A year into the pandemic, Nationwide and Ipsos MORI has published new research on The Future of Work, based on a survey of over 2,208 working adults and a roundtable discussion with leaders from 30 other organisations.

Joe Garner, Nationwide CEO says, “The pandemic has caused not just an explosion of office structure, but an explosion of the old command-and-control model in favour of greater accountability right across the organisation. Leadership has been democratised. This doesn’t mean that everybody has a vote – but rather that the role of leadership is shared more broadly.”

Employers that entered the pandemic with “strong organisational culture and implicit trust” will thrive in a hybrid world, according to Ben Page, CEO of Ipsos MORI.

The report also includes insights from my own  research and professional practice. “Employers have had no option but to trust  many of their employees to be more independent in decision-making… the humanising impact of working from home has shown that  trust  is stronger than control, coercion and compliance.”

You can download the report here.