The drastic upheaval of the COVID lockdown has encouraged us to rethink not only where we work, but when and why we work. It caused the declaration that we could not go back to the old ways of working. This new order seemed to fade when my boss ordered staff to be returned to the office. However, change has led us to our way of communicating and managing, to our attitudes towards work and health. FT writers and contributors will assess the differences five years from now and where the opportunities they missed are.
How to do a meeting
Pilita Clark, FT Business Columnist
The idea that by the end of 2019, something as predictable and ubiquitous as a fully face-to-face meeting would have sounded indifferent. Still, that was the case.
After returning to the office, I predicted that the virtual meeting would disappear to the level where I had passed away. The 10.32 remote or hybrid meeting averaged by workers in 2022 was slightly soaked in 10.1, a slightly soaked in 2023, the survey showed last year. Even when everyone is in the same office, people meet online. Invitation meetings generally include virtual links, making recording and transcription even more suitable. Most surprising, people now go to virtual meetings without hearing the words “You’re in the mute.”
I missed the opportunity
Finding empty meeting rooms before Covid was tough enough, but the rise of hybrid work and the rise of online meetings has always threatened to make it worse. Many businesses were stabbed by the increased space and installed office “pods” and padded booths like Tardis, but their efforts have waned. The result: Offices all over the world are buzzing, with sad complaints that they can’t find free rooms.
Zoom Wave
Emma Jacobs, FT Function Writer
In the desolate days of social distancing, some predicted the end of the handshake when the elbow bump was the closest contact allowed outside our bubbles. “I don’t think we should shake hands again,” said Anthony Fauci, the 2020 US chief medical officer.
I’m glad that we ignored this. A handshake performs the necessary function – it’s more formal approval than a kiss, but warmer than a nod. Of course, like Donald Trump, it can become a power play too easily. Be firm, with one hand, and with anxiety.
What the pandemic has given us was a new ritual: Zoom Wave. Where the future of financial markets and massive redundancy lies, someone will definitely raise their hands at the end, to let the toddler know that it’s time for bed.
I missed the opportunity
I was hoping that the pandemic would mark the death of a business kiss – or even worse, a hug. What are the rules? One or two kisses in the cheek or in the air. It tends to be awkward. Let’s agree to shake it up.
Hybrid work
Nick Bloom, Stanford University economist
Covid has moved from home to a common perk from rare exceptions urged by illness, bad weather or transportation disruptions. This change will endure despite recent calls to return to the office, but will likely be the biggest silver lining of the pandemic. It benefits employees with fewer commutes, lower office costs, lower staff turnover, and society with fewer transport pollution and longer family hours. Currently, more than 80% of Fortune 500 companies that responded to a recent survey currently offer a hybrid schedule in their offices for three days and two days at home. The downside is that some workers experience a “always on” culture, blurring the line between work and personal time.
I missed the opportunity
Completely remote work is declining, and external technologies and jobs are now rare in areas such as call centres and data entry. The CEO wants to bring employees back to the office at least for a portion of the week. A dream of living completely far away in the country, ski resorts or next to a beach is over.
disease
Sarah O’Connor, FT Employment Columnist
Lemsips under your desk. When my boss passes by, I play with him. It’s hard to remember now, but working while you’re moderately ill was commonplace before the pandemic. In the UK where I live, the number of days lost in the absence of illness per worker fell from over seven per year in the mid-1990s to just over four years of age by 2019. I recently made this mistake, but one colleague was a few inches away from me on the lift and another colleague was just to make me shine, “If you cough, you’re away.”
I missed the opportunity
I lament the end of the lockdown’s complete online meeting. There was something democratizing about how everyone had to raise their (emoji) hands and wait for their turn to wait. In the real world of dynamic and lively meetings, people like me struggle to get the same story when people don’t want to interrupt people and talk about them.
Side hustle
Anjli Raval, FT Management Editor
Hybrid Working has opened the door for more people who accept additional freelance jobs, part-time gigs, and more people who embrace the huffs of the side that they have officially or informally hugged. Some of this was spurred by the costs of living crisis and economic uncertainty. But it was also driven by people who questioned traditional career paths and wanted more flexibility. While some companies are strengthening their policies with external jobs, more people want to direct their terms and willing to give up the stability of a salary-based job with a single employer for greater freedom.
