This is the second part of my thoughts on post-pandemic workplaces, management, company structures and company cultures. Last week I gave you my general thoughts, including my recommended approach to business owners trying to figure out the combination of going back to pre-pandemic norms while adopting new approaches learned over the last 15 months. Briefly, my approach is:
- Start with customers and work backwards through the value chain and consider eliminating anything that doesn’t add value to the customer.
- Consider what your employees don’t like and consider eliminating or changing those things, the goal being happier employees.
- Finally, as you build your Company 2.0, make it better than it ever was before. We’ve learned a lot during the pandemic, particularly in the area of using technology. Use it going forward.
Workplaces
One of the most dramatic changes post pandemic is the impact on real estate as businesses figure out what they are going to do with their physical spaces. Many will simply go back to the office. But, I think we’ve forgotten how bad the traffic is here. And we’ve had in-migration during the pandemic, so it will probably be worse than ever. We waste a lot of time in travel. Will we lose people who don’t want to come back? Probably.
Of course, there are lots of other approaches, often referred to as hybrids. Some are talking about people working a day or three in the office each week, while working from home the rest of the time. If everybody is in the office on the same days, that will be poor utilization of some very expensive space. Others are talking about some departments or teams on some days and other departments or teams on other days, which implies a “hot desking” or “hoteling” concept. That is, no private offices and less space overall. Others have suggested that this hybrid use of space is the worst of both worlds.
Another approach would be to consider some jobs “in-office” and some WFH full-time. It would be similar to how some jobs are permanent part-time and others are permanent full-time now. Of course, working offsite means offshoring is another possibility to add into the mix. I’ve seen good results in offshoring in terms of costs but also in terms of better use of time. Send a task to the other side of the world and when you come in the next morning, it is ready for you.
Companies that get rid of their offices or downsize might need event space for all-staff meetings. Banquet facilities and private clubs could be the answer. I can see the WAC and Bellevue Club filling this role. The flexibility of WeWork is also an interesting component of planning future space needs.
Management
Of course, if some or all your real estate plan is virtual, the issue of managing people must be dealt with. Can people be managed remotely? Are they productive? We’ve got recent practice with this and the statistics are coming in… mixed.
Some people are self-starters and others are not. Some people have a situation at home that makes WFH nearly impossible. Some jobs can be judged by objective metrics while many cannot. We have to admit that a lot of management is babysitting; we assume that if someone shows up, they are working.
How about on-boarding, discipline, cross-training, mentoring, terminations… The list goes on.
Company Structures
For those who choose a hybrid of in-office, virtual and maybe other approaches, company structures are likely to change. By that, I mean Organization Charts and functional departments will possibly need to be changed. This is not easy stuff, but there is opportunity here. If you can reinvent yourself effectively, you may have an opportunity to leap ahead of competitors or boost your profitability substantially. What if you have no facilities costs, and that dropped to the bottom line?
Company Culture
This is a tough one (actually, aren’t they all). Most organizations have been doing virtual happy hours and other activities. But these are people who all used to work together. What happens to new hires in a virtual workspace? They rarely meet their co-workers in person. How to develop the company culture?
Innovations and Intangibles
If innovations are typically the result of serendipity in the workplace, that is really going to be hard to duplicate virtually. But if we work at it hard enough, it doesn’t seem impossible. I think innovation and other intangibles of the physical office can probably be replicated through clever software tools online. Given the opportunity, surely many software companies will chase this.
Opportunity
And speaking of opportunity, what new opportunities might post pandemic bring you? Those who go back to their same old habits and fail to change the way they do things, might be acquisition targets when they stumble. Will your less agile competitors provide a good place to poach employees? Will there be customers who are underserved? If you have a virtual model, is it time to expand to a new geography?
Conclusion
While the challenge is daunting, I think this post pandemic period may be one of the most exciting times in our careers. Let’s make the most of it.
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