Covid-19 has changed the perspective of working for employees and organizations. Companies have come forward with different models of working including working from home, hybrid Model, and working from the office.
A global leadership development and human resources consulting firm, Amogh Deshmukh, MD at DDI India said, “Most leaders feel that employees need to get back to the office because productivity is dipping – much in contrast to the early observations that work-from-home had raised productivity.”
“In some situations, the CEOs had to step in and explain what the purpose is. If that’s the state at the top of the house of most organizations, imagine what would happen at mid and junior levels (if many are working remotely),” he added.
But even more than productivity, Deshmukh says, is the need to build a purpose-driven organization. Every organization’s website has a purpose statement on why their organization exists a statement that defines the culture of the company and builds loyalty.
A survey conducted also reveled the same concerns:
- End productivity paranoia: 87% of employees report they are productive at work, but 85% of leaders say the shift to hybrid work has made it challenging to have confidence their employees are being productive. Leaders need to create clarity and alignment around company goals, eliminate busy work that doesn’t support those goals, and listen to their people — 57% of companies rarely if ever, collect employee feedback.
- Embrace that people come in for each other: 73% of employees say they need a better reason to go into the office besides company expectations — but they would be motivated to go in if they could socialize with co-workers (84%) or rebuild team bonds (85%). Digital communication will be crucial to keep people connected inside and out of the office — both employees and leaders rank communication as the No. 1 most critical skill needed to be successful in their roles this year.
- Re-skill to re-recruit your employees: 55% of employees say the best way to develop their skills is to change companies. However, they also say they would stay longer at their company if it was easier to change jobs internally (68%) or if they could benefit more from learning and development support (76%).
The data makes clear that hybrid work has created a growing disconnect between employees and leaders. They’re at odds about what constitutes productivity, how to maintain autonomy while ensuring accountability, the benefits of flexibility, and the role of the office.
As per the latest move, India’s largest IT Services Provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has sent emails to employees asking them to work from an office at least three days a week. The company also said any non-compliance will be taken seriously.
The companies have been coming forward in bringing their employees back to the office. There will be several other companies that will follow the steps so that they have 100% strength.
