THE NEW BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

THE NEW BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

Workplace strategies in a post-pandemic world

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was first reported to the World Health Organization in December 2019. Its impact on global businesses and economies has been immeasurable, with significant effects being felt within the UK labour market. Many companies have already ceased operating despite Government interventions and the implementation of a range of policies such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), and the furlough scheme. For those businesses that manage to pull through, it is now increasingly clear that the fallout from this pandemic is here to stay and that newly-introduced company strategies relating to the workplace and increased home working are likely to be with us for the long term.

Office for National Statistics – Social Impact – Working

According to the 'Opinions and Lifestyle' survey covering the period 5 August to 9 August 2020:

  • 4 in 10 adults reported that the coronavirus was affecting their well-being
  • of these adults, 18% reported that they were worried about a possible job loss, while 11% reported they were worried about returning to work – both small increases when compared with the previous week (14% and 10% respectively)
  • of all working adults, over three-quarters said they had either worked at home or travelled to work this week – a small increase when compared with the previous week
  • over half of working adults (55%) reported they had travelled to work in the past seven days, while 23% had worked exclusively at home

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/bulletins/coronavirusandthesocialimpactsongreatbritain/14august2020

These results confirm that more people are now travelling to work, and fewer are working exclusively at home, when compared with data from one month and two months ago.

Although these statistics suggest that, after several months of staying at home, people are increasingly returning to their place of work, the pandemic will continue to affect the way workers operate. Many (if not all) businesses will have to make adjustments, whether those are in the workplace or in adapting to the option of working from home long-term.

Crucially, employers are having to rethink the purpose of the workplace and take a more holistic approach to the working environment, taking into account such wide-ranging factors as digital technologies, organisational transformation, resilience, and sustainability.

Highly Flexible Safe Workplaces

Businesses will need more automation in offices, particularly ‘touchless technology’ and ‘contactless pathways’, requiring a huge amount of hi-tech to ensure employees are protected from the virus. You may need to be thinking about voice-activated equipment, thermal body scanners to check employees’ temperatures, air conditioning systems that use UV light to kill pathogens, wearable sensors, and naturally antimicrobial materials. All this inevitably will require significant investment, and that’s where your business will benefit from incorporating TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) into your financial planning.

Total Cost of Ownership

As the term implies, TCO is a tool to help determine the overall costs of a product or system, both direct and indirect. TCO includes the purchase price of a particular asset, plus operating costs over the asset's lifespan, as well as costs related to replacement or upgrades at the end of the life cycle. Its purpose is to provide a true picture of the economic cost or value of an asset, which can then be compared with the benefits arising from the acquisition and use of that asset, and with other options. TCO analysis is commonly applied to manufacturing processes, IT systems, and whole buildings but the principle can be applied to any aspect of a business that requires investment, such as workplace adjustments required in a post-pandemic world.

Remote Employees

Working from home can have advantages for both employees and employers, but it brings with it new challenges as well as opportunities. According to Dr Alison Bates, a Chartered Clinical Psychologist who specialises in working with children, young people, and their families:

School and business closures have placed enormous pressure on working parents as they juggle the requirement to home-educate their children alongside their business commitments. For many parents, their working life is an integral part of their identity and the pandemic has thrown them into a ‘new norm’ of expectation. The pressure to remain a competent and efficient employee and at the same time an educating, fun, and attentive parent, whilst trying to manage anxieties about the welfare of the family and the uncertainty of the pandemic, can be exhausting.

We must not however ignore the enormous benefits seen by many children whom the education system fails and the importance of having regular quality parent time – perhaps the ‘new norm’ may help businesses and families consider alternative ways of working in the future.”

Work Assessments at Home

Once you have decided that it is no longer necessary for all employees to be in the office all the time, and offer remote working instead, then you must ensure you equip your staff to work as safely and productively as in the office. This will mean looking after their physical and mental health at home, as their living environment will now merge with the working environment.

In practical terms, a home workstation risk assessment is a valuable investment. It will help individuals and teams to identify any health and safety issues and avoid injury, and generally be more productive, safe, and comfortable working at home. It will ensure your business meets statutory requirements while providing home workers with the same support as those in the office and showing that, as their employer, you have invested in their well-being.

Collaboration and Connections

In this COVID-19 world, some of your employees may be working in the office, some at home, and some doing a bit of both. You will want to make sure your business is designed to support collaboration and connection, allowing employees to decide whether to work from home exclusively or to meet and connect with co-workers face-to-face. Coming together in the real world is still fundamental to human psychology, and your business systems should enable this within a suitably safe environment.











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