The challenges of the Public Relations Industry, were among the topics discussed at the QSP Summit this month. One of the most important topic was the fact that work has changed.
People are basically relearning to do their jobs. Another important transformation that started pre-pandemic was the spread of home office practices. This process only increased during the lockdowns, and now it is widely spread around the world. This made it even harder for employees to return to the office in good spirits.
Changed Work Practices
The current “return to office” phenomenon is probably much smaller and more nuanced than anticipated. But the pandemic tested work mythology in ways that it fundamentally changed the cultural understanding of work.
One of them is that offices aren’t for doing your job — they’re for “soft work”. Office are no more than co-working space with coffee, small talk and gossip. Soft work is “the vague middle space of weekday activity that isn’t hard work but also is not not-work.” Workspaces were already starting to feel like home, literally. They had trendy, “resimercial” (residence+commercial) design— with couches, rugs, and coffee tables — proving that the line between residential and commercial began fading pre-pandemic.
Human Elements
This change involves people and technology. This implies that companies need to motivate people to embrace technological advancement. Also, these organizations must train workers so that they can take full advantage of new technologies.This will help them through the Digital Transformation happening in all industries.
The above implies that the Public Relations industry has to a lot of work. They have to reveal, announce and promote the above changes. Both inside the organization and on the outside. All the stakeholders need to be a part of this. This transformation is going to create a dynamic that will be a motivation for the collaborators. It will also acquire and develop Reputation for a company’s management.
It is up for management and for leaders to create the mindset and empathy that make people want to work in their companies. This requires innovative methodologies and disruptive strategies that organizations and brands be noticed and become relevant, like the ones created by the Public Relations Portugal. We answer the diversified challenges of the market, placing Integrated Marketing Communication at the centre of Reputation acquisition.