Shaping the new world of work: Lessons from lockdown

Experiments Collection  - Lessons from Lockdown
Experiments Collection - Lessons from Lockdown
Anna Gowdridge the Human At Work Director for Virgin Unite posing on a balcony
by Anna Gowdridge
29 October 2020
The 100% Human at Work initiative was founded on the belief that the time has come for business to start thinking of people as human beings and not as resources, moving away from maximising profits and profitability to focus on how we can help people achieve their highest potential and purpose – which will naturally positively impact the bottom line.

We aim to lead the conversation, encourage collaboration and innovation, set the benchmark and facilitate learning, guided by our 100% Human at Work principles: Equality, respect, growth, belonging and purpose.

The world of work is transforming at a faster rate than ever before and is the subject of intense debate around the likely impacts on jobs, workers, wages, and society.

With the arrival of coronavirus in 2020 we have seen the scale and speed of that change rise exponentially, fundamentally disrupting the world of work as we know it. This will affect everything from gender parity to social mobility and global inequality, to the fundamental nature of a job. It is impacting all economies and societies.

100% Human at Work
100% Human at Work

Organisations around the world have had to make enormous shifts, overnight, to manage the impacts, support their people and keep their businesses running. In response we have seen extraordinary levels of adaptability, innovation, resilience and compassion.

Over the past few months we have been in conversation with the 100% Human at Work network and seen their journey as they’ve grappled with the challenges that coronavirus has brought. We have pulled together this collection of experiments to celebrate the amazing work that is being done by organisations who have put their people at the heart of their decisions.

The Virgin Way
The Virgin Way

As we move forward, we have an opportunity to rethink the future of work, our roles as leaders and the old systems in which we functioned. We hope this collection will inspire you to join us on the journey to create a 100% human future of work that serves humanity and the planet.


The Experiments Collection – Shaping the new world of work highlights the lessons learnt from lockdown and how they can help shape the new world of work.