| By Harry Hertz "The Baldrige Cheermudgeon" The hybrid workspace, societal well-being, and productivity: on the surface, these three concepts are not obviously related to each other. But permit me the opportunity to explore each of them in the context of our current environment and then conclude with a proposal for organizations to consider that could improve organizational performance and personal well-being. The Hybrid Workspace In many organizations, the boundary between home and work has been blurred beginning with the existence of instant-access email and text messaging, combined with the broad-scale availability of cell phones. That boundary between home and work totally disappeared in early 2020, when many employees across the globe were sent home to work due to the pandemic, and totally new work processes and patterns were established. During this time at home, workers realized the hundreds of hours they could gain each year by not having to commute. And, in most cases, people realized the workday could be redesigned to accommodate virtual meetings, solo worktime, family responsibilities, hobbies, and exercise. Also, people were enjoying their newfound autonomy and empowerment to make decisions. According to Jaime Teevan, chief scientist at Microsoft, as work went home, 49% of Microsoft employees reported working longer hours and only 9% reported working fewer hours. A Bloomberg report stated that people were working three additional hours in the U.S and, according to VPN data, logging in to work at odd hours, with a spike from midnight to 3 AM. However, there is also a downside to working from home. Some Microsoft employees reported that they desire time in the office to reinstate work-life balance boundaries and to allow focus time for work. The office environment also provides needed time for cultural bonding, team brainstorming and other teamwork, and socialization ("water-cooler" time).
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment