It’s an understatement to say that COVID-19 has left a mark on the world. The pandemic forced business and offices to temporarily shut down, and has undoubtedly impacted revenue and operations on a large scale. But doing what humans do best, we’re emerging from lockdowns and making things work in the best way that we can. The question has to be asked – What is the best way to open up again with some kind of normality? How can businesses keep the safety of their employees, clients and customers as an absolute priority?
The New Normal
From employer-employee-customer, we’ve all got to work together to find a middle ground that works for everyone. For companies, this means not only being forced to reevaluate how they run their businesses but to look into the actual structure of each day itself. Of course, safety will almost be of utmost importance, but finding out what’s financially and practically viable is a difficult one.
From talking within the industry, we’re finding that a new hybrid of remote-work and in-office work is looking to be implemented. This comes as no surprise as the distance between employees and their desks needs to be increased, and the option of just getting ‘more office space’ is something many employers cannot feasibly consider. In a recent study, we’ve found that over half of workers explicitly want some form of hybrid working when going into a ‘new normal’
Workforce Preference
From dogs barking to babies on Zoom calls, the world has forcibly adapted to working from home. And while it comes with a side of distractions, alot of people have actually found they quite like many elements of remote working. They’ve enjoyed being able to get their head down on projects and not having to think about lengthy commutes.
There’s been an odd mix of feeling both less and more distracted. Yes we might have to walk the dog or make lunch for the little ones, but many have felt able to block out time in a way that they can’t in the office. We believe it’s up to employers to enable workers to balance safety with productivity, keeping that focus that comes with remote working but without the in-house distractions.
Creating New Business
As you’ve likely found, those internal meetings and social settings over video calls do the job. We’ve also made do with what we have when it comes to client work and meetings, but it’s true that nothing can replace the level of intimacy and trust built with face-to-face communication. So it’s up to all of us to work out how to make this possible.
A recent poll by MSNBC found the majority of people are looking forward to going back to work – it’s just about how we make that safe and productive. As a collective, we must not only keep things clean through sanitisation, but also reimagine the home/work life to provide a more spacious, comfortable and efficient work setting.
