Nick Powell, Vice President of Bolt Business, shares his thoughts on the biggest change in work culture in 100 years. It also offers advice on how your business can emerge from this period with motivated, engaged and determined employees.
We are at the most important juncture that businesses have faced since the industrial revolution.
For 100 years, professionals have followed the same work model throughout their professional lives: you arrive at the office at 9 a.m., you do your job, you clock in at 6 p.m. and you go home. But today, the context is different.
During the pandemic, businesses were forced to radically change their approach and embrace remote working, flexible hours and hybrid models. These changes have now been adopted by a large portion of businesses, meaning your business must continue to support these work habits if you want to succeed.
If you're pushing for everyone to be in the office from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., you'll have trouble recruiting and retaining top talent. Simply put, the standard 9am-6pm schedule is no longer an option for many businesses.
| A change in work habits imposed on businesses during the pandemic has opened employees' eyes to the world of teleworking.
But that's not bad news for businesses. Finding a happy medium will enable your team to deliver high-quality work and make your company a desirable place to work — a win-win situation for the employer.
In this competitive recruiting environment, employers must be more willing to compromise.
Mandating something you haven't analyzed, like asking your team to be in the office five days a week, will cause problems. Employees will compromise on some things to a certain extent, but they will not hesitate to move on.
The moment you offer employees something that doesn't suit them — whether it's career path, salary, or sense of satisfaction — they will leave the company.
Employers no longer have the upper hand, so it's essential to test your work policies to find the right balance between what the company and your employees need.
With this in mind, you now need to decide where you fit on the grid and most companies have not taken this step.
It is not yet clear what productivity really is in the different aspects of hybrid working, teleworking and full-time work in the office.
It's been proven that employees can be more productive from home , but other studies show that permanent working from home can hurt productivity . That's why we're seeing various iterations — different companies trying different things.
But one thing is clear: Employees won't respond well to you telling them they have to be in the office five days a week . Largely because many professionals are now accustomed to the benefits of working from home.
By default, teleworking offers many advantages:
By default, teleworking offers many advantages:
It’s a comfortable environment;
You can see your family more;
You can finish your work at a convenient time of the day.
All of these perks add up to not having to commute — probably the biggest perk of all.
So to get your people back into the office, even for a few days a week, you need to ask yourself, "How can I make the work environment pleasant enough that it can compete with someone's home?" »
This is something businesses have never had to think about before. Before, we found an office, and that was it. But things have changed. Now you need a proper policy and feedback system to understand your people's needs and what they will respond to.
This is where companies need to be smart about their thinking — and offering perks is one way to encourage teams to make the trip to the office.
Commuting to work is often seen as downtime, especially for those with longer commutes. If you can turn this time into an enjoyable experience, your team will be more motivated to make the commute to the office.
Resourceful companies have already understood this and have given their employees an allowance to travel to work by scooter or electric bike. By taking this approach, you're more likely to encourage your team to come into the office.
You also support sustainable travel and healthy living, which is of increasing importance for professionals today.
Companies have also engaged in ready-made food delivery to entice employees back to work — whether it's occasional breakfasts, lunches or meals for workers at the end of the day.
To help businesses in this area, we have added Bolt Food and Bolt Market to Bolt Business. By offering menus and maintaining a healthy supply of snacks in the office kitchen, you bridge the gap between the workplace and people's homes.
Once you successfully adapt to the changing work culture, it will end up being a great thing for your business.
Using travel benefits, such as e-scooters and e-bikes, will go a long way in encouraging your team to make the trip to the office. Once they are in the office, providing snacks and meals will allow your employees to enjoy the same comfort as at home.
These benefits will help your workplace adapt to a changing culture and make you a desirable employer to existing employees and potential recruits.
This article was written by Nick Powell, Vice President of Bolt Business.
