As we settle into the prospect of a possible UK lock-down, what does that mean for your business and its remote working culture?
Enter a major catalyst to abrupt change...
The work-from-home & remote working transition in the workplace is certainly shifting, albeit being quite a slow process; understandably. It is a huge challenge; changing the way the office, if not the entire company works from a HR, technical and logistical point of view.
Enabled by fibre-connected internet and 4/5G, we can work in real-time in the comfort of our own homes, communicating and delivering productivity. Brilliant.
Furthermore, with Gen-Z (1997- 2010) accounting for upto 36% of the workforce in 2020 (shrm .org) this is putting a greater pressure on organisations to change to ultra-modern workplace trends; They are the digital nomads of the workforce, and as such demand that capability.
So, you ask; What is your point?
Enter Coronavirus; a major catalyst to this remote-working transition.
Self-isolation, health worries and employees testing positive for Covid-19 have already forced office floors to be cleared of people; HSBC, Chevron to name a few, forcing the healthy 99% of employees to start remote working with immediate effect. Whether you like it or not, Covid-19 is the enforcer for remote-working in 2020. Bestinvest recently announced they will continue uninterrupted service continuity to its investment clients by ensuring all staff have been issued laptops to enable remote-working (Bestinvest news, 09.03.20).
The UK budget will be announced today, with strategic measures to be announced to help business and the economy as a whole survive the interruption to business-as-normal.
This alone will not be enough to ensure survival; individual businesses must act and change quickly, making workplace change decisions fast, and most likely without consent; as mentioned it is a case of sink-or-swim given the current situation.
The Aftermath;
Coronavirus may be the catalyst for workplace change for the majority of businesses, with immediate effect; but potentially provide a hidden benefit?
The long term effects of this change is that many businesses will continue this remote-working model once Covid-19 has dissipated; the multiple benefits of this include-
A. Improved work-life balance
B. Flexibility in schedule
C. Employee well-being
D. Improved productivity of workforce
These changes will also help embrace and engage the Gen-Z workforce, facilitating their work environment requirements both in and out of the workplace.
After all, they are the future of all our businesses.
Workplace change 1 - Coronavirus 0.