The destabilizing effects of the COVID 19 pandemic have had dramatic social, economic and health effects across the African continent. For economies, enterprises and workers across Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented changes to the workplace. Some of these changes have been immediate, such as disruptions to supply chains or lockdowns that forced enterprises to close. Other changes—and perhaps the more significant ones—are longterm, with the COVID-19 pandemic reshaping and accelerating existing trends in workplace change. At its core, the pandemic has fundamentally altered where and how people work, upending many longstanding norms and practices.

To better understand these dynamics, the Bureau for Employers Activities of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the ILO Regional Office for Africa partnered with employer and business membership organizations (EBMOs) from across Africa to study these changes, enterprises’ views about them, and steps enterprises are taking in response to them. To try to capture key trends most relevant for enterprises, we focus on four closely related areas: (1) the working space; (2) workplace relations and labour law; (3) skills development, knowledge sharing and productivity; and (4) human resources management.  We have packaged all the data and information from this project into a series of documents and tools. These are as follows

Main Report:

1. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Africa

National Reports

1. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Kenya
2. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Tanzania
3. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Uganda
4. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Seychelles
5. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Nigeria
6. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Ghana
7. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Eswatini

Information Note

1. The changing E-workplace in Africa (Information Note)

CASE STUDIES

1. The Next Normal in Africa series: Five cross sectoral company case studies

Tools for EBMOs

1. The Next Normal: An Advocacy and Action Agenda
2. The Next Normal: The Changing Workplace in Africa – A Guide for Enterprises
3. The Next Normal: The Changing Eworkplace Member Briefing
4. The Next Normal: The Changing Eworkplace Policy Tool