Covid-19 has changed the world forever, and it’s unlikely that we’ll go back to quite the way we were pre-pandemic. The workplace has been turned upside down, transforming into a “grand experiment” in remote working and business via ZOOM meetings. Now that the end of the pandemic may mercifully be in sight, business leaders are starting to think seriously about what to do in the post-pandemic world.
There are four big questions for leaders as they formulate plans to emerge stronger and smarter post-Covid.
The first two questions will be addressed here while the other two will be addressed in part two of this article. The first question is surely on the minds of nearly all leaders who have the option to consider it.
- Do I want to offer work from home as a regular option?
As of June 2020, 42 percent of all US workers worked from home, accounting for over two-thirds of economic activity. A September 2020 Conference Board, Inc. survey showed that more than a third of companies expect that over 40 percent of their workers will continue to work virtually post-pandemic, up from 4 percent before the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is not a big surprise. This past year has shown that remote work does not decrease and may even increase productivity. It also offers other benefits to organizations, including the potential to expand the talent pool, lower labor costs, and raise employee retention. It certainly appears that companies can get by with a lot less office space.
In addition, remote work has many benefits for employees, especially quality-of-life benefits, such as improved work-life balance, fewer commute hours, and increased job satisfaction. An early 2020 Gallup poll showed that 54 percent of workers would leave their job for one that offered more flexibility, and engagement was the highest among employees that work remotely 3-4 days a week.
However, there are adverse effects of telework. Many workers complain of isolation and additional hours worked. It can be difficult to separate home and work lives when both happen in the same space. Compounding these issues is the fact that many managers have not been trained in how to properly manage a remote team. Ineffective management often leads to distrust and micromanagement of employees leads to disengagement.
A successful shift toward prolonged virtual work will demand a robust effort to change organizational and team culture and develop employee engagement. A recent Harvard Business Review survey confirmed that there was still a lot of work to be done. At least 40 percent of the managers surveyed expressed “low confidence in their ability to manage workers remotely” and questioned the ability to keep their remote workers motivated over the long term.
Indeed, creating change at the highest management level will be critical in preparing for a successful future of remote work. It’s recommended that participating companies build an environment of support for remote workers and ensure they have necessary equipment and training. Managers should be educated about the benefits of telework and be trained to put appropriate work designs in place. The same managers should also be advised to check-in with rather than check up on employees and focus on the results delivered. This will create the autonomous and flexible environment that remote workers crave.
Speaking of a flexible environment, this brings us to the second key question leaders need to consider as we emerge from the pandemic.
- Do I want to offer flexible work schedules?
A flexible work policy offers a low-cost way to boost your compensation package, which can be beneficial for small businesses competing for valuable talent with large companies. Flexible work schedules can also greatly benefit employee retention by boosting morale, improving work/life balance, and reducing absenteeism. There are several ways to offer flexibility to employees. Compressed workweeks give employees extra time off while working additional hours on workdays. Part-time jobs with the richness and challenge of full-time positions, and job sharing, which is when two employees work part-time but together fill a full-time position, are other options worth exploring.
The Covid -19 pandemic has also highlighted some of the challenges of flex work, such as loss of informal communication and lack of engagement for employees that are 100% remote. Most of the complaints were caused by the rushed nature of the switch to remote work during the pandemic. When carefully thought out, flex work can offer a company mostly positive benefits to both company and employee.
In evaluating whether alternative work arrangements are right for your business, ask the following four critical questions:
- How do scheduling practices affect productivity and employee well-being? Night shifts, for example, are associated with higher absenteeism and lower productivity, while flextime schedules are generally associated with reduced absenteeism and better employee retention.
- Is it possible to align work schedules with the needs of individual employees? Organizations can address this during the recruitment process.
- What are the implications for the company of giving workers more control over their schedules? As companies are placing more and more responsibility on the individual for the experience and engagement in their work, it makes sense to extend that to when they work.
- Can we balance the needs of employees with the needs of the organization? Organizations still need to perform in a highly competitive environment, and it may not be feasible to give employees ideal flex work opportunities. Organizations will have to explore the balance between short-term business needs and the long-term benefits that flex work schedules may bring.
If your company is considering offering flex work to employees, here are some key points that will help you build a thriving work culture for them.
- Train managers to focus on the results and outcome, not the process. Employees will benefit from having clear information about expectations. Take pains to be specific about
all the details. - Create a culture of personal responsibility. Every employee should be responsible for their part and be able to count on team members to do their parts as well.
- Make sure that the requisite soft skills are addressed during the interview process. Self-starters will thrive in this environment, those who need discipline and direction will not. Look for self-motivated candidates with an inner desire to excel.
Your company will, of course, need buy-in from key managers and human resources before implementing flex work as early execution can lead to extra work. Managers should be trained to manage a flexible workforce which can be very different from managing an in-office staff. It may also be beneficial to “pilot” the program on a small scale before rolling it out company-wide. Always plan for a reasonable length of time to work out any problems before achieving the desired positive results.
It is most definitely a new world of work defined by remote workers with flexible schedules. These trends, now so ubiquitous, may well be the most positive and permanent holdovers from the pandemic era.
If you’re still working remotely, you’ve probably already experienced the special challenges of managing your personal brand in that context. Read our article How to Stand Out When Working Remotely.
Featured photo sourced from Pexels which can be found here and secondary photo also sourced from Pexels can be found here.
