As the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out across the UK, a sense of what we might call normality is rapidly approaching. Whilst many employers and employees are looking forward to returning to the office as soon as possible, if only to break the monotony of being in the same place day and night, we know the world will not return to its pre-pandemic status quo. With a work from home order in place until at least June 21st under the UK government’s latest roadmap for coming out of lockdown, offices will slowly start to open up, but we won’t see office workers rushing back to the office once guidelines are lifted. Benefits from an improved work-life balance, realised during past and present lockdowns, means we will now see hybrid offices become mainstream. Vaccines will usher in a new normal and work culture, as employees and employers demand jobs that offer the flexibility and benefits of remote work we are now accustomed to.
The New Normal
With vaccinations ramping up in the UK and the UK government aiming to vaccinate the entire population by 31 July 2021, businesses are starting to consider the implications on their workforce, with some companies beginning to draft controversial ‘no jab, no job’ contracts to force staff to get COVID-19 vaccinations. However, whilst vaccinations will play a significant role in getting people back into the office, it doesn’t necessarily mean the end for WFH (working from home). Whether it’s increased productivity or an improved work-life balance, many employees are seeing the benefits of working from home, and many aren’t willing to give these up. Demand for flexible work policies is also growing, with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which represents human resources professionals, calling for a change in law, to make the right to request flexible working a day-one right for all employees as well as specify in adverts that jobs can be done flexibly.
The pandemic has forced countless industries and organisations, who once thought WFH was unsuitable for their teams, to implement procedures, practices and technology to enable employees to work from the comfort of their own home and interact with co-workers and customers virtually. However despite the clear benefits of remote work, not everyone is suited to working remotely, and employees are now expecting their employers to accommodate and implement policies that support their needs and ensure their wellbeing.
Rise of Hybrid offices
Companies are starting to recognise that our modern working culture and environment must change to accommodate varying employee needs. In response, companies are adopting policies that enable a hybrid workforce. Countless companies are now publicly committing to hybrid working policies, including Spotify, which announced that their 6,500 staff across 73 countries don’t have to return to an office five days per week once the pandemic has passed. Instead, employees will choose between two work models, the office mix, meaning they can go into one of the offices two or three days per week, or the home mix, which will allow people to drop into the office as needed, but not be based there. Other major companies are also recognising that hybrid is the future, including Salesforce and Google, which are promoting a more flexible way of working.
However, wellbeing is not the only reason that is driving hybrid offices. Whether remote and hybrid working policies remain mainstream after the pandemic ends, will ultimately depend on productivity levels and ability to recruit top talent. It may be too early to tell if we are more productive working from home, however, one study from TalkTalk revealed that more than half of workers (58 per cent) have reported that they have been more productive while WFH. This can be due to multiple reasons, improved work-life balance and increased time saved from commuting. A recent study by the World Economic Forum found that GDP will be maximised through increased productivity if employees work from home just once or twice a week. One way this is happening is through reduced commuting times, as employees no longer need to hop on the train for their daily commute to the office. Before the pandemic, the average commuter in the UK spent 59 minutes travelling.
Time saved from commuting can be used differently by different employees, as one study found some employees are now spending saved time on personal activities, whilst others are spending more time responding to emails or in meetings. The benefits of remote working aren’t isolated to just employees. Companies benefit too, by saving money on office space in large cities, where rents are known for being extortionate. Lloyds bank, for example, has announced plans to reduce office space by 20 percent over the next two years. The bank made the decision following a company survey, which revealed 77 percent of Lloyds’ 68,000 employees want to work from home for three or more days a week in the future.
However, there are some limitations to home working on productivity. A completely remote workforce could potentially reduce information sharing and limit camaraderie, which occurs more frequently face-to-face. By implementing a hybrid working policy, companies allow for greater flexibility, which means they can get the best of both worlds.
Setting hybrid working up for success
To achieve the key benefits of a hybrid workforce highlighted above, understanding how to effectively implement a hybrid workforce is key. Although hybrid teams offer countless benefits, miscommunication can happen with employees located all over the country, or the world. Companies need to ensure that they are implementing the right technology that facilitates communication between employees and teams, no matter where they are. Messaging services such as Slack and video conferencing software such as Zoom are just a couple of examples of how technology is now completely integrated into every facet of the average employees’ working day. Technology will now be essential for striking a balance between home and in-office workers.
It is clear now that we will not simply revert to pre-pandemic work patterns. Lockdowns and social distancing have forced people to evaluate what is important to them and what works best for their unique needs. Hybrid offices offer the flexibility employees and employers are now craving. Taking advantage of working from home and being in the office is not easy though. Companies and organisations must provide their employees with the right tools so productivity and communication are not compromised, no matter where they are located. And we believe that implementing the right tech is the first step to achieve this.
Guest Post by Frank Weishaupt, CEO, Owl Labs
Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs, a collaborative tech company revolutionizing how organizations of all sizes communicate. Owl Labs is a pioneer in the WFA movement, through its work developing the award-winning Meeting Owl Pro and its annual State of Remote Work report.
