What to expect as employees are called back to work
Could it truly be? Are we finally coming out the other side of the Covid 19 Pandemic? As restrictions lift nationwide, businesses are keen to get their workers back to the office. Although this sounds exciting, this transition needs to be handled carefully because workers have become accustomed to a different “normal” over the last 2 years. Without a shadow of a doubt, navigating the Covid 19 pandemic has been one of the most difficult challenges businesses today have faced. They have had to adapt to obstacles such as changing work conditions, supply and demand concerns, and government restrictions to name a few. Now, just as businesses have learned to operate efficiently in the pandemic landscape, things are changing again as we go back to our pre-pandemic normal.
This sounds easy enough, however, there are now new obstacles in play. The pandemic allowed for the “Flexible Workplace” to have a new meaning. Tasks that businesses thought could not be done remotely have been completed successfully. Not only that, it was revealed that some work was done even more efficiently when remote. Studies are also showing that nearly 44% of employees say they want to work remotely three days a week or more post-pandemic. Additionally, there are also stories about people willing to leave their jobs to maintain this flexibility rather than return to the office (PWC). As employees are discovering different options regarding how and where they complete their work, this is creating a need for employers to continue to remain competitive with the benefits they provide their employees.
In addition to concerns about attracting and retaining talent, another obstacle is maintaining the culture within the organization. There exists a fine line between retaining talent and maintaining the culture. As PWC notes, if businesses insist that people return to the office, they risk losing talent and if they let employees stay at home, they may have to grapple with maintaining a culture that was established on site. Creating and maintaining a positive workplace culture amidst such a dynamic workplace model will be another challenge that businesses will need to navigate. As the end of the Pandemic seemingly approaches, there will be a wide array of challenges and learnings that will present themselves as businesses adapt to life after Covid.
At Synergy, we have helped many of our clients navigate these changes and others. We understand that we are entering uncharted territory. If you or your business is feeling overwhelmed with what options you should look at, call us. We are here to help and are happy to bounce ideas back and forth with you. Let’s work together to continue to drive business forward into this new era.
Reference:
PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Future of Work: What Boards Should Be Thinking About.” PwC, https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/governance-insights-center/library/covid-19-returning-workplace-boards.html.
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