The winds of change have swept through the global economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic and companies have had to adapt in order to survive, but sadly many will go under in the coming months as government financial support tapers off, or comes to an end.
Whilst some companies are well-suited to their employees working from home, there has always been an issue among owners and CEO’s about accountability and how well some staff would perform with less supervision, as well as the potential for issues to slip through the net.
Inevitably, some employees have embraced and adjusted well to a new way of working and, as a result of cutting out travelling time to and from the office, feel more energised; and are comfortable taking part in conference meetings via such technologies as Zoom. Others have found it difficult in terms of motivation, home distractions and miss the camaraderie of the office environment.
I believe there is now a strong case for countless companies to apply a mix of office and home-working for some employees, maybe with a three-day/two-day split – or in fact any permutation involving five days.
However, there is one area of concern with this approach and that is ongoing training. Starting out in PR, I worked with, and reporting into, some excellent practitioners and benefited from their skills and knowledge which they passed on to me. This could prove to be a problem for employees across many sectors working their way up the career ladder and having less exposure to those that can guide and influence them.
Whilst Covid-19 has brought devastation to human life and the global economy, paradoxically it has also brought with it some benefits. We are all currently breathing cleaner air as a result of CO2 levels falling significantly during lockdown due to a massive reduction in car use and air travel.
If there is a significant trend towards home working over the coming months and years, this should prove beneficial in terms of reducing car fumes in the environment and, with technology facilitating virtual meetings, perhaps less conferences will take place.
However, I cannot foresee major conferences, often involving delegates attending from all over the world, being replaced by an event facilitated by technology. Much of the business end is often discussed in the evenings after the conference and major alliances and friendships are forged during this time.
Technology is great…..but there are times when only face-to-face interaction will do!
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