FRONT OF HOUSE
FACILITATING THE FUTURE
The way the workplace is used is dramatically changing, which is likely to impact on its return on investment. To manage this transitional phase successfully, organisations must implement careful and empathetic change management systems, says Hanna Barrett, Director Operations at Portico.
Understanding how to make the most of frontline staff will be the key to creating a workplace of the future. Covid has changed our understanding of the physical elements of work, from our role and protective wear and equipment to our proximity to others. In response, our choice of where and how to work is changing.
McKinsey estimates that remote working will increase by four to five times its pre-pandemic rate in the future. It won’t be as prevalent as during the peak of the pandemic, but it will still be a common feature of working life. But a centralised workplace has many benefits that risk being lost, even with many people in the office part-time.
Why the office still matters During the pandemic, many experienced what was called ‘Zoom fatigue’ – the exhaustion of video call after video call. This came as a surprise to some. After all, many of those people were used to spending all day in an office, without a break from people between meetings. Many people would then spend evenings out with friends. Why, then, did this greatly limited interaction seem so much more exhausting? One of the major issues with video calls is that they limit our capacity to pick up on non-verbal cues.
Gestures and body language are a crucial part of how people interact and understand one another. The nuances of a conversation may be less important with a close
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colleague whose reaction you can predict. But a meeting with a potential new client or partner requires relationship building. Important meetings, negotiations, and cross- cultural communication rely on understanding more than the words being said, even if that communication is subconscious. Such conversations become difficult if they are held exclusively online.
Creative problem solving, idea sharing, and informal learning all happen better in shared spaces. Colleagues build important relationships even with those they only see as acquaintances. These weak-tie connections are important for improving wellbeing and productivity. As colleagues spend lunch together chatting, or bump into each other in the break room and catch up over a coffee, informal collaborative work and learning take place.
Talking to someone new can spark an idea that helps to solve a tricky problem or prompt a new project. Observing those with experience helps younger colleagues to learn on the job. Being around others and immersed in the team culture can also help employees to feel a part of something, boosting morale and encouraging colleagues to support one another.
Moving to hybrid working For those moving out of the office permanently, there is a lot to lose. But employees may not see it that way. 82% of
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