Organisation strategy post-Covid restrictions

Return to February 2020 or a new future?

Employers have a choice to make about the return; to return to February 2020 or a new future? Will the new future be as now with only essential visits to the workplace or a new hybrid model of working? Organisations adopting a hybrid approach will develop their own models which will involve considering combinations of location i.e. part remote working and part at the workplace and how that mix will operate. Some organisations may opt for fixed arrangements whilst others may opt for a flexible approach.

Remote working has opened our eyes to a wider view of flexible working which has been stereotypically limited to shorter working weeks. Many employees have been working flexibly with staggered hours or split shift approaches. Organisations adopting a hybrid approach will need to consider what working patterns are most effective going forwards.

A real challenge for employers will be how to balance organisational needs with individual needs. Is it as simple as saying; “what is best done in the workplace do in the workplace, and what is best done at home do at home, with everything else optional?”

How will we determine when and where people work?

Will we adopt an organisation-wide approach or a function/team approach or address this at the individual level? Will employers adopt a proactive approach or wait for employees to raise flexible working requests? Managing multiple requests may be a logistical challenge for HR departments and managers to avoid falling foul of legal requirements.

Re-establishing organisational culture will become a top priority but there appears to be a real mismatch between many employees wanting to work remotely, some of the time at least, and employers being slow to react. A recent survey showed 80% of job adverts making no mention of flexible working. At our own recent employment webinar only 4% of attendees said they wanted to be at the workplace all of the time whilst 24% said their own organisation’s preferred working pattern would be for employees to be at the workplace full-time.

Hybrid working organisational strategy

If there is a major shift towards hybrid working models that capitalise on the benefits of both remote and office working these changes will threaten the existing organisational culture. Organisational structures and job roles will need to be redesigned to accommodate the new normal. This means designing flexible organisation structures that are highly adaptive to future uncertainties. We truly are in a VUCA world – a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

For some employees it will have been one year away from the workplace before they return with some having been furloughed for most of that time. Some new recruits may never have been to the workplace.

Employee engagement has been difficult, as individuals we’ve all had time to reflect on what we want out of life and work. Organisations face a real risk of losing talent if they get this wrong. We need a plan. We have time to plan, unlike in March 2020 when we had no time to prepare.

In these circumstances organisations need to consider how to approach the return to the workplace. Orientation/induction/onboarding /team building type processes may need to be developed and deployed to enable an effective return. On a practical point will there be a phased return or will employees return on temporary or long-term arrangements?

Reward strategies

Part of our planning needs to include consideration of our reward strategies to ensure they are fit for purpose for the new future. One of the elements to consider will be what support should be given for employees working remotely with additional costs such as High Speed Broadband or equipment? Doing it on the cheap as some employers have done may be acceptable in a crisis but what does it say about you as an employer going forward?

Many employees currently receive London Weighting or other Location allowances. Similarly, many salaries are inflated for London or other locations but the inflationary element is not easily identifiable.  If organisations base salaries on where people live rather than their historic workplace employers have a real challenge in considering how to effect those changes.

Company cars may no longer be justifiable if like the author, business travel has plummeted with the use of video conferencing. On site facilities such as nurseries, gyms and catering may no longer be viable with less usage due to there being less staff on site.

Without clarity on these and other reward issues employees may be making decisions on where to live based on false understanding of future reward policies.

Diversity and inclusion

Our workforce strategies need to have a clear focus on Inclusion and Diversity and to be framed in the light of our learning from 2020. Working remotely whether that is from home or another remote location may widen opportunities for many people including those with disabilities who no longer need to travel to a workplace. On the other hand remote working reinforces silos and can impact negatively on inclusion and social mobility. Many employers have found that employees working together breaks down barriers.

Attendance in the workplace

Employers will have to consider the extent to which they want to encourage attendance at the workplace. Current thinking seems to be all about replicating the workplace at home; perhaps we should look at replicating the home in the workplace by creating spaces where other family members can work ,play, do their homework etc.?

Organisational structures for the future

Organisations fit for the future will have been designed to enable:

• Creativity
• Energy
• Collaboration
• A sense of belonging and community

Seventy-five per cent of attendees at our ‘Managing remote working‘ webinar said there will be significant or fundamental changes in the way we work post-Covid.

Organisations which address these immediate and longer term challenges will be able to face the future with a higher degree of confidence than those who do not plan or communicate effectively with their workforce.

If you need any advice our employment team can help and offer HR consultancy.

This article is part of the Employment Law Newsletter – Winter 2021