Many people are starting to look forward to establishing a “new normal.” But there are different ideas as to what that will look like in the work world. While several employers and workers have adapted to the home office model, not all companies will keep remote work long-term, asper a recent US-based survey discussed at Entrepreneur. That brings about the question of what you can expect the workplace to look like after the pandemic.
The survey of close to 875,000 businesses across America was conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. While working from home was a solution for all companies that could migrate to that model during the pandemic, only 5.7% of those businesses surveyed planned to continue this model for all staff.
Among the top organizations showing reluctance for teleworking were small and mid-size enterprises and micro-businesses. But that is not to say that it won’t be an option for large companies, with 30%of them considering it. Keep in mind, though, that this number has declined within the past year.
For those who have staggered schedules, this dynamic approach is one that you could see continue. The survey found that 9.5% of businesses anticipate keeping this schedule.
That number has fallen by close to half, though, in comparison to last August. A major benefit of staggering shifts is that it reduces the number of people in the workplace at one time, which makes for a safer, healthier work environment.
But while not all employers favor a fully work-from-home model, they must find a way to satisfy workers who might otherwise resign if asked to work entirely at the office. A compromise that many businesses may take is a hybrid approach.
The term “hybrid” refers to employees doing their jobs from home part of the week and going to the office the rest of the time. This approach would allow for face-to-face interactions while still appealing to those who enjoy remote working using intelligent tools like Talcura’s onboarding software.
A hybrid work scheme could apply to many different types of jobs and various levels within an organization. It could also take a range of forms, depending on what those within the organization prefer.
For example, Entrepreneur points out that the number of days at the work site or home per week will vary from one business to another. That could make for shorter or longer days, depending on the situation. Employees also might be able to choose which hours they work, provided they can still meet certain goals set by the employer.
Job sharing is also a possibility. Rather than having one person do the job full-time, it could divide into two part-time positions. For those who want to work fewer hours, this hybrid model would be ideal.
Finally, some companies may require that employees work at the office but allow banked hours. In other words, any overtime hours worked can be saved up to take as free time.
For employers to keep their teams happy, it’s clear they will have to create a work environment that appeals to most employees. Precisely what that looks like will vary from one organization to another. They share, though, the need to be flexible or risk losing talent if they do not stay in touch with modern times.
