COVID-19 saw a shift in the way the world works, changing the ways of society that had been upheld and followed for years. One of the biggest changes had been how companies shifted their methods of having employees work, with a majority of industries shifting to a remote or hybrid operational model. With this shift, many changes in the attitudes of employers and employees can be observed, both positive and negative.
Methods of communication and team collaboration
Communication and collaboration observed a massive shift to the online platform. With applications and websites like Zoom, Microsoft Team, and Google Meet becoming the primary online meeting platforms, personal communication conducted face-to-face reduced significantly, other than in those companies which still relied on employees reporting to the offices.
However, this can be considered a positive change, especially as it facilitated greater avenues to conduct long-distance business operations easily. Furthermore, compared to the beginning of the pandemic, such platforms have become much more advanced and capable. This implies that companies can rely sufficiently on such digital means to carry out business activities without disruptions.
Work-Life Balance
One of the biggest debates that have been observed with this transition in working methods is whether it has led to an improved work-life balance for employees or whether it has deteriorated. It cannot be denied that remote working has allowed employees to stay and spend much more time with their families than before.
However, in many cases, it also led to blurring the lines between the expectations from employees. In this case, the actual impact of WFH on employee work-life balance is yet to be seen. To address this, employers have in certain cases established stricter policies to ensure that the staff can log off from work on time and that their efforts don’t go in vain.
Future of work models at companies
The worldwide adopted model of shifting operations to remote amid the pandemic gave companies insight into how well they can perform even with the employees not reporting to the workplace. In this regard, most companies are still expected to maintain this model, especially medium and large companies in industries such as IT and maybe education.
However, in the case of smaller businesses, most businesses can still be seen to lean more towards a WFO approach. Regardless, with improvements in remote working technology and the mindset of employers, even small businesses may be expected to shift to remote in the near future.
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