- Companies will need to take stock of working practices this year to see what will best serve the needs of both employees and the business in the long term.
- Pandemic certainly fast-tracked the inevitable around flexible working – speeding the transition up by as much as 5-10 years for some companies.
- Some of the changes incorporated into workplaces as a result of Covid-19 in 2020 will be more enshrined in day to day working environments going forward.
2020 was the year of the world’s largest remote working experiment and is this trend going to stay even after post-Covid-19?
Yes, according to Robert Walters 2021 Salary Survey conducted on 1,000 white-collar professionals in the Middle East, 38 per cent of the professionals want to move to full-time remote working while a further 32 per cent wanting at least 50 per cent remote working this year.
“Whilst the pandemic did not necessarily bring about entirely new trends in working-style, it certainly fast-tracked the inevitable around flexible working – speeding the transition up by as much as 5-10 years for some companies,” Jason Grundy, Managing Director at Robert Walters Middle East, said.
The survey revealed that a staggering 73 per cent of professionals have enjoyed the flexible hours afforded with home working, and over a third stated that working from home has allowed for an increased focus on wellbeing.
Positive change
A quarter (26 per cent) found that the more regular updates and check-in calls with managers and colleagues during lockdown to be a positive change to their work style.
“We anticipate that some of the changes incorporated into workplaces as a result of Covid-19 in 2020 will be more enshrined in day to day working environments going forward – and for some professional industries there will be an element of remote working embedded for good,” Grundy said.
Leading the list of changes to work that employees would like to keep for this year is the enhanced use of technology, apps & tools – with over half of respondents stating that this has improved or benefitted their way of working.
When considering the opportunities presented by Covid-19, almost half of professionals (42 per cent) stated that compulsory remote working inadvertently encouraged them to improve on their business communication in a way that office working would not have encouraged – with the reliance on virtual presentations, over-the-phone discussions, and video calls being a key driver in this.
Hidden benefits to office working
In fact, during lockdown professionals in the Middle East ditched the age-old email (31 per cent), in place of instant messenger (71 per cent), video calls (69 per cent) and telephone calls (62 per cent) as their primary form of workplace communication – as the lack of physical interaction with the outside world drove professionals to be less formal and more conversational with colleagues and acquaintances.
In positive news, 61 per cent of businesses will be looking to change their offering in response to the change in employee expectations. At the top of employers’ list is reduced or reconfigured office space (28 per cent), enhanced mental health & wellbeing policies (38 per cent), and increased investment in technology, apps & tools (43 per cent).
Employees who are hoping for full-time remote working are unlikely to get their wish, with a quarter of companies stating that their traditional senior leadership team will be a key barrier to this – with many still preferring a ‘bums on seat’ approach to white-collar working, Grundy said.
A clear finding from the survey, he said is that there are many hidden benefits to office working – such as providing structure, professional and personal support, social interaction, and all-round wellbeing benefits – that are not openly being discussed, perhaps due to individual cases or sensitivities.
“With many banging the drum on the benefits of remote working and no longer having to commute, it makes it increasingly difficult for individuals to open about the value they placed on face-to-face support from management, the ease of working on ergonomic desks & chairs, and the sense of belonging or cultural fit which provides some with a purpose.
“Whilst there is no right answer – companies will need to take stock of working practices this year to see what will best serve the needs of both employees and the business in the long term,” he said.