Зарегистрируйтесь сейчас для лучшей персонализированной цитаты!

Remote work or back to the office: Why the biggest challenges are still ahead

14 августа 2022 г Hi-network.com
Image: Getty Images/JLco - Julia Amaral

It's still far too early to understand the impact on our working lives of the events of the last couple of years.

In the early months of the pandemic, Microsoft was talking about two years of digital transformation in just two months, as many people switched to remote working and companies scrambled to rethink business models for a profoundly changed world.

Two years later and digital transformation has continued apace. That's forced change on organisations that might otherwise have seen no reason to alter their working practices for years to come.

The most obvious example of the change is the switch to remote working which has now -- for many knowledge workers at least -- become at least a part of their everyday working life.

Giving workers more flexibility about where and when they work has improved their work-life balance. It has proved to many managers that teams can be just as efficient working remotely as they are in the office.

MUST READ: What is digital transformation? Everything you need to know about how technology is changing business

That's not to say that there aren't challenges: there are, and they are becoming increasingly clear.

Staff working remotely don't always feel as connected to corporate culture as their office-based colleagues. They worry that they will miss out on opportunities that office denizens can snap up because they are sitting next to the boss, or that they will forego the everyday serendipities that happen in a shared workspace. Newer entrants to the workforce worry about access to mentoring for similar reasons.

And while everyone seems to be more efficient working from home, they may also be less fruitful when it comes to new ideas.

This doesn't mean that everyone wants to be back in the office -they're just aware of the issues that remote working creates.

These issues can be resolved, but only if they are acknowledged.

Unfortunately, many organisations are still operating as if remote working is a temporary condition, to be replaced sooner or later by a full-time return to the office.

And many managers are muddling on without being able to address the mounting problems.

That's a serious failure.

Managers should acknowledge that remote working is now a standard part of employment for many, and has been a core driver of the digital transformation that has taken place over the last two years.

Assuming -- or hoping -- that remote working will be rolled back is about as sensible as expecting that other digital transformation steps taken in the last two years will be reversed too.

In fact, they are linked: flexibility about the working day has supported and enabled flexibility around business models.

READ: Digital transformation in 2022 and beyond: These are the key trends

There's some suggestion that as the economic outlook deteriorates, and as the bargaining power of staff declines, managers will finally be able to force staff to return to the office.

Such an attitude is simply likely to antagonise workers, and even in tough economic times the best people -especially in tech -are still going to have plenty of other options. And as remote working helps to build momentum behind new ideas like four-day working weeks, it's unlikely that the debate over who works where, and when, is going to be resolved soon.

Managers should stop pretending that remote working is going to go away. Instead, they should look at the downsides and figure out how to deal with them.

That's going to be a big challenge, but pretending that remote work is going to go away is really not an option. 

'S MONDAY OPENER  

ZDNet's Monday Opener is our opening take on the week in tech, written by members of our editorial team. 

PREVIOUSLY ON 'S MONDAY OPENER : 

  • NASA is blazing an inspirational trail. We need to make sure everyone can follow it
  • Your biggest cyber-crime threat has almost nothing to do with technology
  • The next big security threat is staring us in the face. Tackling it is going to be tough
  • Love it or loathe it, Gen Zers are driving the push to work in the office
  • Remote work or in the office? Why the tide could turn again
  • The four-day week will solve some of work's biggest problems - but only if companies can adapt
  • Remote work or back to the office? The calculation just shifted again
  • When it comes to paying remote workers, some companies are still getting it wrong

tag-icon Горячие метки: Дом и офис Трудовая деятельность 3. Производительность труда

Copyright © 2014-2024 Hi-Network.com | HAILIAN TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED | All Rights Reserved.