A conversation with Marta Machicot on the future of work in the post-COVID-19 world.

design ORGANIZATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENT/ Amaia Cabezón

Marta Machicot a law graduate from the University of Navarra and MBA from the Instituto de business , addressed the second session of the Stop & Think Leadership cycle, organized by the School of Economics of the University of Navarra, under the degree scroll "The future of work in the post-COVID world".

After more than twenty years as part of a company like Telefónica, Machicot is currently Chief People Officer (CPO) of the group, a member of its Executive committee and reports directly to the President of the Company. In this webinar, Machicot discussed how they have reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic with Alberto AndreuExecutive Director of the Executive Master in Human Resources and Digitalization of the University and former Global Director of Organization and Corporate Culture of the same business.

"The tsunami came a little earlier," he clarified. They started working on establishing security measures in February, when the Mobile World Congress was cancelled. "The first thing was to set up a crisis committee , the priorities were people's health and business continuity."

The intention from the beginning was to anticipate, he explained, and after the first case was detected and the building was disinfected, it was decided that 95% of the staff would be teleworking, even before the State of Alarm was declared on March 14, 2020.

At the moment, like the whole country, they are in the de-escalation phase. Telefónica is implementing a return plan, which they have called Recomenzamos. This is because they believe that what is necessary now is not to go back to work as they had been doing until February, but "to capitalize on all the lessons we have learned and take advantage of the new opportunities that this environment gives us", Machicot explained.

From the beginning, they took four blocks of measures: safety measures in the facilities, stores, offices and headquarters; individual health measures, follow-up of confirmed cases and counseling; specific protocols, defined for each of the activities; and, finally, information and training, because, although the facilities are prepared, the protocols are established and protective equipment is available, if the mode of use and operation is not known, none of the above is effective.

In order to return to "normality", the Recomenzamos plan had three stages. The first involved activating non-essential functions that could not be performed from home, where 1,300 people were incorporated. Now, in mid-June, they are in the course of the second stage, which will continue until they can really return to the offices with all the necessary security measures, prioritizing the people who voluntarily want to join the on-site work . And the third, which Machicot would like to achieve in January, would mean having solved the pandemic. Although everything depends on the evolution of the pandemic.

What will be the new forms of work

Faced with the big question that many managers are asking today of working full time digitally, Machicot said that it is a possibility, because now it is our reality and we are doing it; but this does not mean that it is the optimal model .

"The tools of digital work allow us to advance enormously in flexibility, to work where we want and when we want," he said. The benefits are clear, but there are also risks, such as crossing the boundary between staff and professional life, which in recent months has been blurring, and of course the risk of remaining constantly connected. Nevertheless, speaking of his own performance at Telefónica, he said that "the experience has been impressive, and the level of commitment and progress has increased productivity, so you have to maximize it on your return".

With regard to mobility, he explained the three elements that need to be worked on. First, be clear about what types of capabilities need to be developed and see how to do it. Secondly, ensuring that, as a company, you can move people around to perform the functions; and that's where you have to unblock the more rigid systems of large companies. And finally, and most importantly, breaking down the barriers that you may have as an organization, so that you can move forward. One of the experiences they have had at Telefónica is "the opportunity to move people within the organization to other functions in as little as a week," he said. This allows greater flexibility in the company, and allows some of the staff to open their minds and see where they can take their next steps.

Marta Machicot, offering her staff opinion, said she believes that changes in the ways of work, useful devices and environment, will come sooner than expected. "I see a hyperconnected world, totally digital and with a digitized environment", in addition to having a positive view towards augmented intelligence, the combination of human and technological capabilities, which according to her "will allow us to do impressive things".

He also thinks that in the future we will work fewer hours, there will be a lot of flexibility and dynamism, we will do different things, we will dedicate a lot of time to training, we will focus on projects, we will coexist with up to five generations and with virtual reality, which will make offices more versatile.

Faced with a scenario in which technology will become so important, the manager points out that the important thing is to "see the lines of automation and see how to accompany this technology to remain relevant. And, she highlights two job profiles that will become very important in the new environment brought about by COVID-19. Firstly, the professions that she calls soft, creativity and imagination, which will have to accompany very automatic jobs so that technology becomes humanized and the opposite does not happen. And secondly, technology experts, who must ensure that all the systems that we now have and that allow us to develop professionally continue to function and be useful.