Author: Suhail Bajaj, Director, Bright Brain Marketing Technologies LLP
The objective of this article is to get the reader
to question the way they’re currently operating and re-look at their structure
to add value to the organization, team and customers!
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Suhail Bajaj, Director, Bright Brain Marketing Technologies LLP |
The lockdown that resulted from the COVID -19
triggered a lot of realignment in people’s lives. From doing household chores
that many had never done themselves to learning how to cook out of necessity or
to stay relevant on social media! We were forced to reconsider the things we
took for granted – a quick trip to the market, meeting friends or popping into
a client’s office for a meeting.
With the time saved in commute as well as reduced
workloads, a lot of time could be spent on strategizing, planning and thinking
about the future. One thing in particular that has caught the attention of many
leaders around the world has been the concept of remote working. As we rethink
in a situation so unbelievable and quite unprecedented, we have the unique
opportunity of questioning how we do things and realise that a lot of how we
operate as organizations is a function of legacy systems, the industrial
revolution and the rise of bureaucracy and offices in the mid 1800’s. If we
allow ourselves to rethink the ecosystem in the current context, one in which
tech-enabled solutions have transformed our lives, from food delivery to cab
booking, from online education to health tracking and virtual consultations,
one must reconsider the concept of an office in its current form. A quick
survey I conducted in my own organization showed that employees spent 90
minutes on average commuting to and from the office, not to mention the stress
of traffic, weather and crowded public transport. In a world where we value 30
min delivery, fast track services at airports and instant anything, why not
change this paradigm and give teams back time – that they can spend with their
families, doing things they love and enhance their well-being. Several tech
companies have been in the news over the past few weeks for announcing remote
working policies for the long term and we have a few examples of companies that
were already doing this in the tech space. However, beyond this it’s probably
time for traditional businesses who think they don’t fall into this category to
think about which roles don’t need to be in the office every day.
workloads, a lot of time could be spent on strategizing, planning and thinking
about the future. One thing in particular that has caught the attention of many
leaders around the world has been the concept of remote working. As we rethink
in a situation so unbelievable and quite unprecedented, we have the unique
opportunity of questioning how we do things and realise that a lot of how we
operate as organizations is a function of legacy systems, the industrial
revolution and the rise of bureaucracy and offices in the mid 1800’s. If we
allow ourselves to rethink the ecosystem in the current context, one in which
tech-enabled solutions have transformed our lives, from food delivery to cab
booking, from online education to health tracking and virtual consultations,
one must reconsider the concept of an office in its current form. A quick
survey I conducted in my own organization showed that employees spent 90
minutes on average commuting to and from the office, not to mention the stress
of traffic, weather and crowded public transport. In a world where we value 30
min delivery, fast track services at airports and instant anything, why not
change this paradigm and give teams back time – that they can spend with their
families, doing things they love and enhance their well-being. Several tech
companies have been in the news over the past few weeks for announcing remote
working policies for the long term and we have a few examples of companies that
were already doing this in the tech space. However, beyond this it’s probably
time for traditional businesses who think they don’t fall into this category to
think about which roles don’t need to be in the office every day.
The aspects that every entrepreneur and leader can
consider for their organization are broadly:
consider for their organization are broadly:
Operations:
The office gave a sense of productivity just by showing
up (a relic of the industrial revolution perhaps?). When you rethink how to
keep productivity up, you rethink planning, task assignments and review
mechanisms. How many meetings could have been a Zoom call? How many people were
really required? How many meetings were even needed? Can a weekly (or daily
depending on the type of business) all-hands meeting conducted with a proper
agenda give the larger team the direction they need till the next one? Does the
team need to be in the office together all the time for these things to
happen?
up (a relic of the industrial revolution perhaps?). When you rethink how to
keep productivity up, you rethink planning, task assignments and review
mechanisms. How many meetings could have been a Zoom call? How many people were
really required? How many meetings were even needed? Can a weekly (or daily
depending on the type of business) all-hands meeting conducted with a proper
agenda give the larger team the direction they need till the next one? Does the
team need to be in the office together all the time for these things to
happen?
Social Credit/ water
cooler conversations and the intangible benefits of the office
cooler conversations and the intangible benefits of the office
The number one objection to the remote work
argument is that most teams who currently found remote work beneficial and easy
to adjust to already knew one another from the office environment – and that’s
a very valid point. For organizations and roles that are not completely
transactional or have black and white deliverables, team huddles, town halls
and company offsites will become all the more important to help forge those
bonds and interpersonal understanding. That said, bear in mind the generation
entering the workforce now is one that made friendships online, dates using
online tools and is having meaningful conversations online as well – why can’t
work follow?
argument is that most teams who currently found remote work beneficial and easy
to adjust to already knew one another from the office environment – and that’s
a very valid point. For organizations and roles that are not completely
transactional or have black and white deliverables, team huddles, town halls
and company offsites will become all the more important to help forge those
bonds and interpersonal understanding. That said, bear in mind the generation
entering the workforce now is one that made friendships online, dates using
online tools and is having meaningful conversations online as well – why can’t
work follow?
Leadership and Management
Managers will have to learn to trust teams to work while invisible and
enable them to do so. The focus will have to shift to productivity and output
while review and feedback mechanisms will need to be structured. Communication
will become the enabler here as we get used to video for those non-verbal cues
and face to face interactions will be fewer and better planned.
enable them to do so. The focus will have to shift to productivity and output
while review and feedback mechanisms will need to be structured. Communication
will become the enabler here as we get used to video for those non-verbal cues
and face to face interactions will be fewer and better planned.
The employee
Not all employees will thrive in a work from home situation, infrastructure
issues aside, it needs a certain level of discipline and dedication to make
this work. That said, the trade-offs are significant. Commuting reduced to a
few times a month or less, more time with family, flexibility to work when you
are most productive (keeping in mind team dependencies and deadlines). I think
the outcome for an organization that embraces this option will be a more
productive, committed and high-performance team!
issues aside, it needs a certain level of discipline and dedication to make
this work. That said, the trade-offs are significant. Commuting reduced to a
few times a month or less, more time with family, flexibility to work when you
are most productive (keeping in mind team dependencies and deadlines). I think
the outcome for an organization that embraces this option will be a more
productive, committed and high-performance team!
Each entrepreneur can ask these questions about their own organization –
even if the office stays, the exercise will probably reveal a fair amount of
inefficiencies that the office made up for – addressing those alone could be a
worthwhile outcome of this activity, eventually leading to a fitter and more
agile organization – the need of the hour today!
even if the office stays, the exercise will probably reveal a fair amount of
inefficiencies that the office made up for – addressing those alone could be a
worthwhile outcome of this activity, eventually leading to a fitter and more
agile organization – the need of the hour today!
(Suhail Bajaj is Director at Bright Brain Marketing
Technologies LLP. Views expressed in the article are of the author.)
Technologies LLP. Views expressed in the article are of the author.)
