During this pandemic, almost every company was thrown into a virtual work environment with little notice, training or preparation. Despite the challenges, in true entrepreneurial fashion, businesses and employees adapted. While many people started with a clipboard or a card table, most have slowly upgraded to a nicer space with a better background for themselves on Teams or Zoom calls. All of this just in time to get those re-entry emails from work talking about migrating back to the office!
What are companies to do? How can they send everyone home, get them to adjust to a new way of life and then ask employees to adjust back to the old way of working?
Build a Hybrid Work Environment
While most employees would self-assess that they are “totally capable of working at home with no supervision”, the fact is that some people are, and some aren’t. We are beginning the stage where companies have to figure out how to balance the old work arrangement with the new. Unfortunately, we may be living in this hybrid world of both office and remote work for a while.
With competition for the best candidates returning, the remote work benefit could become the new PTO and 401(k) match in the final negotiations for hiring the best people. Not having to commute, deal with traffic and being able to eat at home are becoming bigger benefits that save people time and money.
Recruit and Retain Using Your New Work Environment
To hire the best and retain the proven performers, businesses must start planning how things will look when a vaccine emerges and it’s no longer a health concern to go back to the office. New candidates will ask about flexible work arrangements and current employees will wonder if the freedom they have been given to work from home will continue. Making the decisions now will not only keep you competitive for new hires but creates goodwill and increases retention with current employees.
The decision to begin a work-from-home policy was forced onto most, but how things look going forward will be a strategic decision for companies to make – and will certainly impact decisions employees make about how and where they want to work.
Employee Considerations
Giving thought to these changes from an employee’s perspective can help businesses be more prepared for the future. Consider the following:
- How do you fit into the office culture with less consistency in the office?
- How can you stand out in a department when some work remotely and some don’t?
- Are you top of mind for leading the next important project?
- How do you stay connected with customers?
Employer Considerations
As the employer, these are the same issues to address when continuing the culture you want and making sure the best talent on the team feel engaged and growing, and that customers are still feeling connected to the organization. Hiring and retaining the best people who are capable of high performance in a flexible work arrangement will be even more important in the new structure as it was in the old.
Anders Talent can help you attract and find the best people to match your business’s unique needs. We are in touch with the demand for finance and accounting talent and can help you navigate today’s hiring and recruiting processes. Learn more about Anders Talent or contact an Anders advisor below to learn more.
