Back to office…slow and steady!

World is not the same anymore…

It’s four years since the Corona virus shook the world and created havoc. While every industry has undergone significant transformations in the post-covid era, the IT industry had to adapt to the new realities and leverage emerging trends much faster to thrive in the digital landscape.

The pandemic accelerated the widespread adoption of remote work across the IT sector. While many companies have embraced remote and hybrid work models for the past four years by using technology to enable collaboration, communication and productivity regardless of physical location for business continuity, recent surveys have concluded that hybrid work environment is widening the gap between employees and managers. Some of the challenges faced by IT companies in the post-covid work-from-home models included infrastructure, security, collaboration, employee well-being, management, training and client engagement. While more than 80% of managers felt that there is a dip in the employee’s productivity in the complete remote working model, the percentage came down to 60% for the hybrid working model.

Bringing employees back to office became a challenge for many IT and IT-enabled companies. Most employees who got used to the work-from-home model needed better reasons to come back to office apart from company expectations. So, it became evident that the speed at which companies transitioned to work-from-home model during covid versus the intent of employees to come back to work post-covid had significant challenges. Companies that mandated 100% back to office had to face employee morale and attrition issues. Some companies tried the middle-ground of managing employee expectations with flexible hybrid models like three days in office, no punch-in and punch-out, fixed rosters and flexible work hours in case of personal constraints, also saw mixed success. While the debate over remote work continues, it has plummeted significantly from its pandemic high. A gradual decline of remote work also reflects the ongoing push from companies to get employees back to office.

We, at Osmosys, felt that it was important to consider the current macroeconomic conditions and create a model that would contribute to employee satisfaction, productivity and organizational success. So, we made a mandate for each of our teams to chose a month and work from office that whole month. The idea was to have the entire team work in the same physical space to foster better collaboration among team members, facilitate face-to-face interactions, spontaneous discussions, brainstorming sessions and quick problem-solving, leading to more innovate ideas and solutions. Working together in an office environment builds a sense of camaraderie and belonging, provides more opportunities for mentorship, training and professional development. The casual interactions, such as coffee breaks, team lunches, participating in CSR activities, contribute to stronger relationships and higher morale, which positively impact overall job satisfaction and productivity.

However, mid-sized organizations like ours need to be cautious in our approach and weigh-down the advantages and disadvantages of bringing back our entire workforce to office. It is important to keep young workforce engaged at workplace to foster a sense of belonging and cultural alignment. They also still need a lot of mentoring, learning and sharing for their career growth, which can be carefully planned and prioritized if they are all together and work in office.

While hybrid working is likely here to stay, its exact implementation may vary depending on factors such as industry, organizational culture, and individual preferences. Nonetheless, the trend towards hybrid work and work from office reflects a fundamental shift in how work is conducted and represents a significant evolution in the way organizations and employees approach the future of work.

By:

Dinesh Madireddy

COO | Osmosys Software Solutions