The world of work will never be the same again post-COVID – some trends have been accelerated…and some realisations are hitting home, such as personal and family priorities, sustainability for the planet, country- vs city-living…
Many of us have realised that we will be able to work not just from home, but from anywhere, saving time, energy, resources…and widening our business reach! I am currently attending a programme on Zoom with a participant based in Portugal!
This pandemic has made us appreciate the concept of remote working – we have had to embrace it, even though we may not all be implementing it properly – yet.
Now that a vaccine is nearly available and the beginning of the end is a possibility, new behaviours which have emerged during COVID-19 days are here to stay.
Offering flexibility in working practices will be a necessity for most employers, unless their work has to be done on site, such as manufacturing, retail etc, Prospective employees will expect this to be included in their employment conditions, moving from time-based to outcome-based employment.
So, as we come out of lockdowns and restrictions what is the new world of work likely to look like?
Many major companies with large offices will not be returning to full occupancy and will not require their teams to come in every day or even every week. The need for human interaction is such that these places will now be meeting venues for those important team building exercises and face to face occasions when a video conference will simply not do.
But what of remote working? Will this simply mean swapping home for the office or might it mean an even more flexible style of work where 9-5 office hours are confined to the past and work is something that can be accomplished anywhere and anywhen? Will people expect this sort of flexibility? Will they want it?
Of course, there are industries and services that may have to work from 9-5 but in this globally connected, outsourced, 24/7 world it does not make sense for a great many of them. There are massive benefits to be had, cutting down on commuting time and cost, and giving time, that most precious of commodities, back to the team. Less travel, less pollution, less waste of resource. The pandemic has demonstrated that home working often improves productivity, maybe truly flexible, anywhere, anywhen working will move that on further.
What is certain, is that Cloud Voice and Unified Communications make all of this a reality that can be implemented now. So, if you and your teams are keener than ever to work from anywhere, are your communications systems able to support such a move? Contact me to find out…
Jon Pentel
Tel: 020 8150 9300 Email: jon.pentel@pen-telecom.co.uk