Since the Covid pandemic, companies have multiplied remote working methods. The most widely used is telecommuting. Two years later, has this method been successful?
Let's take a step back
During the lockdown, the world of work experienced a real shift.
Companies had to adapt and various means were put in place to ensure the continuity of services, sales, and the very functioning of the organization.
Do you remember?
The famous cardboard box filled with a computer, a mouse and a screen that the employees took home...
We somehow settled down somewhere in our apartment or our house.
The less fortunate had to sit on an old table at the back of their bedroom.
Children screamed in the background and parents had to juggle their work responsibilities with those of being a mother or father.
Ah... What wonderful memories!
In addition, the schedules became confused. There was no beginning and no end. We were already connected before, but now the workplace had invited itself into our home, into the family, into our home.
However, not everything had to be thrown away.
The doctor's appointment, the receipt of the Zalando package, the visit of the plumber... What required us to take time off or organize ourselves differently simply fit into his work schedule, on site.
Above all, no more time wasted on the road or on the train. We earned two hours of our living every day. That's no small feat...
We weren't the only ones. Hundreds of millions of people around the world, by obligation or freely, switched to this new way of working.
It was necessary to put in place state-of-the-art technological and IT infrastructures to enable more secure virtual exchanges of information via videoconferencing or e-mail.
It was necessary to set up a teleworking policy to give directives on working hours, the availability of employees and managers so as not to be too intrusive in private life.
Finally, regular reviews were required to assess the effectiveness of telework policies and gather feedback from employees.
The big winners? Zoom, Teams, Skype, Webex... It was a good time and the number of users exploded
Video conferencing platforms
In order to establish clear and effective communication channels, it is necessary to have instant messaging and video conferencing tools to maintain smooth communication between team members. This transition is being made by different players who bring specificities specific to each sector.
You may have seen that.
Some companies will use the Zoom platform, which allows simple video conferences with a discussion thread, which is easy to use and not very connected to other services.
Others will use Microsoft Teams or Webex, which offer more integrated and secure business solutions.
Skype and Google Meet round out the market leaders, at least in Europe.
And what about employers?
The main fear of some employers during this pandemic?
Decreased productivity.
The prevailing thought was that employees, less supervised than before, would work less given this new organizational freedom.
The endless breaks, the last-minute shopping, the Netflix binging...
We're not going to lie, the majority of teleworkers have taken advantage of this to better combine professional and personal needs.
There have been many productivity studies, too many to mention here.
In the end, productivity dropped slightly on average, but this varied enormously depending on the functions and responsibilities.
Profiles whose tasks were recurrent completed their work more quickly and, not needing to do more, to take advantage of the time available to go about their personal business.
Others worked even harder, especially early in the morning, late at night, or on weekends.
Where some managers suffered from a lack of supervision (monitoring?) of their teams; Some employees did not take well to the distance, the lack of clarity on the establishment of rules... All of them missed interpersonal relationships and this may have impacted the corporate culture and sense of well-being.
In conclusion, there is neither one statistic valid for everyone nor a representative feeling of all employers and employees. However, there is no doubt that the world of work has changed and the effects continue today.
Exactly. And today?
Companies are adapting to the demands of employees, especially young people entering the workforce.
They demand flexibility, adapted schedules and, yes, telecommuting.
In Switzerland, the job market is in favour of job applicants. Companies must therefore remain attractive and take these demands into account.
Companies are implementing hybrid work modes that allow the employee more time to work from home but require them to be present for a certain number of days in the office. Again, there is no single rule.
Some organizations simply refuse the principle of remote work.
Others impose a fixed day of attendance.
Some leave the choice to their teams.
One thing is for sure, remote work is here to stay, in one form or another.
More than controlling productivity, more than managing teams and workloads, the real challenge is to keep the links between employees, to ensure proximity between managers and their teams.
Finding a balance between the attractiveness of the employer brand, individual well-being and the needs of the company; This is where the effort must be directed for the future.
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