More than half of the world’s population operates remotely and, as the pandemic continues to endanger health, we are looking at a long period of hybrid work in varying proportions from home and office.
Some lessons learned: Without major reductions in efficiency or quality, we can execute most tasks remotely. Many workers appreciate versatility, especially those with long commute times. Face-to-face engagement, however, is needed over time to promote communication, create relationships, solve complex problems and generate ideas. Continuous remote work increases the day of work, diffuses the limits of work-life and decreases mental well-being.
Organizations have to reconsider their working arrangements in terms of these pros and cons. Ultimately, this re-calibration would settle on a new standard, potentially a blended workforce and dispersed workplace that is sustainable.
Enterprises that follow this modern “virtual-first” way of working have these characteristics: first, the workplace is spread across home, office and satellite offices. Based on their nature of work and the needs of teams, workers may opt to work remotely or face-to-face. Two, the teams are ready for virtual work. Managers know how to remotely treat, mentor, collaborate, analyze success and inspire their team. Three, the technology allows for several operating modes. Data is stored in the cloud; access and protection are configured for various working modes; and virtual partnerships are seamlessly allowed by applications. Four, faith and belonging are prioritized by society. With purpose and care, interpersonal relations are created.
Organizations will transition to a hybrid-workforce model with these four crucial movements and create a virtual-first organization.
Diane Coyle: Co-Director, University of Cambridge, Bennett Institute for Public Policy
What is the state’s role?
Some of the economic issues that many people have already begun to raise became now more urgent because of the economic shock caused by the pandemic. As the saying goes, there is a demand to ‘construct back stronger’ because it was apparent that certain things have already begun to go wrong and now have gotten worse.
For instance, in the kinds of jobs that we have celebrated as ‘key employees’ in everything from care homes to delivery drivers and warehouse staff, one is low pay and poor working conditions. One is the dreadful drop in environmental indicators from severe weather events and the loss of biodiversity to contaminated air and the consequences for human health, both threatening food sources.
An overarching issue about the role of the state in the economy should be highlighted. We have grown used to the notion that different realms are government and markets, and the market usually knows best. Yet we have a demonstration of how radically governments can interfere in managing the economy in the crisis responses around the globe. Even if a government decided to do so, it might take years for the position of the state to relax. But, with a focus on new investment in infrastructure and green transformation, the establishment of work schemes, the compensation of the educational deficit due to disrupted learning through 2020 and beyond, and the promotion of key industries such as travel and the arts, I believe there will be a permanent shift in the perceptions of the state’s position.
How can staff connect with each other?
The future of labor will be shared. We’re going to see a big change from the default office to the default remote. GitHub has become a largely distributed business with individuals operating across the globe, which has helped us learn and grow rapidly. With individuals working remotely for years in every part of the company, we’ve seen how virtual experiences drive creativity.
We are rethinking how we design and use our office spaces with Covid-19-making them all about getting the world in and concentrating on virtual events. By implication, remote would also require individuals to reframe the way they interact and communicate with individuals at work. They would need to become effective written communicators for those whose superpower is interacting with people living and adding energy to conversations. And businesses that do not have a strict need for physical contact, distributed, asynchronously and online, would have to function more like open source communities. We’ll see a material change quickly in who succeeds in this new working mode.
