Get back to the office as quickly as you can....
I have a prediction. If you are intending to work from home 100% of the time, then in six months you will have either lost your job or left your job. Make a note of the date today and check back in 6 months.
I know this flies in the face of the current trends, but if you value your career and have ambitions to progress, then you simply cannot do that from home. The work place is the soul of the company. It’s the space where people convene to share ideas and experiences. It’s the environment that is most conducive to collaboration, training and personal development. The work place is where cultures are forged and company values are crafted and if you exclude yourself from the experience, then you will miss out or even worse – be forgotten.
If you can work from home 100% of the time, then there is every chance your role could be automated or transferred. Working from home, your function could simply be regarded as a labour resource which can easily be ‘outsourced’. If you have career ambitions to become a Director or play a more influential role that adds value and shapes the business, then you need to have a presence, and this needs to be face to face.
Don’t assume this pandemic is the panacea that rewrites the contract between employer and employee. The net effect won’t be a nirvana of remote or very flexible working where employees can continue to make demands to work exclusively from home, instead it will be mean more redundancies. It stands to reason that those individuals who demonstrate the qualities needed to help their employers navigate out of this challenging situation will undoubtedly be the ones who are retained or will be first in line for promotion. The employment market has never been more competitive and if you value your career, then this is the time to show your commitment and you can’t do that sitting at home.
A company’s key priority is to make profit and as many are sadly finding, once the profits stop, so does the business. To combat the impact of the pandemic, every company is now preoccupied with saving costs. Redundancies and smaller office space is an obvious quick fix and the attraction of a remote workforce might make sense to the bottom line in the short-term, but what remains unchartered is the impact this will have long-term in productivity or staff retention and development. It is almost impossible to effectively induct junior hires into an organisation remotely and without close supervision. Companies are being forced to make quick decisions to shore up cash and minimise losses, but the impact from the lack of investment in new recruits will be felt for years to come.
A few years ago without the current technology, it would have been impossible for so many to entertain the idea of working from home. Whilst the various platforms have added incredible value and a useful communication tool, they really only serve as a transfer of information. It is very hard to collaborate across a Zoom call and there can be no substitute for the creative sparks that can fly when a group of people share the same physical space. I predict further advances in technology that allows for a much closer monitoring of employees activity and productivity. Companies will have to deploy technology that tracks outputs and this will inevitably be more invasive and will negate many of the perceived benefits of staying at home.
According to a recent report from research unit Alphawise, only a third of British workers have returned to the office compared to France, Germany, Spain and Italy where almost three quarters have returned. This should be a concern to any employer and possibly a reason why the recovery of the British economy has lagged behind.
I accept there is still much concern about the catching the virus, but with low contagion levels and sensible precautions, people should seriously consider returning back to the office as soon as possible, otherwise I suppose we will be hearing from you within the next 6 months.
I agree with many of the points here. In a time of recession, a company will tend to hang on to its most productive employees, assuming it knows they are productive which is where making one's presence felt is also important. Out of sight is out of mind. I do think we will see a new balance, however, which will allow companies and their employees to benefit from greater productivity and flexible working.
Director - Net Zero & Climate Risk @ EVORA Global | CFA Institute, Climate & Investing
4 年David I can see some of your points but I think it presents a slightly binary view of organisational culture. And like those who said that the Kindle would end publishing (it hasn't) the pandemic doesn't mean the end of the office. But neither does it mean we'll all be working from home. What will happen in 6 months+ is people asking for something different and asking for something different with evidence - such as being more productive in lockdown (seen this with a lot of companies) or for more balance. I've noticed project meetings are just quicker - if you need to have a meeting you can do it straight away now rather than having to coordinate with a range of people to be in one place at the same time or commute to an office. There is also the fact that people have legitimate concerns about their own or their families health - for the person who has to sheild in my family the choice of their health or being back at a desk when I get can do it just as well remotely (maybe 3 days a week!) isn't that simple.
Business Leader ● Finance Director ● CEO ● Consultant ● Trustee ● Glasgow ● Scotland ● UK
4 年Thoughtful article David Mattinson. I think there is a fighting chance of some of your predictions becoming a reality whether it takes 6 months or longer.
London
4 年When given the option, I wouldn't recommend that people risk stunting their careers in order to avoid commuting! For me, working from home was quite alienating anyway, and I'm much happier back in the office.
Director & Co-Founder @ Connect Corporate Finance | M&A, Recruitment
4 年Totally agree David!