The accelerating disconnection of work from time and place: new questions for HR

The nature of work has already, for some time, been undergoing major changes as a result of technological progress. Mobile, virtual and cloud technologies, and the infrastructures that support them, are increasingly enabling work to be done from anywhere and at any time. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated this process, driving a large share of white-collar knowledge work to remote and hybrid modes. In this chapter, we explore how the increasing disconnection of work from time and place influences HRM, highlighting important new questions and concerns that HR needs to consider in the key areas of performance management, recruitment and talent management, training and development and diversity management. We also suggest elements requiring increased HR focus going forward, including building employee engagement and an inspiring organizational culture in a virtual and hybrid environment; focusing on the sustainability of working life and employee wellbeing; and facilitating a resilient employee mindset.