"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change." This quote by Albert Einstein aptly sums up the survival strategy for the pandemic era. Adapting to the changes happening in the surroundings is crucial for the survival and progress of not just human beings, but for any living organism. The unprecedented challenges and uncertainties caused by the global lockdown and travel restrictions, imposed due to the pandemic, has brought forth a paradigm shift in the conventional ideas about workspaces. Reimagining the work culture has become indispensable to the organization's management for ensuring the safety and enhancing the productivity of its workforce. Management has woken up to the fact that the workforce doesn't necessarily have to be physically present in the office to get the job done.

Changes in the work culture of organizations had been a very gradual process in the pre-pandemic period. The work culture that was being followed was firmly rooted in age-old concepts of how people perceive work and workplace. But the Covid-19 virus and its consequences has brought forward some drastic changes in peoples' perspective towards work.

In spite of the fact that digital collaborative technologies such as cloud storage, version control systems, video conferences and screen sharing had been around for a while, organizations were hesitant to adapt them in the times before the pandemic. But the pandemic has acted as a fillip for companies worldwide to embrace the transition to such virtual collaborative technologies. Consequently, companies face the threat of data privacy and cybersecurity owing to the fact that the sudden and unplanned adoption of digital technologies has made them more exposed to security risks and vulnerabilities in the cyber world.

The introduction of work from home has been the greatest benefaction of the pandemic. Nowadays, working from home has become the norm rather than a privilege. Working remotely might imply that employees will be working for longer durations, than they did in office, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the quantum of work that gets completed will be more since people often tend to become less productive while working remotely for long durations. Working from home has started to negatively impact the work-life balance of many remote workers since the work hours tend to extend beyond the normal office timings in a remote work environment. The employees will be more conscious about the end of work hours and the need to switch off when they see their colleagues leaving at the end of day while working in an office environment. Also, in-person conversations and small talks happening within the office were essential for building rapport among team members in an organization. Management has to proactively take the initiative to engage more with the employees to preserve the social interaction within the team.

In the post-pandemic era, most of the companies will not be focussing on reverting back into the old work culture but instead the focus will be on leveraging the best of both worlds by shifting to a more hybrid work culture. The hybrid work culture will use the office space for work that requires intensive collaboration such as planning, analysis, reviews etc. while the actual execution of work (the ones that can be performed individually) will be done remotely. This will change the role of offices in the organizational context. Office spaces will have to be redesigned to suit collaborative work and thereby enhance interaction among the workforce. Personal cubicles will gradually make way for more conference rooms in the near future.

Flexible work policies will become the standard in the post-pandemic era. Flexibility in the work environment will be quintessential for companies that want to project an employee friendly image. Flexibility will be not just in terms of space, but flexibility in time, also, has to be provided by the management. The work culture will transform to be more employee-centric as the focus is being shifted from work to employee welfare, thanks to the increased awareness on mental health necessitated by the lifestyle changes triggered by the pandemic. A work culture that celebrates employee recognition has become the need of the hour. Also, a transformation into an inclusive work culture that embraces diversity and gender equality should become the priorities of the management in the post-pandemic period.

Organizations are facing the crisis of "The Great Resignation" as there is an increased exodus of talented employees towards greener pastures. Employee burnout and lack of job satisfaction fuelled by poor work-life balance are the main causes for this mass resignation. Retaining good talent within the organization has become a major concern for the management. Organizations should ensure that they are conducting regular employee engagement activities so that the workforce gets a happier employee experience. Also, companies will have to ensure that their employees are always ahead of the game in the latest trends in the industry. Attrition rates tend to be lower in companies that are willing to actively invest in the development of their employees.

Management will have to shift its focus from 'adjusting to the pandemic situation' to 'recovering from the pandemic situation' in the post-pandemic period. Identifying the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead will help in carving out a work culture that is motivating, rewarding as well as engaging for the employees. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for this situation. The employees have to be involved while envisioning a new and customized solution for each organization. Yes, this can be a subtle process, but it can prove to be beneficial and rewarding in the long run.