‘The concept of office post-pandemic will change’

As vaccination brings us closer to controlling the spread of Covid, business leaders across sectors have starting contemplating the future of their offices- when and how to refill the workspaces that sit dormant for the past 15 months. Some researches show that employees would want to continue working remotely after the pandemic too while other researches tell us that hybrid work models shall be adopted in the future. To deliberate more on hybrid work models beyond Covid, a stellar panel of women leaders spoke at the second edition of PR and Corp Comm Women Achievers Summit & Awards 2021.

On the panel were Anjana Asrani, Communications Lead, PUMA Group; Upasna Dash, CEO and Founder, Jajabor Brand Consultancy; Simran Kodesia, Communications Lead, India and South East Asia, Airbnb; Piyal Banerjee, Head- External Communications, IPM India. The session was moderated by Nafisa Shaheen, Correspondent, exchange4media Group.

Kickstarting the session, Shaheen took the panelists’ view on the possibility of the adoption of a hybrid work model moving forward. Asrani responded, “Companies are experimenting with different methodologies and approaches today. Hybrid working models will become a reality limited to certain sectors and not on a mass scale.”

Dash added, “In India, the work-from-home structure still needs a lot of work. People love having a dedicated workspace. The work-life balance of the pre-Covid times is what people miss.”

According to Banerjee, work-from-home has brought a cultural and psychological shift. “If the blend is right, both things will work correctly,” she affirmed.

Talking about steps taken by employers to accommodate the hybrid work model, Kodesia shared, “Employers are assuring that their employees are getting vaccinated, workspaces are being setup in a way where not too many people gather together and regular check-ins and check -outs are being maintained.”

Moving forward, the panelists discussed about the impact of hybrid work models on the productivity. On being asked if the hybrid work model will have its implications, Kodesia said that there is no switching off while working from home which leads to lack of productivity and fatigue. She added, “Women had to work from home and also work for home. There was double burden on the women workforce due to the work-from-home model.”

Asrani noted, “The concept of office post-pandemic will change. Enforcing rules on employees to come to office would not be very productive. Definitely some sectors can adopt hybrid work models while others will have to depend on the function of the work being implemented.”

Supporting Asrani’s thought, Banerjee added, “It depends on the function of the work being done to enjoy the luxury of indulging in a hybrid format. Lives of the employees is the first priority and livelihood is secondary.”

Adding her view, Dash said, “Productivity post-pandemic has to be redefined. You have to empower your employees to co-create certain policies in the workplace.”

Moving towards the end of the session, the moderator quizzed the panelists on whether the proximity factor during the hybrid work model would be disrupted. Asrani noted, “The organization culture needs to change and has to become adaptive of the hybrid working model.”

She added further, “Proximity-bias in a workplace is a challenge. Leaders should give everyone in the workplace an opportunity to be heard, to have a chance to speak.”

“People-to-people connection is the most important thing and we will have to adopt the hybrid model moving forward,” said Kodesia.

Speaking about technology being an enabler and a pre-requisite in today’s times, Dash’s advice was to invest in the right tools.

While Banerjee feels that lack of physical proximity is not a disruption but a transformation.  She concluded by saying, “There is no replacement for human interaction and human interface. It is not just work from home. It is working for home. So, (we need to) humanize technology as it has become a necessary function for our survival.”