Companies may finally be giving into the concept of hybrid and remote working policies.
Two years into the volatile pandemic, organizations large and small are realizing that allowing employees to work from home isn’t just a safety precaution — it is the future of work.
The idea of a decentralized workforce has long been predicted by experts, and now is the time for businesses to act on these arrangements as pressure to build long-term business plans grows.
In Ireland, for instance, nearly all restrictions have been lifted as of January 24. For countries that are recovering from the latest Covid-19 surge, this will be the ultimate test that defines the future of work.
However, we have been here before. In September of 2021, companies were confident that employees could return to the office as case number decreased tremendously and vaccines became widely distributed.
Still, due to new variants, cases of Covid-19 soon grew and organizations backtracked on their return-to-office strategies.
In 2022, companies will need to make final decisions if they want to continue being vague in their work arrangements, or learn to adapt to the ongoing health crisis.
“Businesses have the opportunity to make a lot of their own decisions about this and it’s important to design a reopening that works for the business and workforce,” said Mary Connaughton, director of HR body CIPD Ireland.
Although countries like Ireland have introduced laws that would give workers the right to request remote working arrangements, the lack of solid legislation leaves future work arrangements in the hands of employers.
But the tides have turned, and workers are no longer settling for policies that do not meet their needs. Therefore, if companies want to retain their current employees and attract new talent, listening and adapting to the demands of professionals will be critical for sustainability.
