked at home, most employers have recognized that if anything, most employees may be more productive on their own. But there is a clear sense that coming together in person is still better when collaborating, which could physically change how offices function. “Traditionally, people have been in small offices or cubicles,” said David Bearfield, the director of the human resources office at the United Nations Development Programme. “But that supposes you come to the office to do individual work. Now we know that some kinds of work can be done just as well — if not better — at home, while for collaboration, in-person interaction is best. So, rather than having your own desk and your own phone, we may consider moving to a more flexible space with different sizes and configurations. That can also help break down silos and encourage joined-up thinking between teams.” “I think we will also see a rethink of the headquarters space,” Emery agreed. “In a lot of U.N. organizations, most staff have an office. There’s a lot more scope for ‘hot desking’ and no one owning a particular office. There’s scope for a rethink of collaborative space.” Several leaders said the changes had the potential to save money. “If organizations move to a hybrid model, there is also scope to reduce the physical space you require,” Bearfield said. “We haven’t decided yet on the future model of work, but working more flexibly offers real opportunities for organizations and personnel.” “Before the pandemic, if someone was working from home, there were always raised eyebrows. … [But] the vast majority of staff have gone above and beyond.” --— Michael Emery, director of human resources, IOM 5. The work itself will change Claire Monari, a manager of people and organization consulting at PwC Switzerland who works with international organizations, said that it is not just the workplace and the workforce that are seeing changes, but also the work itself. “Mostly, the difference will be about how services are delivered,” she said. “Leaders who manage dispersed teams need to be able to create spontaneity, to collaborate, bring the best out of people.” Some development leaders said the pandemic has put strain on the technology and systems they have used. NGOs have traditionally seen relatively low levels of spending on core functions such as HR, information technology, and finance, but these are now getting more attention. “Our technological adoption has accelerated,” Beighle said. “We’ve done a lot of technology training and helped people use the tools better. There was a high degree of demand for that to continue.” But he also said he knew of many organizations that are trying to develop key systems and are hampered by the lack of ability to spend on overhead. 6. Staffers will travel less After two years of relatively limited travel, development organizations have learned they can rely more on local staffers and do not need to fly out managers from head offices. And many have also worried about their carbon footprint and the need to reduce their impact on the environment. “We anticipate that in-person meetings will still take place, but they will be more purposeful,” Callahan said. “It will be a collection of moments that matter. “For example, we had our first board meeting in person after over a year in December, and it was a very focused exercise. We brought in staff from around the U.S. and overseas. And in November, I traveled to Afghanistan. It’s important to see what’s happening. As you close borders, you lose visibility. And when it comes to telling the story to donors, sometimes you have to have been there.” Emery said that he expected staffers to travel much less than before. But he said he anticipated important negotiations between governments and other major events to remain face to face. “There’s still a real need for face-to-face interaction on certain issues,” he said. “If you’re doing negotiations with governments on delicate topics, they want to have a readout on you, and you them. And what happens on the periphery of face-to-face meetings is also really important.” 7. Equity and inclusion will rise on the agenda The pandemic has caused many development organizations to think about inclusive work. International recruitment is creating more opportunities for individuals in the global south, and the increase in remote working will benefit those less able to travel because of disability. Bearfield identified internships as one example. “Traditionally, they’ve taken place in the field. But this year, like everyone, interns have been working remotely,” he said. “We’ve seen it’s opened up opportunities because even though we pay our interns, not everyone could travel halfway around the world.” He added that his organization was purposefully recruiting more equitably. “We want people from less represented countries,” Bearfield said. “Through our new-graduate program in particular, we wanted to recruit a broader range — people with disabilities, people who are the first generation to go to university. We already get really talented people — super motivated and super qualified. And we get people who have had to overcome disadvantage in their own lives and understand the challenges people face.” However, leaders also cautioned that a more remote workplace could be worse for young people at the start of their careers, who may have a greater need for interaction with leaders and mentors — often easier to deliver in person. And it may also cause problems for those who feel isolated due to living alone, people with young family members in the house, or anyone living in circumstances that are not conducive to work. It may also cause discrimination based on gender, if women end up more likely to end up working at home due to childcare, while men are more able to go into the office. “There’s already a lot of evidence of the impact of gender and personal circumstances causing inequalities with remote and home working,” Monari said. 8. Mental health and well-being will be higher priorities Monari said many development organizations have taken additional steps to support staffers in the wake of widely recognized impacts on well-being during the pandemic. “NGOs by nature are focused on the people and causes that they support,” she said. “But increasingly, they are realizing that their own staff welfare is essential. We’re seeing a much needed culture shift towards better care of the staff within these organizations.” “Leaders who manage dispersed teams need to be able to create spontaneity, to collaborate, bring the best out of people.” --— Claire Monari, manager of people and organization consulting, PwC Switzerland Beighle said his organization had responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by improving conditions for staffers. “We are allowing people to have more flexible time off,” he said, citing a “9/80 policy” permitting staffers to work 80 hours across nine days and take every other Friday off, as well as “restoration leave” allowing people to take an extra 10 days off annually after working at the organization for five years. “The key thing,” he said, “Is just that if there is work that needs to get done, it gets done.” 9. Pay and benefits packages will change In the U.S., more workers are quitting their jobs and looking for new positions due to dissatisfaction and pandemic burnout. But leaders said the development sector has been relatively unaffected by this trend, perhaps because staffers have a different relationship with their work than in other jobs — one that is driven more by the cause and less by the paycheck. Still, development leaders have been made more conscious of a need to create attractive compensation packages and to compete for highly skilled staffers. “The next-generation workforce is more purpose-driven,” Bearfield said. “They want to be more participative and less hierarchical. The more flexible we can be, the more attractive we can be as employers.” 10. Leadership will have a different relationship with staffers The pandemic has created a culture of greater trust between leaders and staffers, Emery said. “Before the pandemic, if someone was working from home, there were always raised eyebrows,” he said. “You thought maybe they were in their pajamas and doing a bit of online shopping. But the pandemic has taught us that the vast majority of staff have gone above and beyond. They’ve continued to perform and be high achievers.” He said that trust from management was one of the core issues for staffers worldwide at his organization and one that he felt should be a focus for the future. Leaders also talked about the need to do more to understand the culture within their organizations and to nurture a positive environment for people to work — something that could be harder to achieve in a remote arrangement. “As an executive, you have to work harder to understand the culture and environment within your organization,” Beighle said. “You need to spend more time intentionally with employees. You need to consciously replace the times you saw people in the corridor and said hi.” The takeaway: Things will get better overall Leaders in the development sector said they expected significant change in their organizations over the coming years, inspired by learning during the pandemic about how things could be done differently and better. All predicted that the changes would be better for themselves, their organizations, and their staffers. “I’m optimistic that, post-pandemic, we will end up with something better,” Bearfield said. “The silver lining of the pandemic, from an HR point of view, is that it’s pushed us to modernize working methods and practices. There’s an opportunity to become even more effective and successful — one we don’t want to miss.”