Flexibility at work will become a new normal after the coronavirus outbreak
Facebook said on Thursday that the long-term trend is toward remote work.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this week proposed moving to a four-day work week, partly to boost tourism in the country.
As offices gradually reopen after the quarantine decision to limit the spread of the new coronavirus epidemic, more and more employers are considering new working methods.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees that the company is “largely opening up remote hiring” in July. He expects that half of his employees will do their work outside Facebook offices during the next five to ten years.
It follows a move by other Silicon Valley tech companies, including Twitter, which said employees could work from home “forever” if they wanted to.
Workplace flexibility policies suit employees who are nervous about returning to the office, while also making it easier for companies to introduce new social distancing measures.
Ms Ardern has proposed a four-day working week to help boost the economy and support work-life balance.
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“I'm hearing a lot of people suggest that we should have a four-day working week. Ultimately, it's really an issue between employers and employees. But as I said, we've learned a lot during the Covid-19 outbreak about people's resilience,” Ardern said in a Facebook Live video. : “Working from home, the productivity that can come from that.”
Tech giants are at the forefront
Last year, tech giant Microsoft piloted a four-day work week in Japan, which turned out to be successful in terms of employee feedback and productivity. The company says it now has a “hybrid workplace strategy as workplaces slowly begin to open up.”
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A Microsoft spokesperson said: “Working from home remains optional until October for most employees.”
Working from home and reducing the work week have been hailed by HR experts as an alternative to a mass return to the office.
“It will also enable a better work-life balance for people who need it, such as part-time students, new mothers, and parents who want to spend more time with their children or care for the elderly,” said Allen Abraham, a consultant at the Foundation. In Singapore.
“If, post-Covid-19, employers learn to work with flexible workers, it will be a huge battle won for HR management,” she added.
The move toward remote work is also allowing companies to rethink their often expensive office space.
Mastercard said it is currently considering consolidating some of its offices, while Facebook plans to establish “hubs” across the United States.
“After Covid-19, you can imagine many companies reducing their real estate and their employees simply working from home. This will be an interesting proposition to see how employers can cater to different types of employee profiles,” said Adrian Tan of IT company PeopleStrong.
More and more business leaders are advocating remote work and more flexible work arrangements, with the help of technology and video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet.
“As we begin to return to our workplaces and find a new, alternative norm of working, we will also help reduce peak hour congestion and put social distancing measures in place,” said Emily Draycott-Jones, HR consultant.
She added: “Covid-19 has caused employers to move away from the traditional thinking that productivity depends on fixed hours spent in an office environment.”
Change the way you work
Big tech giants are at the forefront when it comes to expanding workplace flexibility over the long term:
- Amazon – Gives employees the option to work from home until at least October
- Barclays – 70,000 people currently working from home. Bank president Jes Staley says having a large office in the city “may become a thing of the past.”
- Facebook – Work from home is extended until the end of 2020, as part of a long-term shift towards remote work
- Google – Extending work from home until the end of the year
- Mastercard – says the majority of its employees can work from home until they are “ready” to return. The company is also looking to strengthen its international offices
- Microsoft – Extending work from home until October for most employees
- Royal Bank of Scotland – Staff are allowed to work from home until at least the end of September
- Spotify – More than 4,000 employees can work from home until the end of the year
- Twitter – Offering employees the option to work from home permanently, says CEO Jack Dorsey
- WPP – the world's largest advertising agency says the return to the office should be voluntary and flexible
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