At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic with almost no warning at all, companies were forced to adapt to the Government’s mandate to introduce flexible working in the form of home-working, where possible.
Initial teething issues, such as with IT equipment, were quickly resolved and companies who had previously had little to no flexibility in their working policies were given an opportunity to explore how home-working could be beneficial for them. We saw some companies moving their entire systems and workforce online, and what would have taken some large institutions two years to roll out, took just two weeks.
The current landscape
If 2020 taught us anything, it was to expect the unexpected and, as it stands, while writing this in January 2021, the return to office life is mostly still on hold. Without a government mandate forcing a transition back to the office, companies have time to identify how they can use the lessons learnt during the pandemic to strike the right balance between managing the needs of the business and providing flexibility to their staff.
This is a time for business leaders to look at 2021 onwards and consider the following:-
- Are you aware of what people have liked and disliked about working from home?
- Do you know if there has been an increase or decrease in productivity, or if staff have been able to achieve a better work-life balance during the pandemic?
- Are you wondering if an element of creativity has left the business because a lack of face-to-face meetings means team members are unable to bounce ideas off of one another?
- Are your line managers effectively engaging their remote teams?
- Do you know what level of flexibility staff would actually look like moving forward?
Case study
Social housing provider Bernicia realised that they didn’t know the answers to these questions, and commissioned MMC Research & Marketing to consult with their staff to inform decision making around agile / flexible working during the initial 2020 lockdowns.
An online quantitative survey was completed by staff to gather thoughts and opinions on Bernicia’s response to the pandemic, how staff were adjusting to home-working, and how they would like flexible working to look in a post-pandemic world. In-depth qualitative interviews were then conducted with a handful of staff and managers to explore the emerging themes in more detail and add an extra layer of understanding to the research findings.
By conducting this staff research, Bernicia was equipped with the knowledge of how to effectively support their staff in the future, as the company moved towards the possibility of more flexible working practices longer term.
What works for one company won’t necessarily work for another and the next 6-12 months will likely be filled with lots of trial and error for most of us again. But by engaging staff in a conversation and taking a somewhat cooperative approach, the transition into what flexible working means for you and your workplace can only run all the more smoothly.
Visit our case study to read more about the work we did for Bernicia. Alternatively, contact us to discuss how we can help you understanding what your workforce think.
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