With the outbreak of a global pandemic, now more than ever, companies are transitioning to teleworking. And advances in technology have made it possible.
The undeniable reality though is that our younger generation and the generations to follow will continue to progress toward a more remote, offsite, telework world. Those of us who have been in the workforce for decades have had to evolve and adapt to these inevitable advances in the ways in which we perform our jobs. Blending the old ways and new ways of doing business have been slowly and organically moving towards this new work dynamic for quite some time.
Three things we’ve learned:
- We are certainly appreciating our I.T. colleagues more than ever before now. As the world looks for a new way forward through this challenging time, brands need to remain relevant and show their human side. A compassionate approach will result in long-term consumer loyalty. Consider what your brand can do that has a genuine positive impact on communities that are truly struggling and focus on your products and services that can provide real value in a world that’s more “virtual”.
- There are many more opportunities to distract ourselves. How to sustain ones’ focus and productivity in an unsupervised environment can present its challenges. We must maintain our routines in order to perform our best under these circumstances.
- Work ethic is key. In this regard, there often exists a very different perspective between generations. Many younger professionals are more comfortable working in a t-shirt sitting on their couch. This doesn’t mean they can’t be productive. There are admittedly circumstances in which this approach doesn’t negatively affect ones’ quality of work or production at all. Ultimately, it is a person’s work ethic that is the foundation for professional success.
There remains some old school tried and true habits regarding what was once referred to as “working from home” that are relevant to this day. If we combine some of these “old school ways” with the energy and technically advanced skills of many of our younger colleagues, our productivity as a workforce has no boundaries.