Post-Pandemic Telework Is More Than Just ‘Unbound Offices’

More organizations are motivated to embrace the hybrid work approach, Amitabh Sinha, CEO and cofounder, Workspot observes. But there’s more to decentralized work at scale than just flexible schedules. Business leaders need to factor in employee health, stability, and liability as they navigate the next normal. Here, Sinha leans into Deloitte’s Post-COVID Recovery strategy to define what the next phase looks like and shares pointers for business leaders fashioning the post-pandemic workplace strategy. 

The pandemic has led to the world’s largest telecommuting experiment – with companies facing a variety of challenges as they have made the shift to remote work. Now almost seven months into pandemic-style working, it’s time to look at the ‘next normal’. The future of work is here, and organizational leaders must embrace the change in order to move forward with success. 

The Shift to Remote

Until recently, the ability to work remotely was a 5/100 scenario: 5% of the workforce could work from anywhere 100% of the time, and 100% of the workforce could work from anywhere 5% of the time. COVID-19 has radically altered this scenario. 

What is certain? Work isn’t going to look the same again for a long time and for some organizations, it might not ever. In its Workforce Strategies for Post-COVID Recovery report, Deloitte noted that crises usually play out in three phases: “Respond, in which a company deals with the present situation and manages continuity; Recover, during which a company learns and emerges stronger; and Thrive, where the company prepares for and shapes the ‘next normal.’” Let’s consider how these phases apply to the current situation.

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Adjusting to Remote Work

In the same report, Deloitte found that “as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 2.7 billion people, or more than four out of five workers in the global workforce, have been affected by lockdowns and stay-at-home measures.” 

In the Response phase, every C-level leader was exploring options for supporting temporary remote work effectively. If this recent Gartner surveyOpens a new window  is any indication, they are now taking a long-term view of this transition. Gartner discovered that 74% of the chief financial officers (CFOs) surveyed stated they planned to transition at least part of their workforces to permanent remote working. 

Beyond the immediate need to support remote work, organizations are taking a hard look at the costs associated with real estate and other expenses that might be reduced for greater savings. CIOs have an interest in divesting on-premises infrastructure, too; many have cloud-first strategies that are already returning attractive return-on-investment. 

In fact, a recent survey by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG)Opens a new window found that more hand half of the surveyed organizations believe Desktop as a Service (DaaS) “could become the primary means of desktop consumption and delivery.” As states navigate their reopening plans, businesses across the country are working on what strategy will be the best for them.

Learn More: 6 Essential Skills for IT Help Desk Pros to Work Smarter in Remote-First World

Transitioning Post-Lockdown

Employers who were reluctant about remote work and thought their workforce couldn’t be productive outside the traditional office have embraced the new reality. Many employers see productivity go up when employees work remotely. For example, Australia-based Airtasker found that remote workers put in 1.4 more days per month, or 16.8 more days every year, than those who worked at the office. 

Remote workers did take more work breaks, but additional research discovered that, contrary to popular thought, this behavior also results in higher productivity. (Note: The Pomodoro TechniqueOpens a new window of productivity is predicated on a pattern of breaking up periods of work with regular 5-minute breaks.)

Organizations must weigh the options: Is it time to return to the office or not? Companies that choose to do so are facing the cost of changes needed to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for offices. How do you create and enforce social distancing at work? Do you need glass partitions between cubicles? How often will the office need to be sanitized? What happens if you don’t comply with all the CDC guidelines and someone falls sick at work?  

Learn More: Lesson From Crisis: Remote Workforce Seeks Digital Empowerment

Defining the Next Normal

Can managers effectively manage in such an atmosphere? No one knows yet. This brings us to the “thrive” phase of Deloitte’s model – preparing for and shaping the next normal. But how do you plan to have fewer than 50% of your employees show up to work for the next 18 months? What will “normal” look like? It’s likely to change several times before the dust settles.

In the absence of certainty, organizations should at least be prepared for long-term remote work. This includes the solutions required to enable and maintain it. Advances in DaaS are making telecommuting more efficient, cost-effective, and easier to manage – helping to boost productivity by keeping remote workers connected and free of time-wasting technology problems. 

Companies will gradually sort out whether and when to return to the office and if an office is even necessary or viable at this point. As the office becomes unbound, organizations will have to take employee health, liability, economics, and other factors into account to determine what the future of work looks like for them.

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