The new normal is working from home. Will it continue post-coronavirus?
Darren Bey
HR & People Specialist | Mental Health & Wellbeing Practitioner | Corporate Coach
Industries traditionally famous for their "stay in the office" culture, those who stoutly refused to indulge a work from home policy, in one fell swoop had to make the impossible, possible.
We have seen a nationwide "work from home experiment" become a success. In a matter of days from the first lockdown announcement, 50% of the UK workforce started to work from home - rising from 5%.
Is this another trend curve, accelerating due to the pandemic? Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that the number of "UK workers who have moved into remote-working had increased by nearly a quarter of a million over the past decade". Priorities have changed; the way people view work has shifted and a better work-life balance was starting to take precedent.
Before COVID-19, many of our clients and candidates saw working from home as a benefit - an illustration of forward-thinking work culture. Often, this can prove to be the deciding factor in accepting a job offer.
Now scepticism towards agile working seems to be fading, staff retention and productivity rising. Companies who have set their employees up to work from home during a lockdown may now find themselves wondering why it wasn't feasible before.
Once they’ve done it, they’re going to want to continue. - Kate Lister, President of consulting firm Global Workplace Analytics
So, is this all a short-term solution until "normality" returns or are we seeing a permanent shift to a nationwide work from home culture?
Economically it makes sense, having minimal staff in the office leads to a smaller office space, which leads to lower rent, less office furniture & equipment, wider location choice, etc. "The notion of putting 7,000 people in the building may be a thing of the past." - Jes Staley CEO, Barclays.
We are talking millions of pounds being saved and invested elsewhere. However, there is a knock-on effect, with less staff commuting into the office, local pubs, bars, cafes, and restaurants will see a dramatic fall in footfall and trade.
Staff attraction & retention are significantly higher for companies that are seen as more flexible. We have seen the importance of diversity and mental health when hiring and retaining talent. Companies who offer more flexibility gain access to a more diverse talent pool. A shorter commute, less pressure on childcare & carer responsibilities and cost savings all have a positive impact on mental health and quality of life.
It is worth mentioning some do prefer a busy office environment. When I initially started working from home I missed the office banter, the daily commute book read, and all-round atmosphere of being based in Oxford Circus. For those still wanting to work in an office, there will be a new office environment. We will now be walking into a room full of dividers and well-spaced desks instead of the crowded open floor plan we’re used to.
NB There are industries where working from home is impossible (travel, bricks and mortar retail, manufacturing) - but for now, our focus is on those who can.
Technology that has been invested in to enable staff to work from home (laptops, ergonomic chairs, cloud software, video conferencing, comms solutions etc.) will still be there when #lifeafterlockdown resumes. So where will that all go? Surely staff will be encouraged to continue using these products and in doing so create a necessity to make remote working a norm.
In conclusion
What we are experiencing is a "workforce revolution" simply becoming the workforce. Personal and professional lives, intertwine like never before. Our colleagues, clients and children have become associates, pets the new office mascots for Friday Zoom drinks.
No one can be certain what the new norm will be, but what is sure spending previous and impending months within lockdown and following social distancing guidelines - some which are still expected to continue into 2021- going back to only working in an office will be a thing of the past.
These thoughts are my own and welcome any feedback, comments, opinions on this subject. Please see the links to the sources below.
Global Mobility Solutions Consultant at Marsh McLennan
4 年Great article. The other impact to consider is will it change where we live? Previously our larger cities were densely populated as that is where the jobs were. The focus was all about the commute to the office. There must be many people enjoying working from home, but realising that their home isn’t ideal to work from (no office, cramped, no garden etc) Will we see people return to the parts of the country they grew up in, if they can work from home? Will rural living (subject to broadband) and moving away from living in cities increase due to no longer needing to commute?
VP - Product Owner Tech Transformation
4 年Interesting point Darren, I can honestly say it's been challenging but has worked for me, theres elements of difficulty at times in terms of balancing home life with work(newborn in a flat) along with trying to maintain defined start and finish times which I don't always adhere to. Outside of the challenges I can honestly say we have turned a corner and highlighted very high levels of adaptability in many working sectors, the number of people working from home(full time) in the future will double if not treble where applicable, as companies see cost cutting and social distancing measures as a high priority along with the personal preference of workers. Its costing big money on the initial outlay for companies(laptops, server upgrades, cloud capability etc) but the longer term saving will be exponentially better than having to rent and run office space in metropolitan areas, less power, less building staff, less paper,less ink, less office equipment to maintain etc. So I cannot say I'll love 'full from home' as ill miss the office environment and colleague engagement but it may be a necessity or the future especially for me in technology. How this will impact workers and productivity only time will tell.