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The world has changed. The effects of COVID-19 and the need to shelter in place has forced many companies to take a step back, change their strategies, and find new ways to move forward. Will this permanently affect the culture of the traditional workplace? Companies with the option to work from home have now dispersed their employee population, but will that last after the pandemic has passed? How will this affect the workforce in the future?  

 

Employee Connection 

As staff spent more time in the workplace than at home, their relationships with coworkers were an essential part of their social interaction. Now, those tables have flipped. They are spending all of their time at home, often with a partner who is also working from home and children learning outside of their school environment. The water cooler is a thing of the past, but that interaction is necessary. This means connection with outside people is even more important, even if that is virtual.  

 

Productivity 

Working from home also has some repercussions in terms of productivity, and that goes both ways. Some employees feel like they need to be super productive to prove their worth. They work at all hours of the day and night because they’re afraid if they don’t prove they’re essential, they’ll be out of work. Others get distracted by being at home, opting to watch TV, or clean the kitchen rather than face the task at hand.  

 

Personal and Vacation Time 

To that end, many employees are concerned about personal time off or taking vacations. While the virus has made it impossible for many people to travel for leisure, they still deserve time away from the office. And as the summer months continue, they’ll be feeling the pull to get out of the house, which is also their ersatz office. Managers need to enforce time off for the good of the employees and the workflow.  

 

Communication  

There is the joke going around that we’re finding out how many of those meetings really could have been emails. While it’s funny, it’s also true. COVID-19 has changed the way we communicate. We’re doing more meetings over video conferencing technology and trying to make everyone feel connected at the same time. Checking in via text, email, and other avenues may become common even after the pandemic.  

 

How can we work toward a new and engaged workforce?

Anserteam Workforce Solutions represents North America’s very best staffing agencies aligned together to deliver world-class workforce management solutions. We offer end-to-end talent services that can be customized for any size business, utilizing our Managed Services Provider (MSP) model and Vendor Management Solutions (VMS) technology. Is your organization seeking a WBENC-certified diversity partner to provide measurable results and substantial cost savings?  Contact us today.