I was reading an “i” newspaper on Saturday. One of the guest columnists wrote an article entitled “Seize this chance to create a greener world”.
One of the points he made was “... the pandemic may show that offices are an outdated way to organise work.”
I hope this prompts you to think about what office requirements you might need in the future. It appears that growth will no longer mean bricks and mortar.
I facilitate regular conversations with charity managers about time pressures. Almost to a woman they tell me the few times they get to work at home their productivity soars. Therefore, all things being equal the current lockdown will see a surge in productivity (home schooling issues to one side)!
The trend to home working, or remote working has been gaining popularity and the pandemic is forcing it into the mainstream. In three months, it will be the norm for many.
One of the points he made was “... the pandemic may show that offices are an outdated way to organise work.”
I hope this prompts you to think about what office requirements you might need in the future. It appears that growth will no longer mean bricks and mortar.
I facilitate regular conversations with charity managers about time pressures. Almost to a woman they tell me the few times they get to work at home their productivity soars. Therefore, all things being equal the current lockdown will see a surge in productivity (home schooling issues to one side)!
The trend to home working, or remote working has been gaining popularity and the pandemic is forcing it into the mainstream. In three months, it will be the norm for many.
remote working: the implications
- How will you measure productivity? Previously, if it was measured at all, it was often through time attended at meetings or offices.
- What roles and functions do you need to be office based? And do they need to be there all the time?
- What impact could this have on your recruitment? If a role needs someone to be in the office one day per week could the best candidate live in Glasgow and have an office base in Birmingham? Could this lead to a wider pool of candidates, higher calibre recruitments and greater diversity?
- If you need only a proportion of your current office space what opportunities does that give you? Could you relocate or reconfigure the office to be a more effective?
- Will another organisation be thinking along the same lines as you? Could you share facilities?
And before we get carried away; what would you want to put in place to facilitate the much needed social interaction that we need to help work be enjoyable and facilitate cross fertilisation of ideas?
Will this be the time to introduce the office huddle? Can the spare office space be reimagined as a social/informal networking area?
It's certainly food for thought.
