Have you gone back into the office since the Coronavirus lockdown took hold? According to the Office of National Statistics, nearly two-thirds of the British workforce has returned to work and are busy commuting to and from work nearly every day, but that doesn’t mean things have gone back to ‘normal’ by any score.
A Change Across The Board
For the last few years, there has been a quiet revolution in the workplace. More and more employees are requesting flexible working, flexible hours, as well as remote working or working from home.
While many employers weren’t too keen to give employees the chance to regularly work from home, fast forward a few months and working from home is nearly the norm, and what more people really enjoy it.
An Office Change
What used to be something that only the ‘big bosses’ could do, remote working is changing the way we use offices forever.
Since the pandemic changed the view of working remotely, many companies are finding that they don’t actually need to have their entire workforce in the office all day every day, and employees are finding the freedom of being able to work from home is giving them back the hours they would have lost by commuting.
The change in attitudes to remote working has been incredible, so much so that many companies are looking to downsize. Instead of having huge bespoke offices that cost millions, businesses like Workplace Company are stepping up with a number of large single floor offices in London and other areas, perfect for a workforce of hot deskers.
The Co-Working Revolution
Not everyone loves the idea of working from home, and not everyone’s home set-up is suitable for 100% home working either.
Even before the pandemic, there was a rise in co-working. Remote workers were getting their own office spaces that they could use occasionally. This practice was great for networking, especially for freelancers and small business owners, and has seen a bit of a dip since the pandemic took hold.
As the world begins to open up again, co-working could become the working style of the future, with individual employees or freelancers takin the initiative for their own desk.
Workplace Coaching
A bit change we’ve seen over the pandemic has been the bigger focus on mental health in the workplace, and with that change, coaching in the workplace.
Workplace coaching is not a new thing, but since the pandemic, more and more companies are investing in the services of business coaches (even virtually) to boost workplace morale and get the most out of employees.
Specialist business coaches help people across the breadth of the industry, from the career starters right up to CEOs and leaders, helping to foster a more inclusive and happier workforce that feels supported and invested in.
Coaching has become a science as well as an art, and many professors, such as Professor Erik de Haan, have written books about the positive effects that coaching has on workplace culture.
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