Working From Home: Permanently Changing the Workforce Dynamic

What was once deemed an inconceivable concept has now become our reality. The economic landscape as we once knew it has come to a halt, with businesses big and small closing their doors, refocusing its efforts to adhere to new demands, or restructuring to comply with social distancing protocols. Each day we’re learning new ways on how to adapt to working from home. While some organizations were prepared for a mass office exodus with flexible technologies and a pre-existing work from home policy, thousands of companies across the globe found themselves scrambling at the last minute to set up their employees for remote working indefinitely.

As many speculate on how long this shutdown will last and when we will return to the office, the reality is that this pandemic is permanently reinventing the current workforce dynamic. Why? There are 2 main reasons:

1. As organizations continue to manage ongoing business disruptions, permanent remote work could offset significant cost-cutting measures that business owners are preparing to take.
2. The pandemic has shown both workers and business owners that working from home is not only possible, but sometimes more effective. Through communication technologies (like VoIP) and web-based collaboration tools, teams can continue to work cohesively regardless of geographic location.

In fact, a recent survey conducted by Gartner reported that 74% of CFO’s intend to shift some roles to permanent remote work following the crisis. While many are eager to return to business as usual - especially those who were thrust into the role as their children’s teacher on top of their 9-5 duties - many have found productivity levels have remained the same or improved since the change in their work environment.

Accelerated Technology Adoption

With the tremendous progression of innovative technologies and broadband infrastructure networks, home offices have become more sophisticated than ever before. Organizations that were previously hesitant to adapt to new technologies flocked to SaaS companies to quickly upgrade their systems to remain online and responsive to clients. Collaboration platforms such as G-Suite and Microsoft Teams experienced a massive jump in active users, and communication technologies like VoIP or video conferencing were quickly adopted. We have the resources at our disposal to foster digital teamwork across an enterprise, even when many participants are physically isolated.

Time Management and Efficiencies

Since working remotely, employees have discovered a renewed sense of time. Team members have cleaned up their calendars, eliminating unnecessary weekly conferences and finally discovering which meetings could in fact be synopsized in an email. There is no need for long powerpoint presentations covering redundant information - agendas are focused, meetings are more efficient, and employees now have the time to work on priorities.

Performance-Based Leadership Focus

The way in which individual managers have responded to this crisis and the ways that they’ve navigated leading their team from afar has differentiated the good leaders from the mediocre. Effective managers have supported their team both professionally and personally while fostering a sense of team camaraderie and motivation. Micromanaging, while an ineffective tool before, is particularly difficult to achieve now. The role of leaders will shift to focus on empowering their employees and measuring the outcome of their work, rather than their time at work.

For all of the anxiety, fear and tragedy caused by this pandemic, the all-in-this-together mentality has certainly paved the way for increased human connectivity. Teams are discovering new ways of working together, geographic boundaries suddenly seem irrelevant, and people continue to champion one another from behind screens. While the world continues to change at a rapid - and alarming - pace, it has also unlocked previously unforeseen opportunities. The organizations that leverage these newfound efficiencies, brought by flexible technologies and remote working, will be the companies that prosper in the long term.

If you’re considering shifting some roles within your organization to permanent remote work, a VoIP solution can help facilitate the transition, and be leveraged by teams to stay connected:

• As with any cloud-based services, VoIP phone systems can be accessed virtually anywhere that has an internet connection. Business phone calls can be made or received through a desk phone, mobile app, or through a web-browser.
• Performance wallboards show call activity and can be accessed by the entire team to increase transparency and showcase achievements.
• VoIP features such as the “whisper” function, the “listen-in” function, or call recordings can be leveraged for training, onboarding and professional development.
• VoIP services are offered through a per-user subscription model, allowing businesses to scale up and down as necessary without the need for additional equipment or infrastructure changes.

Prepare your business for a seamless and effective remote work setup with net2phone Canada’s award-winning phone service. Explore net2phone Canada's Solution today:

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