Work from Home became a norm during the COVID-19 pandemic and most organisations found systems and protocols to streamline this new work model. However, with the success of COVID-19 vaccination drives, employees are contemplating an end to remote working, as employers across the globe now plan the strategy for return to office.
Global Trends
This Covid led disruption has lent us a lifetime opportunity to transform where we work, and how we work. In a report titled “Reworking Work: Understanding the Rise of Work Anywhere” published in October 2020, it was observed that in India as many as 83 percent of the participants felt apprehensive about working from offices again. However, as restrictions due to Covid-19 continue, and the long term effects of lack of office spaces is being felt, it was also found that the productivity and mental health of employees is being impacted by continuous isolation and remote work.
In another study conducted by McKinsey, it was found that only 20-25% of the workforces in advanced economies could work from home three to five times in a week. This directly impacts the propensity of the worker to meet the deadlines and the organisation’s performance.
As the role and purpose of an office undergo a shift, organisations are now looking towards a hybrid workplace culture instead of absolute remote working, and are recognising the need for the physical presence of employees in the office. For instance, across the globe, renowned organisations like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and more, and allowing vaccinated employees to return to the office this year. In India as well, TCS has now invited its employees to rejoin work at the office premises by the year-end, while organisations such as Wipro are seeing a gradual return to work with their top leaders rejoining the office this month.
While there is no one size fits all approach, and the solution will continue to evolve and transform as we learn to deal with the pandemic, it is important to be cognizant of the role industry and job roles play in the decision to return to work. While several jobs are scarcely impacted by remote working, certain jobs in the field of manufacturing, production, etc., require in-office presence.
Economics and population demographics also play a key role in determining the work model. A report by McKinsey and Company, finds that “the potential for remote work is highly concentrated among highly-skilled, highly educated workers in a handful of industries, occupations, and geographies”. It says that while a significant portion of the workforce (from 25% to 45%) in developed economies such as the UK, US, Germany, Japan, France, and Spain can work effectively in remote settings, the figures are significantly lower for emerging economies with 12-16% for countries like India.
While some of the conventional challenges are noticed due to their wide-ranging applicability, some of the barriers to remote working may go unnoticed.
Infrastructural Inequality
A survey by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research studies the downsides of the WFH model and outlines how only 65% of the people in the USA had the internet fast enough to handle video calls. The number is expected to be far lower in developing economies, leading to a disproportionate impact on employees’ productivity.
Work-life balance
Work-life balance has emerged to be the biggest impediment against the implementation of work from the home model of working. On a global scale, as many as 44% of the people have felt the detrimental effects of the blurring boundaries between work and home.
Collaboration & Communication
“Physical workspaces possess considerable advantages over remote working locations in terms of driving employee engagement, innovation, and team productivity. These criteria are set to take on even greater importance in informing future workplace design”.
According to Buffer’s 2021 State of Remote Work report, 41% of new remote workers say the biggest change in work from home iis how they collaborate and communicate with their colleagues. This not only hinders communication but also affects overall job satisfaction.
Lack of access to social avenues and interactions over coffee breaks and team lunches have reduced job satisfaction and diluted company culture significantly, leading to low motivation and thus, lower productivity.
Workplaces Will Evolve & Adapt
According to a report on the Future of Work published in January 2021, “around 66% of survey respondents in Asia-Pacific intend to allow remote working for no more than one or two days per week. This will create a hybrid workforce based in a physical office. Technology will play a crucial role in facilitating a new “phygital” working experience enabling employees to seamlessly switch between onsite and remote locations.”
“Workplace design will have to respond to changes to working styles. Offices must become more experience-oriented, sharpen their focus on wellness and environmental stability and play a more prominent role in enhancing company culture, connectivity and community.”, outlines the report. Offices have now moved beyond the conventional idea of a standard brick and mortar building to a new, modern and sustainable ecosystem that cares for you, and your holistic well-being.
At Max Estates, we have adopted an agile approach to the new hybrid model of work and the renewed requirements that come with it. While the focus on health and well-being is now paramount, a need has also emerged to curate the space configurations and ecosystem of amenities we provide to tenants even post successful vaccinations. With the changing role and purpose of offices in the new normal, we have attempted to create holistic spaces with a suite of amenities including sports facilities, retail avenues, restful places for recreation like meditation rooms and herb gardens, and more, to ensure all our tenants’ needs are catered to within a single ecosystem.
