So, have you been temporary home working like at least 60% of the UK workforce during lockdown?
The benefits of working at home have only just hit the Victorian Employers (no pun intended!) and the old way of “you have to be at work to be at work” have been eroded.
Technology has advanced to allow us all to communicate via Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams etc and have access to all the systems we need at home securely.
The world had marched on 5 years in 5 months and we are not going back. Well, not entirely.
Staff and employers have seen the benefits of home working increase, so just what does that mean for employees?
Upside
- Less time commuting to and from work
- A better life work balance
- Improved productivity (yes really!)
- Reduced carbon emissions
- Reduced traffic in our cities and towns
Downside
- A feeling of isolation
- Mental illness issues
- A lack of team bonding (or perception of it)
- Unsure about supervision
- Fear of security in our employment
- Ghost towns becoming a future reality
So, what does this all mean?
A recent report in August from Cushman & Wakefield confirms what we already know.
“Cushman & Wakefield has captured more than 2.5 million data points from workers all over the globe in the pre-COVID-19 era and a further 1.7 million data points from more than 50,000 respondents in the current work from home environment.”
- Productivity can occur anywhere, not just at the office:
- Pre-COVID-19, remote workers were more engaged and had a better workplace experience than office workers
- During the pandemic, effective team collaboration has reached new heights, through better leverage of remote collaborative technology, and the ability to focus was upheld
- Flexibility and choice to work from anywhere is accelerating
- 73% of the workforce believes companies should embrace some level of working from home
- Human connection and social bonding are suffering, impacting connection to corporate culture and learning
- Younger generations are reporting more challenges working from home
- The new normal will be a Total Workplace Ecosystem:
- The workplace will no longer be a single location but an ecosystem of a variety of locations and experiences to support convenience, functionality, and wellbeing
- The purpose of the office will be to provide inspiring destinations that strengthens cultural connection, learning, bonding with customers and colleagues, and supports innovation
- Current footprint sizes will remain steady, balancing social distancing’s relaxing of space density with less office space headcount demand in the new total workplace strategy
Well, it is a fact that society and the workplace has changed. Staff have seen the upside and downside of homeworking, but inevitably the workplace has changed forever.
Some workplaces such as Retail and Manufacturing will always be at a place of work away from home, but that’s not cut and died either.
Online retail has soared and yes, as we know there are major high street casualties.
But! Now you’re working at home on a semi-permanent or permanent basis, does the law change for you?
You bet it does!
Integrated online management systems offer a lifeline to companies to manage all aspects of its business compliance in or out of the office assuring Statutory Compliance for all its people.
Are you ready?
The Compliance Standard Group was formed to provide accessible Compliance Management Systems, services and tools that enable organisations to rapidly attain statutory compliance.
Our goal is simple. We aim to improve efficiency and Environmental Health & Safety within the workplace using our Moral, Legal & Financial model.
CSG work with organisations to achieve compliance across the globe for the right reasons.
Why not join us.
Reference – Cushman & Wakefield Report the Future of the Workplace 19/8/2020
