From Crisis to Opportunity: The Future of Work Post-Pandemic

While remote learning is struggling with acceptance from teachers and parents, the employment world is experiencing a positive shift indicating an opportunity for change, potentially even leading to employment equality in Israel.

"Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, many employment organizations have transitioned to remote working," clarifies Tamar Gil Menachem, Deputy CEO of the Lauder Employment Center. "This is a significant organizational change in the employment world. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that physical proximity is no longer necessary in workplaces, and that collaboration can occur globally. This transition offers a real opportunity," she emphasizes, "because remote work allows location to be less of a factor in job searches. Consequently, employees won't need to relocate to pursue their dream job."

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The Opportunity for Businesses

Established in 2015 by Jewish philanthropist Ron Lauder, the Lauder Employment Center led by Gil Menachem aims to boost employment in the Negev, enabling young people to stay without compromising their careers," she explains. "Our goal is to increase job opportunities in the Negev and entice companies from central regions to hire remotely."

According to Gil Menachem, one of the main challenges for residents of the periphery is employment inequality. "Currently, most 'quality' jobs are located in central Israel," she explains, "forcing many to choose between living in the Negev or pursuing a career. Fortunately, conditions are gradually improving. For example, Beersheba has become a global cyber center offering many job opportunities; yet most graduates of Ben-Gurion University leave the South after finishing their degrees. Only 15% remain in the Negev, a very low number. Clearly, we must make every effort to help them find suitable employment."

How do you achieve this?

"We work simultaneously with job seekers, training bodies, and employers to align their desires and needs. Understanding employer requirements allows us to convey them to training institutions, so they can prepare their students who can then reside in the periphery while working for major companies in central areas, often from home."

Have you considered bringing large companies to the periphery?

"We've tried a lot, and while it's ideal and beneficial, it often doesn't succeed. It requires government intervention and incentives, which don't currently exist. Today, companies hesitate to move to the periphery, despite its advantages like lower rental costs and quality manpower. The reality is few companies are eager to do so, so we focus on remote employment. It's increasingly common for Israeli offices to employ workers from abroad, like Bangladesh or Eastern Europe. Why not from the Negev?"

Lauder Center

Are companies rising to the challenge?

"Some are willing to hire distant workers, but many still have reservations," she admits. "Managers often doubt remote management's feasibility, citing difficulties in team cohesion when split between locations like Herzliya and Dimona. They argue that online training is challenging, physical meetings are irreplaceable, and informal workplace interactions can't be overlooked. These concerns have largely kept companies from jumping into remote employment."

Has the COVID-19 crisis proven that it's possible?

"Exactly. Despite the pandemic's severe impacts on health and welfare systems, it has provided businesses with an invaluable lesson. Employers were forced overnight to transition to remote work, adapting to the 21st-century model. Surprisingly, most found it feasible and less complicated than expected. This situation has even proven beneficial, as physical offices entail daily commuting costs, office rents, and associated expenses. Open-plan offices often lead to distractions, but now employers have been compelled to embrace change and discovered many advantages in this employment model. Employees' output remains consistent or even improves with flexible and comfortable home environments. Additionally, company managers have been introduced to sophisticated technological tools fostering team unity across distances. They have reluctantly explored these innovations and found them entirely viable."

Do you think companies will continue to manage remotely post-crisis?

"Clearly, not all will switch to remote management, but based on meetings with major Israeli companies' executives, some are seriously considering it. Leaving the crisis won't happen overnight, and even when it does, it will alter employment patterns. Many will face layoffs, prompting companies to seek cost reductions—something remote employment could facilitate. While I strive to be realistic and anticipate that most high-tech firms and large businesses will return to offices, for professions like web development or digital marketing, there's no reason a graphic designer who spends 90% of their time on a computer can't do so from home. Many individuals will try to reinvent themselves due to changes in their previous occupations, and many will prefer working from home."

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"The Change is Going to Be Dramatic"

What about the employees themselves? Do you think they even want to work from home? After all, some enjoy the social aspect of going to work, and not everyone has a comfortable home workspace.

"That's true," Tamar agrees, "but once an employer transitions the team to home-based work, it will be clear that they must provide each employee with all necessary equipment, just as they do in the office. Moreover, working from home doesn't necessarily mean working from the house, as coworking spaces are available in nearly every city. I personally live in Givatayim and maintain an office in Tel Aviv for daily work and meetings while traveling to the company's Negev offices occasionally. Remote work shouldn't eliminate in-person meetings. Teams can decide, for example, to meet weekly or at other frequencies at the workplace for training."

Regarding employee preferences, Gil Menachem emphasizes that pre-crisis surveys clearly showed only 1% of employees didn't want to work from home at all. The rest expressed interest in working from home fully or partially during the week."

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What practical steps are you taking to make this a reality?

"We target three main audiences—employers, job seekers, and small business owners. For employers, we assist in changing recruitment processes to accommodate remote hiring. We organize many workshops and seminars during this period, providing expert advice on remote management, productivity, and digital tools. About 100 employers currently participate in these activities.

"For job seekers, mainly young people, we offer career advisors, workshops for resume writing, training on virtual job interviews, and essential skills like advanced English and computer applications to enhance their chances of successful employment. The third audience is small business owners, arguably the hardest hit during the current crisis. Many will need to reinvent themselves or transform existing businesses. We offer them workshops and tools. For instance, for a restaurant owner, we might suggest focusing on online cooking classes, or if someone was in clothing retail, we help them create Facebook pages and various promotions to facilitate online sales. Many small business owners were never exposed to marketing through media, and we're trying to open that world to them."

You sound optimistic. Do you really think the employment world will undergo such a dramatic change overnight?

"Yes, I'm genuinely optimistic," she admits, "and I believe I have good reason to be. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the world was already changing, with many companies beginning to hire remotely. In recent years, we've seen, for example, residents of San Francisco working in New York—a six-hour flight apart. Even before the crisis, changes in technology were predicted, with expectations that within a few years, 52% of current professions will disappear as many workers are replaced by robots and new professions emerge, like Human-Machine Relationship Specialists. As the work world changes, employment methods will inevitably evolve.

"It's clear that in the coming decade, remote work will become the norm in most companies," she concludes. "Predicting the exact pace of change is challenging, but it seems the COVID-19 crisis will accelerate the process. As I foresee, we're about to witness a real change that will benefit both employees and employers alike."