Over the past few months, companies have become participants in a unique experiment in organizing remote work. An IT company Parallel Universe was forced to work remotely due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19. Never before have IT leaders had such a significant impact on the organization’s operations. In fact, the readiness of IT services to ensure the operation of the necessary applications depended, without exaggeration, on the viability of companies.
There were a lot of difficulties in the work, which included providing the necessary amount of equipment for remote work and preparing the company’s servers for increasing workload and voltage. Moreover, this included ensuring the required number of additional licenses, the operability, and compatibility of applications in a remote connection. It considers training employees to work in the new conditions and the security of the IT infrastructure in the new conditions (Lundet et al. 12). However, now there are opportunities and needs for workers to return to full-time activities in the office.
To relocate employees to work in the office, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of work during self-isolation. However, in order for employees to be able to visit the office again, it is important to put in as much effort as when they are transferred to remote work. First of all, management should answer the question of how necessary it is now for the return of all employees. If the work proceeded smoothly, the managers could think about the possibility of keeping the option of remote work for colleagues.
However, the management of Parallel Universe noticed a clear decline in employee productivity. In this regard, it was decided to transfer workers back to office visits. The company should consider the fastest possible return to the previous organizational system if business processes have suffered serious losses during the lockdown. The organization was faced with the question of what percentage of employees is necessary for office work. At the same time, the directors came to the conclusion that all the employees of the company should return to their offices.
By the time employees return, management’s expectations of the company’s performance rise. First of all, the possibilities of creating new projects and organizing teams will be discussed. The organization is interested in a wider distribution of its products, which leads to the need to increase the range of IT projects. The next step will be to increase the efficiency of colleagues by creating the necessary and more comfortable conditions. Despite the undoubted convenience of remote work, the company’s practice has shown that the distraction of employees to outside affairs is increasing. The management hopes that the office atmosphere will allow employees to return to work. The company expects employees to be interested in creating and promoting unique IT projects. Moreover, management hopes for a high level of efficiency, in contrast to what employees have demonstrated during the lockdown.
The fact that the world is gradually lifting restrictions on movement does not mean that the danger of infection has completely disappeared. However, a further extension of non-working days or a decrease in productivity will lead to irreversible consequences for the company’s budget, and people need to return. The return of employees requires the organization to create a safe environment. Management should take into account WHO recommendations regarding office work and protective equipment. It is important to purchase protective screens that will be installed between the tables. Managers will need to purchase disinfectants and sanitizers in the required quantity. This requires elaboration and additional investment of time and money, but the safety of employees is vital.
At the same time, the company approves a plan to transfer colleagues to offices. In addition to preparing the space, it is also important to closely monitor the infection situation in order to prevent an outbreak in the organization. Management provided a plan to bring employees back to the office. The return of personnel will be made in stages with monitoring of health and morbidity. The company made the decision to return 15% of its employees in the first phase of the plan. If a favorable trend is noted, 35% of employees will return to office work. The organization aims to have all colleagues return by the end of the fourth quarter.
After returning to the office, special attention should be paid to informal communication, team building, and non-work activities. Informal communication increases productivity, the ability to negotiate and develop a common solution to problems. Now, managers can gather for phone calls on non-working topics and share personal news. Online activities can be effective: group training with a trainer, healthy habits development courses, sports and unifying challenges (Gallacher and Hossain 48). Employees must have confidence in the future and trust in leaders. The management suggests redecorating the office and updating office equipment. Thus, returning to the office, employees will know that they were expected.
When exiting remote work, a company is considering a number of motivational strategies to inspire employees. First of all, in some tasks, management will allow the employee to make decisions independently. The ability to instill self-confidence in an employee is one of the important tasks of a leader. People appreciate when they are trusted, it inspires them, and they will try to grow professionally, realizing that they have a real responsibility.
In addition, the company has considered material payments for employees after leaving remote work. Therefore, each employee will receive a bonus for working in difficult conditions during a pandemic. Moreover, the potential of employees can be fully realized only if their mistakes are tolerated; they are considered an opportunity to learn something. Anyone who gives their employees freedom of action and in every possible way encourages their initiative and responsibility should keep in mind that mistakes are inevitable.
At the same time, management must take into account the difference in character and temperament of all employees of the organization. This is an important pattern to pay attention to when moving from remote work to the office. Organizations need to try to find an individual approach for each employee, as motivation tools that are important for one colleague may not be interesting for another. Some employees require a detailed explanation of the job opportunities and the goals of the project. For management, it is vital to allow employees to make independent decisions in the process of work.
In the event that one of the employees refuses to switch back from remote work, it is possible to discuss part-time employment with periodic visits to the office. In addition, the company may refuse to cooperate in favor of its own benefit. However, for this, it is necessary to assess the value of the employee at work. The decision regarding each employee must be made on an individual basis and considered in relation to the effectiveness of their work.
Works Cited
Gallacher, Guillermo, and Iqbal Hossain. “Remote work and employment dynamics under COVID-19: Evidence from Canada.” Canadian public policy no., 46 vol. 1, 2020. pp. 44-54.
Lund, Susan, et al. “What’s next for remote work: An analysis of 2,000 tasks, 800 jobs, and nine countries.” McKinsey Global Institute, 2020. pp. 1-13.