I missed the opportunity
During the pandemic, the concept of working asynchronously has taken hold, particularly as employers hired in their time zones. Staff worked independently on their own schedules without worrying about responding to emails immediately. This more autonomous culture is diminished as presentism and meetings return.
Office Dress
Robert Armstrong, FT US Financial Commentator
In 2018, I wrote, “There are almost always moments here where bathrobes become work clothes, about current trends.” I was joking. Comments appear to be foresightful after the pandemic. Like many other trends, Covid has served as an accelerator of the great casualization of all wardrobes, especially office wardrobes, which began over half a century ago. The elastic waistband and moderately clean trainers are considered to be part of smart office wear. Apart from certain strata of bankers and lawyers. At work, this tie is an anachronism with a twist similar to a fedora hat or waistcoat. A victory for the family economy, if there’s nothing else. Casual clothes are cheap.
Details of work life after Covid
I missed the opportunity
Working from home several days a week is a great product of the pandemic. Why not dress up and respect your company, your colleagues and your clients for the rest of the day? In a world of high pressure and difficult communication, a little form of dress is an easy way to tell a reassuring story to the world, and more importantly, a simple way to remind you that the work you are doing is important.
I trust the staff
Anne Franke, CEO of the chartered management laboratory.
Remote work forced leaders to trust their teams even more and focus on the outcome rather than tracking their time. This shift wasn’t just about logistics. When employees feel trustworthy, they take greater ownership of their work, work together more effectively, and innovate with confidence. They feel empowered, attractive and more productive. Some managers are currently moving in the opposite direction – increasingly monitoring attendance and output. However, many people hold a higher level of trust in their staff, making the workplace more human.
I missed the opportunity
We have lost the refreshing integrity of “Zoom Life.” The kids explode at the meeting, and the pets make unexpected appearances. For a while, we abandoned performance professionalism and embraced that life was happening. Now, we go back to the button-raised meeting. I miss the unfiltered reality of a dog that my colleague’s dog bares with consent!
happiness
Andrew Hill, Senior Business Writer
The pandemic has placed tension on the mental health of all employees. They had to work in isolation or work on the frontline operation of staff exposed to the virus. The response from the company was immediately urgent. With unprecedented attention to the well-being of team members, managers have provided programs and tools that include ubiquitous (always ineffective) apps to mitigate mental health risks. Despite the attention of some senior leaders being switched to other priorities, the understanding that staff mental health is important is packed, and pushbacks to programs that fall under the S of ESG have been muted by some and sometimes reversed their commitments.
I missed the opportunity
The pandemic should help remove the stigma that comes with mental health challenges in the workplace. However, last year, a global survey of 12,200 workers by the Mindforward Alliance found that 44% thought there was no change, while 15% thought there was more stigma than they are now. That perception prevents staff from seeking support. What do you do if a global crisis can’t change attitudes?
Monitoring
Hirke Shelman, journalist and author of “Algorithms.”
Many employers began digitally monitoring employees working from home because they feared that workers were lazy. I installed a productivity app that checks websites I have visited online and websites. The tool generates a “productivity score” and notifies the manager in real time.
Returning to the office does not mean that this software has been erased. Instead, it’s more refined. Surveillance companies boast that they can check whether employees use tools to avoid tracking software. AI checks text on platforms such as Slack to bring out employee emotions in real time. Additionally, comparing data with peers has led to an increase in scores for white-collar workers.
I missed the opportunity
Most employees dislike real-time tracking and complain about increased stress. There is a question of whether digital tracking provides meaningful results for productivity and work quality, or whether there is a problem with the time spent on computers.
Listen to workers
Alison Taylor, Professor NYU Stern and author of Higher Ground
2020 appeared to show calculations on racial justice, workers’ rights and voices, and office culture, flexibility and inclusion. The transformation of workers’ voices remains here. While companies are making more energetic efforts to control their employees’ social media use, smart leaders are working on the assumption that whatever they say or do is publicly exposed.
I missed the opportunity
There has been a critical shift from public DEI commitment among American businesses. This not only reflects political and regulatory changes, but also the reality that these efforts have not always improved culture and inclusion. The next stage should be more reliable and research-based.
