OPINION: The role of inhouse counsel in the changing workplace Following the gradual lifting of lockdowns globally and the eventual return to normalcy, there is a need for organisations to assess what work will look like in the future and devise the appropriate short-, medium- and long-term responses. Factors that should be taken into consideration include the increasingly competitive labour market, changing workers’ expectations and the automation of workplace tasks. Inhouse counsel are pivotal in helping their organisations adapt, develop, and sustain a thriving workforce despite the tectonic shifts in workplace and workforce relations.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present unprecedented challenges for employers and the workforce. Uncertainty has become the norm as organisations navigate the balance between employee safety and productivity. While tech-enabled businesses have adapted to new working practices, challenges have emerged in sectors that are more dependent on a physical presence at the workplace. Employees too have been affected as shift working and furloughs have led to falling wages and redundancies. The new normal has also changed the employer–employee relationship, with increasing focus on flexibility, compensation, and employee rights. The hybrid model of working (which enables employees to blend working flexibly…