Adapting to the age of a Pandemic – Part 1 Rethinking the work life by Neeja Shah

Corona pandemic has already established itself as our ruthless reality. In this global state of shock, the wise business minds will be those who will eventually take this mother of all changes in their strides and march ahead with the new ‘normal’. How will one do it? Well, efficiently and effectively centering your next work strategies around this new normal is one of the surest ways to break this deadlock. Rethinking the work life will be one of the first things the business owners will have to do to get up from the corona jolt.

Let’s have a look on the “Changed ways of Functioning” shared from the desk of Ms. Neeja Shah (Co-founder and Head Strategist at Enso Brand Solution)

WORK SCENES 2.0 : THE CHANGED WAYS OF FUNCTIONING

• CHANGE 1 : YOUR WORK TEAM’S HEALTH WILL BE YOUR WEALTH.

Now more than ever before during our lifetime, a company will have to prioritize its team’s health in order to keep the show running. Until a tried, tested and permanent solution is found to stay safe from this virus, it will be critical for a business to attend to its employee’s physical as well as psychological wellbeing. The CEOs of some of the most renowned brands across the world have already begun taking bold steps in protecting and investing in their work force for the company’s larger interest.

• CHANGE 2 : HOMES WILL BE THE NEW OFFICES.

For most people if not all, working from home will be their new professional routine. There already is and still will be a significant rise in the percentage of people choosing to work from home. Many business owners will also recommend them the same. This spares the workers the danger of getting infected during the commutation or while being in the office environment. It saves the company owners from bearing the health liabilities of their teams as well. The work tasks, meanwhile, continues to happen in their regular way by being executed from the homes that are the safer work zones. Many companies have begun to give out the Work from Home Guide to assist their employees in this new work culture. While this helps the companies cut their overhead costs too, many of them have rightfully started giving stipends to their employees to buy the necessary office set up supplies. Such stipends and perks will become the new policies of the companies.

• CHANGE 3 : OFFICE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN WILL GO THROUGH RESHAPING.

For those who will have to return to the office due to the peculiarities of their work roles, the design and space division of the offices created during the pre-corona times will have to change. Physical distancing will be of the utmost importance here too. Therefore, the idea of open offices where the team works at a close distance from one another will have to be discarded for at least some time to come. Or, even more seriously, it may not be allowed by the new work norms devised by the government itself. The architects and design consultants of the offices are foreseeing new work space configurations that are aimed at reducing the densification and physical contacts that will further aid in reducing the chances of virus contamination. Following this, the idea of co-working too will go through a transformation.

• CHANGE 4: THE IDEAS OF WORK TRIPS AND MEETINGS WILL BE MODIFIED.

While most trainings, meetings and conferences will need to take the online route for their execution, the business travel as we know it for now will also be altered.  Most modes of travel are subjected to or even halted due to virus contamination threat for some more months to come. Moreover, the global interest in social and physical distancing will further cause a cut in business travels and will be replaced by internet or telecommunication solutions. The changing consumer behavior that will be leaning towards personal safety will also minimize the reasons to make a work trip for the business owners.

• CHANGE 5: OFFICE PANTRIES WILL HAVE A NUMBER OF ADDITIONS.

The cleanliness, sanitization and hygiene standards of an office space will be evaluated and examined through a much stricter lens now. A slight lapse will cost the company and its employees their health and normal functioning. The storage cupboards in a responsible work space, therefore, will have a high quality stacking of disinfectors, surface cleaners, sanitizers and probably masks too along with the basic cleaning materials.

• CHANGE 6: BUSINESS MEALS, WORK TIME SNACKS AND OFFICE PARTIES WON’T BE THE SAME!

A lot of work used to be discussed over corporate luncheons and dinners. A number of new deals used to be made over coffee meets. Various collective achievements and employees birthdays used to be celebrated over the office parties. The creative minds in a work team stayed fueled through the cups of steaming hot teas and snacks. Well, such were the pre-corona times! It will all now be led by and minimized due to health insecurities, physical distancing and precautious approach to keep the virus that spreads like a wildfire at bay.

Disclaimer: The opinions/ views expressed in this article are those of the author.