Page 8 - inPRINT Issue 63

inDEPTH

In April 2020 nearly half (46.6%) of people in
employment did some of their work from home *

human resources THE NEW NORMAL?

lexible working, working others may have fretted over
Ffrom home and working elderly family members
remotely are nothing or balancing childcare
new. The overwhelming commitments.
majority previously viewed When reviewing how your
out-of-office working as business and workforce will
less productive, with lower operate going forward, it is
output and useful only in important to communicate
exceptional circumstances with employees and
for senior employees who gather different views and
could be trusted to actually opinions. While some will
do some work. Flexible be delighted to continue
working requests would be with remote working,
declined, often with little there may be others who
consideration of the merits are desperate to return
or reasons behind them. to the office and regain
Perhaps it was perceived some routine and social
as too much effort to structure. Consideration
consider preparing an should be given to reviewing
infrastructure to enable 2020 nearly half (46.6%) of work around personal lives management styles and
home-working, or maybe people in employment did and caring responsibilities maintaining the positive
it was genuinely not some of their work from has led to an improvement changes that have come
viable for the business. Of home, with the vast majority in work-life balance, job from COVID-19, for example
course, some companies (86.0%) stating that this satisfaction and overall updating company policies,
cannot operate with home- was because of COVID-19. physical and mental placing greater trust in
workers or remote workers, There are many articles wellbeing. The long-term employees and embracing
particularly in the printing citing the cost and time sustainability and success a variety of communication
industry. But COVID-19 has savings that employees of business is the ultimate channels.
pushed this debate to the have benefitted from as a goal. The CIPD suggests that With involvement from
forefront. result. It is expected that there is a strong evidence your workforce and clear,
As companies have many employees may wish base for how workplace honest communication,
been forced to adapt and to continue some degree of flexibility can ‘support most companies will realise
accommodate home- home or flexible working inclusion, help to reduce the benefits to the working
working to ensure business permanently. More than 44% the gender pay gap, support culture as a result of the
continuity during the of people who answered a sustainability initiatives, lockdown.
shutdown, it may be Direct Line questionnaire attract and retain talented
increasingly difficult for said working from home at individuals, increase For further information,
employers to turn down least part of the time should productivity and support please contact Olivia Martin
requests for flexible working be a permanent option. One wellbeing’. at [email protected]
in the future, particularly in 12 said they would ask But the benefits for some or contact your Regional
where the physical set-up their employer to let them have been drawbacks for HR Adviser here.
has been implemented work remotely full-time, others. Those living alone
during lockdown and though two days per week at may have found it lonely, References:
employee motivations and home was the most popular those furloughed may have * Office for National
productivity have been choice (The Independent, been worrying about job Statistics 2020, https://
evidenced. 2020). security, those with health www.ons.gov.uk/
According to the Office for For a lot of people, the conditions may have had
National Statistics, in April increased flexibility to fit concerns about safety, and

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