Covid-19 Effects on the Working Environment

A survey conducted by the British Chambers of Commerce has led to several conclusions on the new working situation. The New Working Environment A lot of businesses are likely to adopt more flexibility in working arrangements. The top reasons for using increased homeworking as a permanent business model are: reducing overheads, improved staff wellbeing and the ability to recruit from a wider geographic range. Some businesses initially described a productivity boost from home working. Staff generally liked the new arrangements, gaining time by avoiding daily commute and travelling to and from in-person meetings. However, with the pandemic wearing on, more and more issues with remote working arose. The relationship with customers has changed. Regular online interaction became an expectation, and many hours of the day were lost to video calls. Several businesses stated that they have provided a higher level of service but without the increase in fee to match. Several businesses also raised concerns about the remote management of employees. This concern was mainly about ensuring that staff were doing what they were supposed to whilst working from home. Particularly senior employees reported longer working hours. Most employees also didn’t go on holidays and worked more or less constantly sine the start of the pandemic. Many businesses were very concerned about employee burnout. Several businesses adopted a task-based approach to management. This means that it did not matter if the work was done in two hours or eight hours, as long as it got done. Critical business processes, such as staff onboarding and training have been moved online.