How Will COVID-19 Impact the Workplace?

It’s almost impossible to get through a day without COVID-19, the new illness that can affect your lungs and airways, being mentioned.

The full-scale impact it will have on the UK is the source of much debate, but you can’t ignore the impact it is having on global markets.

In the immediate term, business leaders and managers are being confronted with some tough decisions around business continuity and changes to the norm. Some organisations are temporarily closing their offices as a precautionary or reactive measure – but the long-term effect this will have on traditional work practices could be profound. Will this be the catalyst that redefines the workplace of the future? Will agile and flexible work practices be given a renewed focus?

We are living in a time of inevitable disruption and uncertainty, but businesses taking steps to minimise risks will be presented with a unique opportunity to understand the benefits of agile working. Agile work practices can drive a myriad of performance results. They can reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, reduce property costs and reduce an organisation’s carbon footprint. Having experienced these benefits – will the workplace then return to its pre-pandemic state? Or will it continue to evolve around our new-found knowledge?

In this period, organisations need to establish data collection in the workplace to capture critical insights around individual and team-based performance, productivity and efficiency. Doing so will enable businesses to measure the impact agile working has on collaboration, creativity, innovation and teamwork. There is enormous value in this knowledge capture. If planned effectively, the data collected will help organisations make transformative decisions about their workplace strategy and operating model.

We’d like to hear how recent developments are impacting you or your business, and any changes you may be implementing as a result. If you’d like to contribute, please send your story to info@oktra.co.uk.