With lockdown bringing an unprecedented change to not only how we work, but where we work, it is evident already that working arrangements will be changed permanently following this pandemic. Whether this be the shift pattern you work, the location or even the responsibility your role now holds, the vast majority of people will have seen changes throughout this period and these changes will have lasting impacts on the working world.
Location
The first thing that comes up in conversation around changing working arrangements is of course the shift for many people who are now working from home. This process has revealed to employers and employees alike that working from home does not have to effect efficiency or productivity. Many roles originally thought incapable of operating from home have proven they can; others have managed to adapt to achieve this outcome, e.g. face to face sales executives are now working remotely and interacting with clients by phone. With the realisation that working from home is viable in many cases a shift in recruiting is already evident; employers are now recruiting nationally and internationally with the role operating from home permanently. Not all roles can operate from home on a permanent basis, but for those that can, this opens up opportunity to apply for roles that would otherwise not have been in scope.
Hours
The average commute time in the UK was recently found to be about 58 minutes, but with many now working from home, people are finding themselves with extra hours in their day. Some are finding this additional time incredibly beneficial for their physical and mental wellbeing, pursuing hobbies such as running or crafts. Alternatively, people are working longer hours and findings it harder to separate work life from home life now the two are so closely interlinked. As we move out of lockdown it is important people still find time for themselves and that people can switch off from work effectively. Some companies have introduced early finish Fridays or lunchtime socials once a week to promote a healthy work life balance, and as we move out of lockdown these initiatives will play an important role and will likely remain in one form or another.
Flexible working hours are being adopted by organisations more now than ever, enabling staff to start and finish on a sliding scale - essentially if you choose to start later you work later and can pick the best time to get your hours in for the day. An attitude more around getting your work done has been adopted and it needing to be done between 9-5 is not so mandatory. This coming into effect as people will be required to work in shift patterns if they wish to enter office space as restrictions lift and some employers allowing staff to work in two distinct mini shifts throughout the day, e.g. 8-12 then 2-6. Overall a more flexible approach to working hours has been more widely adopted and I personally believe is here to stay.
Role Responsibility
A recent survey carried out by the ONS found that 27% of the workforce had been furloughed across the 6,150 businesses who responded. With such a high portion of the workforce placed on furlough, many roles have seen increased responsibility to cover those employees no longer working. For some roles this increased responsibility is a direct driver behind working longer hours, finding it harder to ‘switching off’ at the end of the working day. Alternatively, the increased responsibility has made some roles feel more complete and fulfilling for employees. It is important that as staff return from furlough they don’t return to a shell of their former job and it is equally important that responsibility being redistributed doesn’t leave employees feeling devalued after working so hard throughout lockdown. Following lockdown, roles will see permanent change and will require an assessment to outline what they do now compared to what they did pre-lockdown.
Getting back to business
With lockdown restrictions gradually easing, many businesses are now looking in more detail at what their workforce will look like in the coming months and beyond. With this in mind, we have built a free excel-based tool, Transform FE, to help our HR leaders through this period.
Transform FE has been designed to support HR teams and business leaders with manpower planning and the decision-making process. Simply upload your employee data, work through a series of basic questions to signpost areas of under and over capacity, identify roles that could be considered for furlough and roles/personnel who could be redeployed. In addition, the tool has been engineered to help map the plan for recovery and employees returning to work.
The Furlough Edition has a clear analytics dashboard that will enable users to sense check their furlough decisions against gender, ethnicity and working patterns to ensure there is no unconscious bias. In addition, it enables cost/savings analysis by role and employee status.
To download the tool, please click here.
