Post Pandemic Work Arrangements Continue to Disrupt

The dramatic shift in how utilities function will continue as the pandemic ebbs. The abrupt push of employees out of the office and into their homes is expected to continue. As a result, more than half of knowledge workers will be spending at least some of their time outside the traditional office. As a result, energy companies need to prepare themselves for the new workplace by investing in mobile systems.

No doubt that the pandemic quickly and deeply impacted the workforce. In 2019, 27% of knowledge workers set up shop outside the corporate walls. By the end of 2021, that number will nearly double, reaching 51%, according to Gartner, Inc. The fully remote group represents a large and growing portion of energy company workforces: 32% of all employees worldwide in 2021 compared to 17% of associates in 2019.

Putting the Pieces in Place  

The work arrangement is driving technology adoption, starting with a boost in mobile systems.  In 2021, PC and tablet shipments will exceed 500 million units for the first time in history.

Organizations also embracing cloud to support their nomadic workers. Gartner forecasts worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services will grow 23.1% in 2021. As employees embrace mobile devices, CIOs are prioritizing cloud-delivered applications, such as Software as a Service (SaaS) designed for remote access because these solutions aren’t constrained by the location or application that workers require.

Collaboration tools also play a major role in the transformation. Once employees start working at home, they need applications that enable to communicate effectively with teammates, customers, and partner. As a result, social and collaboration tools revenue is expected to increase 17.1% in 2021.

In addition, connectivity requirements morph as employees become more mobile.  Energy companies must secure connections to new locations, such as home Wi-Fi networks built for consumer use. They often lack the checkpoints corporations need. As a result by 2024, at least 40% of all remote access will be served predominantly by zero trust network access (ZTNA), skyrocketing up from less than 5% at the end of 2020.

The pandemic sparked an unprecedented increase in the mobile system use. As the number of viruses wanes and vaccines wax, utilities are beginning to brace for a New Normal, one where more workers are off site. The change requires that they invest in mobile, cloud, collaboration, and Zero Trust Networking systems in order to support their evolving workforces.