Work From Home: What is the new paradigm?

Nov. 15.  By Cheryl Kane. There are innumerable complexities occurring in our work culture arising from such a simple concept as work from home (WFH). The 2020 COVID pandemic sent the nation’s workers home with or without office equipment, supplies, and written agreements on how to conduct work in spaces quite unprepared for full time WFH. Struggling as they hunkered down for long periods, workers and their managers—and families of each—learned to make do.

And, did they. The result?

New revelations for everyone about how, where and when work can be done.

Clarity (or confusion) for leaders about what it takes to create organizational culture—a necessary competitive advantage.

Changing priorities

Heightened awareness and value by workers of their desire for quality of work-life balance.

Split views on whether WFH will be sustainable or wane, for many reasons: Worker shortage or surplus, economic pressures on or supports for profits, and social expectations.

The workplace climate has changed. It seems the unfamiliar, unsettled landscape for leaders, managers, and workers as return-to-work orders are set in motion is almost unrecognizable from pre-2020. “Nothing works like before” is a common theme.

Focus, order

We’re making do as we move forward. But making do with less is not realistic.

To bring focus, order, and control to the workplace several aspects of work may need to be reevaluated and restructured. After all, the key word here is work—the work of the business must get done.

The new workplace climate seems to require much more innovation. We can’t just make do.

Write it down

Policies, procedures, communications, protocols, expectations and evaluation processes may all have to be reconsidered. Whether you are the person allowing someone to WFH or the one being allowed to do so, the work arrangement needs to be clear, specific, measurable, and structured to allow for adjustment-as the needs of the business change.

All work must still get done—effectively and efficiently.

—Cheryl Kane, MBA, PHR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, is a strategic business consultant, sales trainer, & professional speaker specializing in problem solving and service quality. Email her at:
[email protected]