3 Ways Employers Can Plan For The New Normal

There’s no turning back

News about progress toward creating an effective vaccine has many Americans eagerly awaiting the end of the pandemic that has disrupted our lives for most of 2020. However, many of the changes the Covid-19 outbreak unleashed in the world of work are here to stay.

A quarter of companies say they will move 10% of their employees to permanent remote positions post-pandemic. And an estimated 25 to 30% of the workforce will be working from home (WFH) multiple days a week by the end of 2021. 

These trends are being driven by a move toward remote work that began before the pandemic and is likely to continue due to a number of factors.

Both companies and employees save money. Companies save an estimated $11,000 annually for each employee that works remotely half-time, while people who work remotely earn $4,000 more per year on average than office workers.

Working from home reduces economic and environmental costs related to commuting and travel, and saves productivity that would otherwise be lost in disasters such as the pandemic.

It’s been estimated U.S. employers saved more than $30 billion a day in productivity that would have otherwise been lost due to office closures in the pandemic. Many workers report working from home is less stressful and distracting, and makes them more productive.

How many people will want to return to work in an office once the pandemic is over and restrictions are lifted? To what degree will companies move to an online workforce? And how can we plan for changes that are continuing to unfold before our eyes? Three ways employers can prepare include:

With fewer face-to-face meetings (despite Zoom), successful remote work requires good written communication skills. Without an IT department to come to the rescue, remote employees must be able to troubleshoot and handle their own hardware and software issues. Since strong relationships can make the difference between a team hitting or missing its performance goals, WFH employees need to be meticulous and conscientious to build and maintain those relationships. Critical thinking abilities are also crucial for resolving the many unexpected situations that may arise within teams and in serving customers in a virtual environment.

Remote hiring is more efficient, easier to manage, and allows employers to prescreen applicants to assure they have the skills required for the job. Technology allows employers to efficiently schedule interviews, formerly a massive time drain, and conduct interviews remotely one-on-one or in group sessions. Interview scheduling, once a massive time drain for recruiters and an area of frustration for candidates, can be streamlined seamlessly through automated scheduling systems that allow candidates to set their interview time at their peak point of interest. Optimizing the application process for mobile enables employers to reach candidates where they are, as more and more applicants are using their phones to search for job opportunities. When organizations leverage tech for rote tasks such as applications, screening, and scheduling that frees them to focus on recruitment/hiring responsibilities that net the best talent available.

While most remote employees report less stress and increased productivity over working in an office, isolation and lack of communication remain obstacles for some organizations. Whether all team members work remotely, or your company employs a mix of office and remote staff, employees need time and (virtual) spaces to allow them to have fun, get to know each other, and collaborate. Virtual water coolers and online coffee breaks are a few of the ways employers create opportunities for employees to informally share information and spur creativity and communication.

Although many companies were thrust into these changes as a result of the pandemic, the shift to remote hiring, remote work, and virtual collaboration all hold many benefits. Some of these are now becoming evident while others will become apparent as we move forward. The pandemic won’t last, but the improvements in efficiency and modernization we see as a result will pay dividends for years to come.