WFx?: How the pandemic has changed workforce expectations forever

Samuel Bailey, a Social Media Analyst at the Harvey Nash Group, explores the challenges surrounding hybrid working.

Not working from home seems like a distant memory for most of us. We’ve made peace with the kitchen table (sorry, home office), the coffeeshop workspaces, and I think we’ve gotten comfortable.

In fact for one of our recent podcasts Holly Boothroyd, the influencer managing a community of over 80,000 on ‘herhelloworld’, ran an Instagram poll asking where people felt most productive. Out of 848 voters, 386 stated they feel most productive at home verses work or either.

Opportunities brought forward by remote work

Opportunities brought forward by remote work, such as increased accessibility, a better work-life balance, less financial demands connected to travel, and greater flexibility have advanced throughout the pandemic. These ‘perks’ have evolved from nice-to-haves to must-haves. For many remote working opportunities are a necessity to be provided by employers and make a huge difference to the number of applicants. Indeed 44% of job hunters now search for ‘work from anywhere’ policies, up from close to 0% in 2019.

As-well-as optimized productivity, it is in the best interests for employers to offer, at the least, a hybrid working option. Tally Market offer a platform that allows you to book all types of collaborative, chill, alternative or professional workspaces for as little as the price of a coffee. Remote working has provided platforms like Tally Market the space to thrive and highlight the variety of remote working options; something many bored of the kitchen table or stuck in a one bed flat might jump at!

The 4-day working week

We’ve just got our heads around remote working as now a new option arises; the 4-day working week. Before Covid this was an outlier, even an oddity. But now it’s an option being looked at with renewed seriousness and is yet another way in which the pandemic has changed workspace culture and expectations in ways we never could have imaged pre-Covid.

In fact, Joe O’Connor, the pilot programme manager of ‘4 Day Week Global’ has boldly stated 2022 will be the year that heralds in this bold new future of work.

Whilst flexibility is welcome, we need some clarity on how we go forward as a workforce. Remote work still causes as many issues as it solves.

Inappropriate working environments

At first seeming wildly accessible, many people do not have an appropriate place to work at home. Conditions can be problematic; physically and emotionally. Inappropriate working environments can drastically impair someone’s ability to work. It is also easy to overlook that access to technology is a privilege. Just as much as some of us love working from home, for others it causes more stress than it is worth.

Which employee offering is not clear, but what is apparent is 2022 should be a year of pushing inclusion and pushing flexibility in order to optimize productivity, but not at the cost of our workforce’s health and wellbeing.