MAKE UTILITIES GREAT AGAIN

Introduction

Normally workers work from a company building, it always has been, but we live in revolutionary times. As the world moves on from the pandemic, a new generation of workers is moving in also. Generation Z (Gen Z ) is now the youngest of the workforce, and as every new generation does, they’re shaking things up. For them, a good working environment matters to every generation — a job that is meaningful at a company that makes a difference, aligns with their social views, and prioritizes mental health support.

Benefits of remote working

We are the most connected we have ever been thanks to the internet and smartphones.…and working remotely has become the new normal in post covid pandemic.?As things get back to “normal” there are companies that want their employees back in the office., with the multiple lockdowns imposed around the world, businesses proved that they could still operate and be profitable when employees work remotely.

Power & Utilities (P&U) companies were built on innovation and progressive thinking, but now the industry seems to be always last to resist change. In this article,?Odion Okojie?discusses the benefits of adopting remote working for Power & Utilities (P&U) companies, not only to attract but also to retain the existing workers.

As it is, many Gen Z workers simply do not want to go to the office anymore. In retrospect, does the P&U sector offer a flexible, good working environment attractive enough especially for Gen Z??For a while now, P&U companies have been struggling with attracting young talents, due to a lack of great workplace culture. In this case, what is the future of the P&U?

As you’re already aware, an organization’s culture is often reflected in its mission statement and leadership, evident in not only how managers treat employees and the benefits offered, but also in the transfer of knowledge to the younger generation.

Remote Working Professional 1

The sector has always been struggling to maintain talents, and this can be a GREAT opportunity for P&U companies to redefine their image from an outdated good old boys club, to a talent attraction hub for generation Z. The sector should be bouncing by switching work traditions, so as to not only sustain the talent we already have but also attract new ones. For an industry that requires customers to change and improve their energy consumption habits, we in turn need to meet the value prop of current and future talents. Positive workplace engagement and mentorship don’t seem to be the only thing to cut it anymore. The great resignation will still take place and see the loss of talent if P&U companies don’t get more encourage remote work practices.

As 22-year-old?Erifili Gounari, founder and CEO of The Z Link, previously told?INSIDER: “We value things like freedom and flexibility more. So, to me, not having an office and having the opportunity to let everyone work wherever they want creates a much better company culture, because everyone feels a lot more independent.”?Also, according to?INSIDER, back in October 2021, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky deemed the Great Resignation more of a “Great Reshuffle.” Workers were quitting their jobs in favor of a better one. His team found that job transitions on LinkedIn have increased by 54% year-over-year, with Gen Z’s job transitions increasing by 80%. One of the factors driving the quits is being forced to give up working from home. The typical Gen Z is more inclined to quit over returning to the office full time.

“People like me and my peers?have enjoyed some sort of security but that can stymie growth and inadvertently stymie progress. Future talents value flexibility and work-life balance more than promotions. I see no reason why this cannot be achieved, if not that the P&U industry itself has grown so resistant to change. Gen Z wants to enjoy the skill growth as long as it is enjoyable and able to be done on their terms.” According to?site Accenture report, hybrid workers are more likely to be thriving, while onsite workers are more likely to be disgruntled.

Drawbacks

Apart from the benefits of remote working, it also has its minimal drawbacks. According to the?Velocity Smart Technology Market Research Report 2021, 70% of remote workers said they had experienced IT problems during the pandemic, and 54% had to wait up to three hours for the issue to be resolved. Yet, for better or worse, remote working is here to stay, with the benefits simply too appealing. Organisations should prepare for what life looks like in a post-pandemic world. One of the many issues they’ll have to address is the cyber security risks of remote working. A remote workforce comes with myriad dangers, with employees relying on their home networks – and sometimes their own devices – to complete tasks. And you better hope they have technical skills because should they experience any technical issues, there’s only so much your IT team can do to help.

Additionally, the most obvious risk is that most of the tasks are conducted online. After all, if something’s on the Internet, then there’s always the possibility of a cyber security compromises. Your Cloud documents, emails and attachments, instant message clients and third-party services are all vulnerable – and with so much information being shared digitally, your attack surface has grown much wider. Any organization with employees working from home must create a remote working policy to manage the risks.

Winding up?(Recommendation for Power Utilities)

Remote Working Professional 2

P&U companies should start by offering what small modern tech companies offer. Based on the above, utilities will compete heavily with other tech companies. All the people want is freedom, so let’s give it to them. Fighting the change may do more harm than good. To attract new talents, many employees now expect remote work opportunities. According to?Buffer, 99% of current remote workers would like to work remotely, at least some of the time, or for the rest of their careers. That’s nine points higher than the figure from the?same survey?in the previous year.

About the author

Odion Okojie?is passionate about Renewable energy and technology, as he believes these are the best ways to solve complex problems! Odion enjoys having conversations with lots of creative people who work in the renewable energy sector. He also loves traveling and interacting with other cultures, getting to meet and share ideas with other people who are very motivated and passionate about renewable energy.?He grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Cleveland, the USA at the age of 16. He finds it very inspiring and motivating to see young people getting involved in making the world a better place by integrating both renewables and tech.