Photo Courtesy of Workbar
Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to work remotely. In April, when much of the United States was under lockdown, a Gallup poll found that more than half of Americans were working remotely to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19.
When the number of infections first began to rise in the United States, government restrictions prompted employers to shut their doors and employees began adjusting to working in a new environment. Then, even in the months after restrictions were lifted, many employers continued to allow their employees to work remotely as infection rates in the U.S. continued to rise.
But six month later, things are changing and people are starting to get back to business, but it isn't business as usual. According to Gallup’s most recent poll, published in October, only 33% of respondents now say they are "always" working remotely.
Remote Solutions
“The pandemic has given rise to the never ending workday and employees are burnt out. Companies that contact us to provide alternative remote solutions are citing loneliness, difficulty with communication, and household distractions as being the major pain points of their employees,” says Sarah Travers, CEO of Workbar, a Boston-based co-working space.
Prior to the pandemic, only 7% of employees around the country were working remotely. For this reason, many were ill equipped to handle the unique requirements of remote work once they were forced to work from home. As a result, many have seen productivity at their companies decrease.
“Many companies are hiring again and there is a justified sense of gloom when onboarding new employees remotely. It’s not only impossible to establish culture digitally but it’s hard to train and figure out where a new employee needs the most support and how to provide it remotely. The question now is how to get employees together for a day or two a week. Employees need a place to meet, connect, and collaborate and that place can’t be someone’s house and doesn’t have to be the company’s headquarters,” adds Travers.
Impacts On Productivity
Remote work isn’t for everyone. In the early days of the pandemic, communication app Slack conducted a survey of nearly 3000 workers across all 50 states to better understand how they’re adapting to remote work. Slack’s report indicates that for newly remote employees, workplace satisfaction, connection and productivity can be extremely problematic.
In fact, nearly one-third of newly remote workers said that working from home negatively affected their productivity. 45% of newly remote workers said their sense of belonging suffered at home. And almost a quarter of the newly remote workers surveyed said they are less satisfied working from home.
“The future of work will be supported by a hybrid schedule where employees’ days are more nuanced and purposeful. Employers are starting to realize that it’s not where work gets done, it’s how work gets done and when it gets done. Opening the door to remote work allows companies to not only enjoy higher employee retention, but it also leads to a more diversified workforce and accessibility to new talent pools,” adds Travers.
The original concept behind Workbar’s physical space was derived from the idea of bump and connect, which is the belief that spontaneous interactions are what drive innovation. “A world does not exist where divergent minds don’t meet in a third place to collaborate with one another and produce results that will ultimately change people’s lives,” says Travers.
Photo Courtesy of Workbar
Safety First
In order to ensure people are safe, Workbar has made a number of modifications to it’s spaces to accommodate social distancing precautions including cleanliness stations, touch-free policies, thermo scanners, and ensuring air distribution systems are functioning properly.
“Health and wellness of our members has been a core value that has driven the fundamental design of our spaces since day one. Back in 2017, our Back Bay location was the first coworking space in the world to achieve WELL Certification from the International WELL Building Institute. We knew that wellness was more than a passing trend and that by providing a more human space where people could actually feel a positive difference in their health and productivity, we would, in a way, be future-proofing our locations. We knew then, what others are only now learning. Our lighting changes color temperature through the day and reinforces circadian rhythms so the space mimics what is happening in nature. Our air systems are monitored and produce more filtered and refreshed air based on the amount of people in the space in any given moment. We’ve made our spaces purposefully responsive to humans,” says Travers.
Flexibility
“We are introducing an employer sponsored workplace mobility plan for companies that know they need to offer a remote work solution that is not their employees’ homes. I see this as a benefit that will become the new norm, similar to backup childcare,” shares Travers.
Companies that want to attract and retain employees will need to offer flexible schedules to stay competitive in this new world. Prior to the pandemic, 40% of employees would have considered a paycut in order to have the option of working remotely. The list of companies that are moving towards a hybrid workforce or a fully remote workforce is growing rapidly.
As the pandemic has proven, social interaction is a vital part of not only our personal lives, but also our professional lives. Companies must understand that many people work better collaboratively and strive to provide an environment where people can come together and share ideas, safely. It might not be business as usual, but it’s the way of the future.
