Remote, hybrid, in-person—It’s time to check in and ask: How well is work working for your business?
This month marks the fifth anniversary of COVID, which was officially declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Five years out, much of daily life has returned to how things were before the pandemic. But not everything: several large-scale changes seem like they’re here to stay.
For many businesses like yours, the way we work is one of those lasting changes. Remote work existed before COVID (about 6.5% of private-sector jobs were primarily work from home in 2019), but not anywhere near the scale of today, where around 20% work from home at least some of the time.
Even though some of this increase seems lasting, there’s plenty in the news about large companies demanding a return to office—and in some cases of employees quitting instead of coming back in.
If the biggest companies in the world haven’t totally figured out what to do here, chances are our readers may be struggling to navigate this issue as well.
So on this fifth anniversary we thought it’d be good to have a check-in: how is your business approaching return to office (or a lack thereof)?
Is Remote Work Working?
The first question to ask is whether remote work is working for your business. The data on productivity and collaboration in remote and virtual settings is mixed and may depend on industry and role. Some reports suggest that workers are more productive when working remotely, while other reports point to problems with collaboration. And many managers worry that remote workers may try to beat the system.
Yet many employees love remote or hybrid work and don’t want to go back. The time flexibility, lack of commute, increased family time, and comforts of home are powerful benefits for many professionals.
So as a business leader, start with asking if remote work is supporting your business objectives, or if it seems to be harming outcomes.
How Do Workers Feel?
If you’re in an industry where some of the work can be done remotely, it’s worth exploring how workers feel about remote work. Conventional wisdom says that everybody loves it, but ask around and you may find this isn’t the case. Some workers prefer hybrid styles so they still have some face-to-face opportunities. Others don’t like working remotely because they don’t have optimal space.
Our take: ask your people how they feel. This doesn’t have to be the deciding factor in what you do, but it’s helpful to know what workers want before making a big change.
Measure the Risk
No matter what you’re doing currently, it’s a good idea to measure the risk associated with your current course of action — and the risk attached to making a change.
Morale and Hiring
Some big businesses are losing talent because of strict RTO policies, and some talent that isn’t leaving is still pretty unhappy. This is a tricky thing because hiring in many knowledge fields remains tight. If experienced talent leaves, you may have a difficult time replacing them on the timeline you need.
Security
This is the big one: going remote is convenient for some workers, but unless your business takes the necessary steps, remote work can create big security vulnerabilities. Insecure public Wi-Fi and weakly protected home networks can both create massive risk of cyberattacks, and the risk of lost devices and stolen data can be higher when hardware leaves the office.
If you’re sticking with remote or hybrid work and haven’t had a comprehensive security audit, you might be open to attack. We can help you identify vulnerabilities and form a flexible yet secure approach to security. Call today to get started, or book a 30-minute call at a time that works for you: Book a Call