Teleworking: where will the office be tomorrow?

Telecommuting, or remote working, will become the norm, but in a controlled way that respects teamwork within the organization.

The advantages of teleworking

The forced choice of telecommuting has led to the discovery that it offers numerous advantages for both companies and employees:

• Saves on office rental and electricity costs for the company
• More productive employees
• Eliminate transport time and costs
• A sense of freedom
• Flexible teamwork thanks to new videoconferencing tools

Disadvantages of telecommuting/remote working

The advantages have their corollaries and they are not negligible:

• Lack of informal, direct contact
• Lack of social interaction, which can become alienating and repetitive for some people
• Difficulty differentiating between working hours and home life
• Feeling of doing less than others or less than at work, even if this is not the case
• Loneliness and lack of reference points

In short, the advantages of telecommuting are outweighed by the distress of some formerly well-integrated employees who find solitude very hard to bear, and who need social contact.

The balance sheet

Introverts tend to close in on themselves and shut themselves away in their own bubble. They cope well with isolation at first, but suffer more later on, as telecommuting reinforces their natural tendency.

Paradoxically, extroverts fare better, because they find alternative ways of communicating with others.

In general, studies seem to show that the majority have taken a liking to teleworking and don’t want to go back to the office as they used to.

In this context, organizations need to choose an organizational option for the future, and we’re going to take a look at the various solutions, with their advantages and disadvantages.

Back in the office as before

Some companies are still considering this option. The advantages are to return to a certain normality, to make the most of office space, to facilitate supervision, to bring people closer together, to build on the physical closeness and conviviality of group living.

On the other hand, it also means taking on transport, travel time, gas and restaurant budgets. But many employees have seen the savings in time and money and don’t want to go back to the way things were before. It’s almost impossible to go back to the way things used to be, and city centers aren’t likely to be filled with workers any time soon. On the contrary, prices for cottages and second homes have never been so high, and many employees have realized that they can work remotely, leave the hassle of the city behind and enjoy the advantages of a country residence in terms of both cost and quality of life.

Remote working only

Some employees are asking for it, but it’s not unanimous. Some organizations will choose this option, but it implies :

• A job that allows telecommuting, such as telephone customer service or remote support
• A majority of employees accept teleworking
• Replacing reluctant employees with volunteers
• Hiring remote employees to recruit those comfortable with the concept of working from home
• Choosing the best tools for cooperative remote working

Mixed system of office work and telecommuting

This is the short-term system most generally chosen to emerge from the pandemic, but there are doubts about its long-term viability. Let’s take a look at some of the pandemic scenarios that will be tested before being generalized:

• Two groups are set up, with each group rotating through the office 4 days a week, the fifth day being used to disinfect the premises during the pandemic; several companies in downtown Montreal organize this.
• The creation of three groups for greater distancing in the office, generally adopted by the most reluctant administrations, such as certain universities.
• We create two groups based on their remote work performance, bringing back those whose results are declining and leaving those who perform just as well remotely. The problem is that the first group perceives returning to the office as a punishment, but I know of some companies that are already adopting it, simply because their survival comes first.
• Creation of two groups according to whether they want to stay at home and work or come back to the office, which favors employees, but not performance.

These mixed systems are interesting, but probably short-lived, as they are too binary. There are other, more flexible solutions.

Flexible office systems combined with teleworking

I think the future lies in flexible systems, and one of my friends, the president of a high-tech company, is thinking of the following combinations:

• Keep a core of key workers in the office, let the others telecommute, and have them return on a regular basis to maintain a link while organizing monthly meetings with all employees to maintain team spirit.
• Eliminate the head office and replace it with several small, decentralized workplaces, enabling employees to meet up with their colleagues while reducing travel time, all combined with telecommuting.
• Replace fixed offices with several shared workspaces or coworking spaces with several flexible offices that can even be moved around as needed, all combined with remote working.
• Continue to organize company meetings with all employees to ensure cohesion within the organization: work meetings, team activities.

In short, it would be a combination of telecommuting and physical presence, but thanks to decentralized, flexible offices that would cut company costs and allow employees to be physically present at the workplace, while reducing commuting times.

In conclusion

We’re currently imagining and implementing a number of different remote working formulas, and only experience will tell us which ones work best. In any case, one thing is certain: nothing will ever be the same again. It’s likely that we’ll have two office spaces, one at home, the other at the company, and this office will be rotating, decentralized and able to move according to the needs and evolution of the organization.

Jean-Pierre Mercier