By Alasdair Gauld
NOW is the time to embrace opportunity. Technological innovation combined with a global pandemic has transformed the way in which employers and employees interact forever. The Covid-19 lockdown plunged almost half of all British workers into remote working – which looks to be their reality for the foreseeable future.
Though a begrudged necessity for many during the ongoing pandemic, the benefits of remote working to both employees and employers have long been recognised. A 2013 Stanford University study found that remote working boosted productivity by 13 per cent. Research has also linked remote working to improved mental wellbeing, as well as a reduction in sick days and employee attrition.
Hybrid working gives workers the power to decide how, when and where they work best. Whether you like being around others or work better alone; whether you favour in-person meetings or remote video calls; whether you enjoy routine or prefer flexibility in your daily schedule – hybrid working caters for all. In doing so, employees enjoy greater work-life balance, improved wellbeing, and – crucially for businesses – report increased productivity.
Working solely from home can be an isolating experience, and many miss the collective buzz that comes from working together in a shared physical space. Some even miss the commute, which can act as an important bookend to the day and a way to compartmentalise work and home life. That’s where a hybrid working model comes in – a chance to blend remote and office working, and reap the benefits of both.
Within this time of immense change lies an opportunity for employers to foster a hybrid work culture centred around wellbeing, and unlock greater levels of productivity, engagement and job satisfaction in the process. But that’s not all; the increase in hybrid working has also instigated a shift towards a model which prioritises productive output over the numbers of hours worked.
For many years, our shared concept of work has been defined by the simple premise that the more hours you put in, the more you get done. But the rise of the knowledge economy, combined with rapid technological innovation, has made equating productivity with longer hours feel like a relic from a bygone era. With more and more employers now realising their employees can be as or even more productive working from home than at the office, the emphasis has shifted from simply fulfilling contracted hours to measuring quantifiable results.
Trust and communication will be critical to supporting a hybrid working culture. Thankfully, the mass uptake of cloud-based platforms like Microsoft Teams has strengthened the ability of many teams to communicate and collaborate, regardless of their proximity to one another. The onus will be on managers to use these channels to foster motivation, trust and autonomy within their teams. In doing so, they can emphasise that results and achievements are what ultimately matter, not just attendance.
In a post-pandemic world, many people would like to return to the office — but not completely. Once the health risk decreases and solutions to creating Covid-secure workplaces become more prevalent, we will see the true power of hybrid working in action. By embracing flexibility, autonomy and trust, employers can foster happier, healthier workforces — and boost productivity in the process. Through these challenging times, we need to embrace this opportunity to adjust our new normal.
Alasdair Gauld is Head of Digital Transformation, Cloud Cover IT
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