The global pandemic led to an international work-life shifting from being in the office to working remotely from home via Zoom. No one knew what returning to the workplace would be like and how it would change the way we operate in the office. As most companies are reopening offices, many are operating as though people are still working remotely and have yet to readjust to the former workplace dynamic pre-pandemic.
One of the biggest problems in returning to the workplace was the structure of the workplace as most offices feature an open concept design making it difficult to have people working closely together. Many companies had to invest in restructuring the workplace to ensure the safety of employees through social distancing.
Despite being in office, a majority of companies are still conducting meetings through Zoom or Skype that wasn’t common pre-pandemic and implementing social distancing or mask requirements. Employers are also facing choices of implementing what was supposed to be a temporary hybrid working option into a permanent solution with some employees working from home and others in the office.
This shift in the workplace came from necessity but is permanently transforming our idea of work-life and increasing the reliance on technology for video conferencing or messaging services. The office dynamic is forever changed but this challenge has prepared companies to be more flexible with operations with employees shifting along with this change. Though this shift is necessary, a majority of companies have created a protocol for emergencies that can be implemented in the future that wasn’t considered necessary in the past.
