Working From Home: The Next Normal? Think Again.
Just because working from home worked better than expected during the pandemic does not mean it is necessarily the best long-term option.
As the country begins to slowly return to a semblance of normal, many companies are considering whether employees should permanently work from home. Many of our clients have been pleasantly surprised at how successful this has been while people followed stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19. Some executives are infatuated with the idea of reduced infrastructure costs inherent in this new model, while others are excited about giving their employees more flexibility in how they work. However, we are typically not hearing executives discuss the important questions that need to be addressed before making this decision.
Before you scramble to get out of your lease, revamp office space for fewer workers, or invest in technology at your employees’ homes, keep in mind that the work-from-home decision merits careful consideration and a well-articulated plan.
Just because working from home functioned better than expected during the pandemic does not mean it is the best long-term option. As a management consultant and business owner, I have worked from a home office for years. What I have learned is that it is a lifestyle, not just a matter of where your desk is located. Working at home also is not for everybody. Many people struggle with working alone and prefer to be in physical proximity to colleagues, for both social and business reasons. They are energized by the hallway conversations and the opportunity to collaborate spontaneously.
Organizational experts have spent years encouraging collaboration and teamwork, because it fosters creativity and high performance. There’s only so much collaboration that can take place over Zoom. Maintaining the current levels of productivity and discipline required when working from home is likely to become more and more difficult as the novelty wears off.
There may be reasons that your workplace can’t ever be the same as it was before the pandemic. For example, we may see a requirement that people be kept 6 feet apart. However, even if those external directives don’t materialize, would you ideally want to bring everyone back work the way they were before COVID? If the answer to that questions is “no”, then why not? What has changed in how you would like employees to work and collaborate? If you decide to change the way people work going forward, make sure you have good reasons for doing so that go beyond the COVID experience these past few months.
Here are some questions to address as you think through a future workplace in which many or all your employees work from home:
Will this make our company nimbler and more competitive?
Can we serve our customers better with our employees working from home?
What shifts are needed to management systems and processes?
What effect will this have on recruiting, onboarding, coaching and retention?
How will we maintain our culture?
What technology and tools will this require?
What could be the unintended consequences, especially if we have a hybrid model with some employees working from home and others in the office?
Overall, you need to decide if the benefits you think you will realize in the short term are worth the costs of making this shift long term. Don’t fall prey to the assumption that the benefits are a given.
Moving to a work-from-home approach is a strategic decision that will have long-lasting implications. It may change the way your company is experienced by employees and customers in a significant way. Just like any other major decision, you need to take the time to think it through and get it right.