With the ongoing pandemic, it has become clear that people will need to consider a ‘new normal’ for themselves when it comes to living and working conditions.
There are many factors that businesses have never considered before until the pandemic happened. One of these factors is that companies are now open to hiring employees from all over the world instead of limiting themselves to searching for the perfect local candidate.
This new way of remote or hybrid working conditions have various benefits for both the company and its employees. For one, the company won’t have to lease a huge space for operations, and the employees won’t have to travel long distances or commute to be in the office.
Still, renting a high-quality office space with good amenities and connectivity can assist the workforce to transition from remote to office working when needed. A perfect example are spaces similar to the offices in Uxbridge or in other areas, where employees would find it very comfortable to work from.
But how do you choose a ‘new normal’ workplace? Below are some tips that will help make the decision easier:
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Nature Of Your Operations
Not all companies will be able to work remotely, as some tasks still need to be done manually on site. In these instances, for example, the company may opt to use a warehouse setting for essential manual operations while the other employees, like the human resources or accounts department, can work from home.
These workplaces are, thus, called hybrid since some operations are based in an office while some are based remotely. Your job description may also require that your duties are split between office work and remote work, which makes the position hybrid as well.
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Technological Adjustments
When you need to set up a ‘new normal’ workplace, one of the factors you’ll need to adjust will be the technology that your company needs to function optimally.
Where the office computers were all safely stored at the office for employees to use, they now should probably be used from home or in another remote location. This means that the company might have to incur costs to ensure that the employees are all kitted out with the tools they need to perform their regular duties.
If the employees will be using their own devices from home, the company might have to see to it that the correct applications are installed on those devices and that the employees are trained in their use, especially if it’s a new application acquired for remote work.
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Promotion Of Company Culture
This is a much-debated point for remote or hybrid ways of working at the moment. Some suggest that people need human interaction while others believe that they can adjust just fine without it.
However, humans have always been very social and have incorporated this social aspect into their workplaces. With company lunch meetings or Christmas parties, for instance, they find ways to make the social aspect an important part of company culture.
Introverted people have adjusted better to the ‘new normal,’ as it has made it easier for them to focus on work and less on the social interactions with colleagues in an office environment, but the more extroverted types miss their daily chats at the water cooler.
Hence, new ways of adding the social element into the workplace will now have to be considered in order to retain the company culture and further promote it. So, when choosing a ‘new normal’ workplace you will have to look at this aspect of the business too.
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Trust
When working remotely, you won’t have a boss that is constantly looking over your shoulder to check if you’re being productive. Some bosses may want to keep a closer eye on the projects and would, thus, prefer their employees come to the office rather than work from home.
New software has made it easy for employers to make sure that their staff and the projects stay on track. In many cases, the software can be easily installed on any computer, and it requires little training to use. The tracking software specifically allows the employer to know that daily tasks are being done. As a result, employees don’t have to worry about checking in with their boss when required.
Moreover, when tasks are completed efficiently in a remote setting, employees gain the trust of their employer. This makes the ‘new normal’ workplace more comfortable to work in for both.
Conclusion
The ‘new normal’ workplaces are here to stay, and finding the right fit for you and your company will be the best way to approach this change of operations.
Include your employees in the process and discuss the new operational requirements with them, so everyone can adjust to the ‘new normal’ well.
Interesting Related Article: “Opportunities for Startups in the New Normal“