Letter from Italy: ManpowerGroup’s lessons in the age of Covid-19

The social and economic effects of Covid-19 have imposed on companies a necessary change of pace, so that they can deal with one of the most violent “system crises” since the post-war period. For Italy, especially it shows how companies there need to get serious about applying that Digital Agenda, both in companies and public administration.

This is what emerges in ManpowerGroup’s paper “The world of work at the time of Covid-2019,” which presents the trends that will forever revolutionize the labor market and gives companies guidelines and technological tools that could mitigate the employment impact of the coronavirus emergency.

According to ManpowerGroup, there are no sectors immune from Covid-19: companies have had to review traditional organizational processes in a few hours to mitigate the impact on operations and consequently on the entire value chain. About a month after the spread of the epidemic in Italy, the following trends emerge that will impact forever on the labor market:

New Ways of Working: “Smart working,” or what Italians call working at home (yes, in English) leads to a real social and cultural transformation for companies and workers;
Leaders for the Future: Prepared, responsible leadership is essential to react promptly and competently in times of crisis. It is necessary to continue developing talent to support the growth of the leaders of the future
Re-skilling and Upskilling: Transformations can be sudden and unexpected, being ready means guaranteeing a future for your company and for yourself, and a better level of employability
Innovation for Growth: Update technology and adopt an infrastructure that emphasizes “mobile” can facilitate alternative forms of office work.

The main lesson? Knowing how to seize the opportunities of the digital world and make the most of the available technologies is today essential for companies that are facing the Covid-19 emergency.