I recently came across a series of white papers from Deloitte that address the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace. The first paper highlighted some issues companies might be facing, such as stalled business and/or poor remote-work capabilities for employees, and suggested that going forward, businesses should invest in well-designed telecommuting strategies, as well as “plan for a portion of their workforces to come from alternative talent sources to allow for flexibility and agility in managing the long-term volatility caused by crisis events.” In other words, companies should turn to part-time, freelance, gig, and remote workers to help them protect their business against future catastrophic events, like the one we currently find ourselves in.

The second paper focused on considerations for returning employees to work. One of the key takeaways? That organizations should consider a workforce mix—of automation and machine learning, gig and contract workers, and vendors—to help reduce the impact of future disruption.

This is all very validating for us at WAHVE. We’ve long believed in the power of remote work from “alternative talent sources”—in our case, that means not just part-time employees but also pretirees with more years and experience under their belts. It seems that the pandemic has accelerated a more widespread understanding that these kinds of workers are not merely helpful or nice to have around, but downright essential to the very survival of our economy going forward.

What do you think? Has the coronavirus crisis pushed businesses to open up to the possibility of remote work and a more diverse talent pool?