In these strange times, we have all reacted to the chain of events that have led to a drastic change in how we work. Very suddenly, our offices were closed and we were sequestered into our homes for health reasons and the greater public good. Work still needed to be done. Many were forced to telecommute and work remotely – a new experience for some. In the digital industry, we have been working remotely for years, so this is nothing new. What’s new is the instant spike in demand for digital transformation. How will this look once we ease out of this mess?
All indicators are that remote working will linger for a while and that we will be working remotely more than we ever have. For organizations reluctant to offer remote work in the past, we have now proven we can work remotely. Are you ready for this sea change in how we work? Are the rapid, reactive tools you put in place the ones you want to continue with going forward? Most likely not. Without a vision or a longer-term plan for remote work our knee jerk implementations may not be our best options.
There will always be those employees who hunger for the office. We are, after all, social animals. There are benefits to having employees together. Water cooler, lunch and hallway conversations add to camaraderie and productivity by quickly bouncing an idea without scheduling a meeting. Your introverts will hate returning to the office as they have adjusted to remote work and rather enjoy the solitude and the lack of unavoidable socializing. Now is the time to take a step back, catch your breath and create your strategy for remote work. This will take some thought to develop the strategy that works for your introverts and your extroverts.
There are winners and losers to all this but what does the future look like? Certainly, organizations feel like they can now embrace remote work if only on a limited basis. This reduces the need for dedicated office space and creates other benefits.
There will also be challenges. For managers, how will you rate your future employees? Will you be able to rate performance and keep up with productivity without seeing what they are doing on a daily basis? For HR departments, how will you be able to train, coach and mentor employees if you never see them? And the ever present question of the moment – are the tools that you implemented on a reactionary basis the ones you want to stick with going forward?
Now that you have been jolted by the instant spike in remote work it is time to evaluate the situation and plan for the future – yes, the new normal. Evaluate your experiences. Determine the good, the bad and the ugly and develop a transformation strategy. As organizations embrace the new normal of a distributed work force there is much to plan and implement for this to become the standard. We are now taking the first proactive step to become an efficient organization with a distributed workforce.