As the pandemic draws to a close, businesses are concentrating on their employees’ future work schedules. Several major digital businesses, including Amazon, Google, Facebook, Salesforce, and others, have united behind a “hybrid” model work paradigm that combines working from home and in an office. Some companies, like Spotify, nevertheless allow employees to work from home or outside the workplace, if that is their preference.
Both the company and its employees find the flexible hybrid model appealing because it will save them a significant amount of money on real estate and provide the employees greater autonomy over their life. It’s not flawless, and there are some significant problems to deal with. Companies may face new costs when they bring back personnel, as well as probable legal ramifications related to health hazards to their staff and the potential development of a dual class society.
Google’s parent firm, Alphabet, has around 135,000 employees and a similar number of contractors. According to CNBC, “Google is warning it may take a productivity and financial hit in the process, according to the company’s annual 10-K report,” as it gets ready to send employees back to work in 2021.
It will be a significant and expensive undertaking to bring back a significant portion of these people. “We may experience increased costs as we prepare our facilities for a safe return to work environment and experiment with hybrid work models, in addition to potential effects on our ability to compete effectively and maintain our corporate culture,” Google stated in its financial statements. The company plans to bring back employees to the office in more locations starting in 2021.
In order to provide a pleasant working environment, the business is now establishing a sizable corporate campus, which will include residences for Google employees. The facility will feature dining options, bike lanes, parks, and other facilities. It will be necessary to remodel the current office area to maintain social separation while still allowing for group collaboration. Like other businesses that intend to rehire, they will need to exercise caution when it comes to health issues. If their employees contract Covid-19 and infect others, there may be costly legal implications.
Another possible issue exists. As time goes on, company management’s perspective on remote workers may change. During the pandemic, working from home might become necessary, and employers may use employee monitoring software such as Controlio, but it might also become a choice rather than an obligation. Then, managers might consider it a minor annoyance that a portion of their staff isn’t present in the office and visible. According to Wired, there could be “two fundamentally different employee experiences” as a result of the hybrid approach.
For many, interacting with coworkers will be exciting after a year of isolation. When they get back to work, they will renew old acquaintances, make new ones, have face-to-face meetings, and go out to lunch and supper as a group. In addition to striking up a casual discussion with a senior executive they run into in the halls, they will be able to drop in to speak with their boss.
It would make sense for those who spend more time in the office to become especially close. People at home can feel excluded in the interim. “Remote team members will not feel included and will constantly encounter communication barriers if an office serves as the “glue” and procedures and systems are not modified for a remote workforce. They will find it more difficult to function on par with their colleagues in the office as a result, according to Wired. Management may consider those who opt to return to the office to be more committed than those who work remotely from home. It’s lost sight of and forgotten.
