According to a survey, most employees would like the WFH to continue even in a post-epidemic situation. Those who do go back to work it may be infrequent and needs to be relooked as it would be different from what it was before.
There has been a drastic reset of work as well as at home during the last nine months. Many companies have seen their market changing dramatically and many many open offices with a drastically reduced workforce. Technology has enabled many to work from anywhere and this benefit to the employees is likely to continue post-epidemic also. During this extended lockdown, many employes have moved out of the city into the countryside.
The office will continue to play a role. The future of the office is productivity. The utilization of space will change. The focus will be on creating and representing the culture of the economy. It would be used for onboarding, training, team-building and collaboration.
Despite fatigue associated with attending virtual meetings throughout the day, it is something that managers would like to continue. Team leaders have been able to engage with members productively,
Before the epidemic, the commuting times were increasing day by day. WFH has enabled the employees to better balance their work and home life, being closer to the family, moving to the countryside in a more healthy surrounding and this is one major benefit employees will not be ready to give up.
The office is likely to be more flexible and be reconfigured easily as per requirements. Traditional office spaces, cabins may become a hangover from the past and would give place to a more flexible workspace. It should also be understood that companies invest in culture and people and this requires a personal touch to be sustained, a meeting in person and cannot be translated into a remote environment.
Even after the vaccinations, when the employees return to work fewer employees would be coming to work, maintain safe distances. People need to feel safe, healthy, the offices are environmentally safe not just energy efficient. Hence it would include cleaning protocols, precautionary but mandatory personal health checks air and filtration systems, occupational norms especially, in common office spaces.
The home should evolve better to support women and work. Women have taken the burden of homeschooling, schedules besides the regular housework. Everyone has to contribute and share the burden equally to create a better atmosphere at home which will get reflected in more focussed and productive work.
So, the post epidemic work would be an amalgamation of the benefits of both in-person office spaces and work from home and new creative ways of managing the teams, with infrequent in-person meetings and conversations, unless the work nature demands a commonplace to report regularly.
5 ways the post-pandemic office will look very different
BY S.Mitra Kalita Fortune 2020/12
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