The immediate need to work from home caused by the pandemic in March 2020 changed the way we all worked as a nation.
For some working from home was a challenge, many had never done it before and been used to the daily commute and the 9-5 routine.
Others had done it before, but on a very adhoc basis.
The challenges were also compounded by the fact that many had children at home.
What were the challenges for your team and how did you adjust?
It forced us to come up with new and inventive ways of working.
Some people worked very early in the morning, then dealt with the children and went back to working in the evening.
I know of people who worked in the mornings while their wife or husband had the children and then they swapped.
For many this flexibility was the only way they could get their work done – but the key here is – they DID get their work done…
So, now things are returning to something closer to normal, does it really matter when and where your team get their work done?
The time and the location are irrelevant as long as the work IS done, the targets are hit, the deadlines are met, and the results of your firm are achieved.
It’s the performance of your team and the results they achieve that matters to the survival of your firm and its future growth. Does it matter if this is done in the office or at the kitchen table?
If you asked your team how they felt about the way working patterns have shifted, what would they say?
Some might say they are more productive, efficient and get more work done at home.
Some might say they like the flexibility working from home affords them.
But this goes directly against the 9-5 office working regime we have been so used to.
But change is good right?
Click here to read the results of a recent McKinsey research study which suggests that employees feel liberated by the new ways they are working and how this can work for your firm too, when you focus on the results.