How Will The Workplace Evolve?

The future is here NOW… possibly

It is possible that we may have fast forwarded time and we could potentially evolve into a modern workplace much sooner than expected as the ongoing global pandemic could be the catalyst for change.

As many companies have adopted working from home procedures for the past month, this has created a compelling case study to see if there is any need to go back to being based onsite 100% of the time once this crisis has passed.

Companies could potentially see this as a way of improving their CSR and reducing pollution from daily travel of employee’s as well as scaling back on physical premises to cut down on overheads. But while money could be saved here it may have to be pumped back into financial rewards for staff and improving company branding as recruiting staff could be much more difficult. And here’s why.

A combination of no colleagues, little company culture, limited contact from line managers, and a tangible office being replaced by a desk at home, there is not much else to differentiate similar roles at different companies. Which would in turn blur the lines between working for a FTSE 100 company and a local independent. On a positive note this potentially could open-up opportunities to work in a different international market (given similar time zones).

Candidates may be more inclined to focus on company reputation/product, financial packages, holiday allowance and training. With that being said, I can’t help but think this is steeped in irony as one thing we have learnt over the weeks in lockdown is we miss day to day human contact.

What happens next? Only time will tell.