COVID-19 has drastically changed the way we work. In the midst of a confusing pandemic, most companies that have never even considered adopting a purely digital work setup before have already embraced remote work—albeit hesitantly at first. This sped up the rapid ‘digitisation’ that’s been underway, long before the pandemic hit. It was indeed difficult for many, but as proven by our recent experiences, not impossible.
Companies have collectively fallen into the groove and adapted to working remotely, but as restrictions begin to ease up and vaccination rates rise, we’re now met with questions—will the work-related behaviour and company attitudes we started during the pandemic persist? Will remote work still be a viable option for companies that can afford it? Can companies even afford it? All in all, these questions are just asking one thing: will remote work work for long-term, especially in a post-COVID era?
To answer this question, it is imperative that we first answer whether the remote work setup is actually beneficial to companies. Short answer is yes, definitely! Like we said earlier, it had not been easy to adapt to this arrangement, but more and more companies have proven themselves capable of handling their work and employees remotely. The pandemic has made us more ‘results driven’. For many, it doesn’t matter where the work is being done—as long as it is being done.
Five Things to Expect from the Future of Work
- Employees to Demand More Flexibility in Work Setup
- Rethinking and Redefining the Importance of ‘Physical Offices’
- More Investment in Tools and Systems
- Focus on Employee Engagement
- Priority towards a More ‘Hybrid Work Arrangement’
Employees to Demand More Flexibility in Work Setup
In the midst of the global pandemic, employees have enjoyed the work-life balance provided to them by the remote work arrangement. This was something many workers have struggled with before the virus. For instance, the generous cut to time spent on the commute is now utilised better, especially by those with families to take care of. For them, this means more time to sleep, more time to spend in the mornings with their family members, time for meditation and exercise, and so on.
In a study done by IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) of 14,000 consumers in 9 countries earlier this year, they found that is it essential for employers to understand “employees’ evolving motivations & aspirations” or the shifting employee perspectives in 2021. There, the respondents cited “work-life balance” as their top priority (51%).
Many new hires and old employees alike are now prioritising remote work above all else, and since employees keep the company going, it is important that managers meet these growing expectations. Employers are expected to embrace a lot of changes in the way they work, moving together with these new employee expectations. And they need to go with the tides, in this case, in order to attract and keep a better and efficient talent pool.
Rethinking and Redefining the Importance of ‘Physical Offices’
Employers have begun looking ahead to an eventual full return to the workplace as more and more people become vaccinated. But even experts believe that things will be very different. For one, getting a taste of a remote work arrangement has made many people question the very need for physical offices. This is not to say that physical workplaces and offices aren’t essential anymore—just that the convenience of working from home has likely overridden it.
There is also evidence of more and more people moving out of cities and capitals and into pockets of more “appealing” places, away from the hustle and bustle. This isn’t something new, as digital nomads already paved the way for this work setup way before the pandemic.
This has prompted employers as well as employees to consider or rethink what their priorities are in terms of work and how they do it. The pandemic has shaken the very core of the traditional workplace model (shared office space, the ‘9 to 5’ work hours, etc.) and has sped up the shift to telecommuting. While ‘9 to 5’ is still in place, the focus is heavier now on getting the job done and getting results.
More Investment in Tools and Systems
Unprecedented opportunities for remote work were seen during the pandemic. New employees, as well as those hopping back onto the job market, are now expecting a more flexible work arrangement (a mix of work-from-home and scheduled but limited in-office days) and many companies are yielding to this demand.
Companies that aren’t physically together in a specific location were forced to rely on the efficiency of cloud-based tools. Of course, a workable remote work setup demands a reliable internet connection, a dedicated workspace, as well as necessary technologies to make work easier for everyone. Because companies are theoretically saving a lot more by making their people work from home, money is then (ideally) spent on helping their employees set up better work-from-home spaces so they could work more efficiently. This includes getting resources that magnify the setup, signing up employees on courses and training that they could access everywhere, as well as investing in technologies and systems that employees need.
This is proving to be more economical, at least for those companies that have ditched their offices to exclusively work from home; there are no more leases to pay, no office bills to think about, and so on. And because remote work is not a ‘passing fad’, outdated technology is now being altered in order to empower and manage remote teams better.
Focus on Employee Engagement
Of course, there are some costs to telecommuting, including (but not limited to) isolation and demotivation. These are some of the biggest reasons why many companies are still adamant about the supremacy of office work setup; why they believe that physically being in the same location is better than dispersing employees. So led many to rethink the benefits of “office culture”—those that are created only when everyone’s in the same physical location.
While admittedly, there are some downsides to remote working, a remote workplace culture can and do thrive. This is where managers must come in. It is their duty to keep their teams motivated and, as much as possible, involved. According to a Horton study, a “supportive culture” is vital for motivating and engaging your team, as well as combining personal and professional lives to boost morale. Virtual team-building activities, weekly (sometimes even daily) check-ins through video calls also inspire better employee engagement.
In many ways, the way we work has changed for the better, as more leadership is expected from all members when they work remotely. Working from home means that people have to step up and initiate better than they did when they were in an office, where leadership “roles” are more evident and centralised. All in all, expert advice would be to always lead with empathy, especially during these trying times. Empathy is always the basis for genuine relationship building as well as ensuring more fruitful human connections.
(Engage your team better while you work remotely. Here are some remote working tips to implement for your team!)
Priority towards a More ‘Hybrid Work Arrangement’
According to the faculty of Harvard Business School remote work is definitely here to stay. It will remain prevalent and sought-out (especially by employees) post pandemic. Being ‘forced’ to embrace this setup has led many employers to reevaluate their work and discover what among these tasks can be done remotely and what roles, tasks require people to work on physical offices.
Additionally, studies have also shown that both employees and employers are not opposed to the idea of remote work post pandemic and are, in fact, welcoming of it. Many, however, are more amenable to a ‘Hybrid Working Model’, one that is fluid and flexible. This challenges companies to take the time to plan and build a hybrid work model, something that creates a more balanced mix where people can choose to work wherever they’re comfortable in and be in the offices or a shared space whenever they need to be.
There may not be a full transition to a work from home arrangement, but it would do employers well to consider introducing more flexibility into its work dynamic. Some employees may be more comfortable working at offices while others enjoy more autonomy over their work location. In a hybrid work arrangement, you don’t totally disregard physical workspaces or offices. Here, you still impose a ‘work-from-anywhere’ structure, only bringing the teams or members physically together for important things (including meetings and brainstorming sessions).
So, What is the Future of Remote Work?
While COVID-19 cases are slowly being mitigated, the virus is still viewed by many as a threat in a foreseeable future, leaving many companies who already have a remote work arrangement in place to include remote work in their longer term plans.
In Singapore, for instance, remote work is still highly promoted and employees are encouraged to return to offices only to perform duties that, according to employment law expert Lakshanthi Fernando, are “demonstrably vital to the company’s operations”.
Everyday is an opportunity to review how work is done, how people interact with their colleagues, what is necessary to keep the operations going, and where and how results are delivered. The future will focus on flexibility; seeing what work is getting done and not where or when it’s getting done. It paints a ‘results over hours’ picture of a workplace. All in all, there is a call to take into consideration the policies that led to improved workflows and company culture during the pandemic and see whether these could work after we’ve survived this critical juncture.
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