There is no doubt about it: the year 2020 has been one like no other. It has been one that has changed our ways of living and our ways of working; it has challenged business itself. If your organisation did not know what a BCP was, it sure does now.
As always, in adversity lies opportunity.
One of the opportunities that continue to be popularly discussed is the idea of where we work. During the required lockdown period, many companies requested their staff to work remotely to protect themselves and mitigate risks to their health, their communities and the business’s reputation. Eventually, as the country began to show signs of improvement, these same companies quickly asked their employees to come back to the office so that operations could ‘return to normal’. At least, in appearance.
What some have failed to realise is that we are not returning to ‘normal’; we are actually returning to the ‘normal’ of the past. Instead of moving forward and accepting new approaches, we are reverting to previous, safer ones.
The keyword in the ‘where we work’ discussion is not the location but is the actual work. Ask yourself: how many deliverables you or your teams failed to provide while working remotely? How many colleagues were you unable to contact at all while being physically away from the office? As you can see, ultimately, the most important thing is that whatever we define as ‘work’ indeed gets done. The ‘where’ is irrelevant.
It would be worth considering the following question: instead of commuting daily to our Head Offices filled with large, physical (and costly) floors full of desk pods that may act as a ‘roll call’ to check on staff presence and individuals working, should we instead view these offices simply as an available option for effective team collaboration only when required? Remember that a company is only ever as good as its people. If we want to ensure a strong culture and productivity in our organisations, leaders must seek their team member’s feedback and appreciate their perspective in operations-related topics such as this.
Some businesses may have had work from home capability well before lockdown began. Certainly, since then many more have had to catch up. What we must not do is simply believe the temporary nature of one impactful event should only cause temporary change to our way of thinking. Rather than believing these changes are easier said than done, innovative businesses will appreciate this as a lasting learning opportunity and put in place the constructs to protect itself in ways that are surprisingly easier (and already) done, than said.
We have been given a trial version of what the future of operating a business could look like and the advantages it has. We should respect all we have learnt during this trial period, it should be difficult to argue against how it is a valid and proven upgrade to the way our people can work today and tomorrow.
About the Author
Aaron Pacheco
With the experience gained working as an auditor in a chartered accounting firm and leading finance operations teams in one of Australia’s largest listed companies, Aaron is always searching for opportunities to utilise his wide skillset to solve challenging business problems.
Aaron has a keen eye for process streamlining and exercises professional curiosity when observing any activity as he knows there is always room for improvement. Although being a fully qualified Chartered Accountant and having an innate appreciation for Excel validates Aaron’s technical ability, it is his natural people skills that he continues to build his professional identity.
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