Although the business world should be one of the most dynamic by its own internal logic, the truth is that there are times when any change means a long and, sometimes, traumatic process. However, the time always comes to have to do what you do not want, something that today we can see in the forced renewal of a business culture that in many corners of the world was really anchored in the past.
How has the way of understanding work been until now?
If you must choose a word to define what the labor market has always understood as work, this would be none other than presence. The case of Spain is a great example, and it is one of the European countries in which this concept is most important.
This may be why the levels of digitization and home office are poor compared to other countries. To give an example and referring to figures prior to the appearance of Covid-19, the rate of workers who worked from their home in Spain remains around 4%, while in the Netherlands it was close to 18% or in France to 17%.
But it is not only telecommuting that modifies the way we have had so far of understanding work and it is not just something that happens in Spain. In practically the whole world, changes are needed that affect communication, employee motivation or digital transformation. We share with you some of the keys of home office in our last post.
A change in the way of understanding work
Companies in general should take advantage of the current moment to finally change the way they understand the world of work. However, as we are going to see, neither the debate is new, nor the experience lacks some peculiarities to consider.
The debate about a change in that culture is nothing new. Home office figures such as the ones we have exposed above have been analyzed for years, considering that this was the way forward for national companies. However, in this area more than in any other, theory has not given way to practice with few exceptions.
The experience of Covid-19 has made home office go from being an option to becoming a necessity. The result that imposed the confinement of the population caused the rates of remote work to multiply in a way never seen before.
This is something that has been seen worldwide. Any of the countries that have faced long confinements have experienced moments of tension due to not having a company structure adapted to this, so it seems that the time has come to change many things.
What do employees think of working remotely?
It is evident that the employee is a fundamental part in the equation of the home office issue. For this reason, we are starting from their opinions to understand if the revolution that remote work supposes is something that we should consider as necessary for our market.
Based on efficiency, which has been measured in a survey conducted by Bain & Company, it is noted that around 77% of workers consider themselves to be the same or more productive working from home. In addition, most respondents say they are in favor of moving the day completely to the home environment or, at least, of creating a hybrid system in which they go to the office only when strictly necessary.
The reality that these data show is that presence, despite being something cultural, was not entirely well valued by employees. Furthermore, there are experts who consider that the time and organizational freedom of this form of work can be a springboard to develop talent away from rigid traditional structures.
Communication and digitization: two important axes of change
Not everything is remote work, communication is one of the essential pillars. If professional teams are to begin working away from the core of the traditional office, meetings and other forms of collaboration need to change.
The new proposals of the specialists seem aimed at showing the need to create dynamic communication flows adapted to the needs of each moment. If the company decentralizes, communication must too. Of course, the second axis that we pointed out in the title of this section comes into play here: digitization. This continues to be one of the weak points of many companies around the world.
Digitizing the company means giving a greater role to new technologies. Today it is relatively easy and simple for a worker to access the servers necessary to carry out their work from anywhere in the world.
This also favors that dynamic communication that we mentioned. The question to be asked is: where are the reasons why all this has not been put into practice before? It is well known that eliminating rigid communication structures and digitizing the company favors productivity and is economically profitable in the very short term.
Once again, it is possible that Covid-19 has forced us to see a new way of working that, curiously, has already been available for a long time. These two axes that we have pointed out have a consequence that should not be forgotten either: workers feel more motivated if they have a good flow of communication and move in an efficient digital environment.
The motivation of the company's human resources is key and does not need much defense. A team involved in a project is one of the great assets that a company can have and now it is much easier to achieve it.
It’s time for a new corporate culture?
Yes and no. On the one hand, it would be important to take advantage of the home office wave that Covid-19 has generated to put everyone within the same levels.
But the response to the renewal of the company should not be focused only on working remotely. We have pointed out that it is necessary to establish new means of communication, create an increasingly digital company and find new means to increase employee motivation.
This may be the best time to do all of this. Of course, one should not lose sight of the difficulties that Covid-19 brings with it when making profound renovations in the field of the company. Until there is an efficient regulation of all the aspects that we have talked about, until the system has resolved any type of internal contradiction in the conciliation and until companies improve aspects such as their digitization or their internal communication channels, it is It is quite possible that the corporate culture of the world is still partly dominated by the past.
Of course, the current moment is unique to change reality and make a commitment to talent, digitization and home office
