What the pandemic revealed about work
Most people agree that 2020 was not the year everyone expected. Before the first quarter ended, the world was essentially turned upside down and companies and employees worldwide were left with big, impactful decisions to make when it came to business and career plans, reported industry website Biospace.com.
Collectively, everyone has lived through (and still are in) a global pandemic, said the website that champions the life sciences industry. The website’s researchers assert that there are lessons to pull from the huge shifts in society that occurred in 2020, including ones that are here to stay.
Here are three of the most important from Biospace.com:
• Remote work is possible (and successful)
Working remotely was obviously an option pre-pandemic, but very few companies were fully distributed. And there was still the mindset that in-office was better, and more productive, than remote work. However, once offices were deemed unsafe and stay-at-home orders were put into place, remote work was the only viable option. As the workforce got used to working from home, meeting virtually and conducting business from their homes, it was clear that success can be found this way.
However, it’s not without its challenges. Parents were forced to figure out a balance between working and schooling or caring for their children, roommates were forced to figure out who got to work at the kitchen table and everyone was forced to be around the same few people day in and day out.
But during 2021 many larger companies are allowing employees to work from home indefinitely or until the summer, and it’s clear that remote work is here to stay.
• Communication is critical Messaging apps and video platforms had their heyday last year, with just about everyone relying on them for communication. Zoom was used for business meetings and birthday parties, and messaging apps meant it was easy to chat to your entire team about something, but also talk to your extended family.
Going hand in hand with successful remote work are the different forms of communication people use. When you’re used to sitting at a big conference table to woo a client or have a whiteboard in front of you when brainstorming with a team, having software that allows you to connect and collaborate with team members and clients becomes that much more important. Very few jobs can be done in silos, so having multiple forms of communication directly impacts a distributed team’s success.
In addition to communication platforms comes communicating with teams and managers. For example, working hours may have been pivoted due to other responsibilities, and all of that needs to be communicated. A culture of open communication allows employees to feel comfortable at work amidst a tough time.
• Flexibility is essential With ever-changing restrictions, rules and guidelines, businesses have had to learn how to change course quickly. Business models have had to pivot, offices have had to close and managers have had to learn how to manage remotely. Plus, employees have their own set of obstacles, like adjusting to working from home and parents figuring out child care and remote learning. Basically, the entire world has had to learn how to be flexible, be OK with things changing constantly, and work through problems that they likely haven’t had to before. As 2021 progresses, this will be a key to success for both businesses and employees.
Much of what people learned so far during the pandemic can be traced back to the pivot to all or mostly remote work: communication, productivity and flexibility. And these main pillars are here to stay.