Back to the future office
“Next Saturday night, we’re sending you back to the future,” are the words uttered by Prof Emmett Brown to Marty in the 1985 film “Back to the Future”.
And for many workers across Wales, returning to the workplace feels the same. Back to the future. Because for many workers it’s actually worked out quite well working from home.
I mean apart from next door’s builders and taking in a seemingly endless number of deliveries for number 49, working from home is well, kind of, working.
As roadmaps are unveiled and talk of lockdown restrictions easing, the government’s “work from home if you can” message is being reviewed by employers everywhere.
For many this new future looks a bit bleak. For all the talk of “learning from the new normal” and “more flexible working” there is a feeling gathering pace across a number of professional working groups on social media that actually we’ll be returning to the old normal.
Staff are rightly concerned about Covid and other coughs and colds that spread rapidly through any enclosed space. Will everyone wear their mask correctly? What happens if someone doesn’t wipe down a door handle after use? Do you have to sit in a meeting with someone sneezing?
So many people have adjusted to working remotely that it’s going to be a wrench to give it up. You’ve got your chair sorted, you’ve found a quiet dedicated space to work in, you’ve mastered Teams and actually it’s quite nice to see your kids when they get home from school instead of heading to the childminders. Plus the small fortune you’re saving in commuting and wraparound childcare costs is just about enough to pay for that overly-priced week away in the UK that you’ve got to pay the balance on now.
We’ve all been indoors for much of the last 18 months and enjoying the pluses of elasticated waistbands. Now with talk of a return on the horizon we should bear in mind that some people are going to feel self-conscious about a return to workplace life.
It’s a tough one. Many employers are keen to see a return to life back in the workplace where they feel a collaborative team atmosphere sparks new ideas and moves projects along. Other employers – the ones we’ve all been reading about in the press – have moved their entire workforces to WFH on a full-time basis.
And even more seem to fall into the middle. Many bosses recognise that actually they can remain profitable while everyone is working remotely. That actually there are fewer sick days because people don’t have to drag themselves into work when they’re feeling a bit rough but are more than able to log on and operate remotely. That actually there is such a thing as a “work/life balance” and employees who feel in control of that are – surprise, surprise – more productive.
So yes, there will be staff members who feel anxious about the return to work, and plenty of employers are indeed looking at the hybrid approach where staff split the working week between home and work. But communication is key. Talking to staff and understanding their anxieties and concerns about a return to the office is central to making this work for everyone. We need to listen to what people are saying, and take action, or we will lose people to those employers who are prepared to listen.
Otherwise, we’ll be back to 1985 with Marty, and I’ll have to get my shoulder pads out…