How a Transformed Workplace Drives Productivity and Supports CSR Initiatives
Learn why companies shouldn’t go back to pre-pandemic working models.
Companies should not be so quick to go back to the way we worked pre-pandemic. There are many benefits to be had for organizations that fully embrace new hybrid and remote work models. Here, Scott Francis, technology evangelist, PFU America, Inc., explains the advantages in detail.
Organizations are now in full pandemic-recovery mode. Many employers are making every effort to return to the “before times,” including enticing teams to return to the office on either a full-time or part-time basis. Unsurprisingly, teams who have been working from home for the past couple of years are putting up some resistance.
Initially, the remote work trend might have been considered a brief “blip” on the radar and a necessity brought on at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as companies took steps to protect the health of both employees and customers. However, after nearly three years, this “blip” has evolved into a real driver of workplace transformation. The number of people working from home is not quite what it was in 2020, but it has stabilized at unforeseen levels. Nearly one-third of work was done remotely in the U.S. in 2021 and 2022. Gallup reported that 29% of remote-capable employees are now working at home (down from 39% in February 2022), while those working hybrid schedules rose comparably.
What was an esoteric discussion about the “Future of Work” a decade ago has turned into a workforce revolution. The Pandora’s Box opened by the pandemic has shaped how we think about work and how we perform work, and it will no doubt change workplace policies moving forward. And these work trends are not only occurring at Fortune 500 companies and tech giants; smaller organizations, too, are taking advantage of skilled labor across the country to expand their businesses and leveraging remote/hybrid work trends as a competitive advantage.
Corporate social responsibility initiatives should include both hybrid and remote work policies. Why? Because both models reduce a company’s carbon footprint and overall negative impact on society by decreasing fuel consumption, air pollution, traffic, and damage to our roads. While the environmental impact can be hard to quantify, a study by researchers at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability found that remote work resulted in a 13% reduction in work-related energy consumption and a 14% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.
See More: Securing Remote Work Tools Without Impacting Business Productivity
Sustainability and Corporate Culture
Businesses that embrace new work models will also experience a higher level of worker productivity and output through the elimination of long commutes, allowing employees to start work earlier and be more productive. What is good for morale is good for business! Building a sustainable corporate culture takes thought, time, and diligence. Every company policy, purchase, and decision must be looked at through green-colored lenses and embraced from the top down, including the board and C-suite, to the newest employees and interns.
Making a commitment to reducing the corporate carbon footprint can be a company’s secret weapon when it comes to recruiting as well. As the job market tightens and skilled talent becomes harder to find, companies can use more flexible work models and sustainability-minded corporate culture as recruiting “perks.” In fact, a company’s sustainability values are directly connected to recruiting Gen Z talent. Companies should take this to heart because they will no doubt lose good talent to their competitors if they do not prove a real commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and creating more “green” workspaces and workplace policies.
The Right IT Can Make the New Workplace…. Work
Digital transformation has made a move from the office to remote work easier, and these initiatives will continue to accelerate into 2023 because of inherent qualities, including better data sharing and fewer data siloes. One major component in digital transformation is the complete digitization of paper documents. Not only does digitization provide wider access to documents and files, but it also allows companies to audit their paper consumption, as well as processes and policies. Using less paper means fewer file cabinets and a reduction of an organization’s carbon footprint; it is that simple.
Platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Zoom, and AirTable, among many others, have become the glue that helps teams across geographic boundaries to work better and smarter. In fact, workers have picked up on this, with a 2022 survey by Alfresco reporting that 83% of workers currently use technology to collaborate and 70% of respondents confirming digital technology has increased collaboration with their colleagues. This data points to accelerated growth for companies in the cloud-based team collaboration business, leading to further investment and technological innovation in the years ahead.
Given the rapid acceleration of climate change and the devastating impact it is having on communities worldwide, companies have a responsibility to make a commitment to reducing their carbon emissions in the years ahead. By incorporating permanent remote/hybrid work policies into corporate social responsibility policies, businesses can make a positive impact on the planet by reducing cars on our roads, resulting in reduced carbon emissions and less office-related energy consumption.
What benefits have you seen due to the remote and hybrid work models? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.