By Santosh Mahalingam,
Pandemic restrictions transformed the conventional work culture. Organisations gave in to remote work with no other options in sight. But as they say, necessity is the mother of invention, in this case innovative solutions.
As businesses pick up from where they left off, people are gradually getting back to work with safety restrictions & protocols in place. While some welcome the move, others opt for flexibility to work from anywhere preferring hybrid work models. Companies across the globe are still exploring the benefits of various flexible work models that could satiate the expectations of the employees while fulfilling organisational goals and targets. This surely, is the turning point since we still are at a stage when the threat of the pandemic is still looming over, but the potency has subsided to a large extent. Therefore, it is expected of responsible organisations to maintain flexibility in how they reshape the future of work.
One of the key takeaways from the pandemic with reference to work culture and employee behaviour has been that people are willing to quit their jobs if they are not given the choice to work according to their preference or the work life balance is not met favourably. This exodus suggests that companies that are willing to offer remote, hybrid, satellite or other work modules have a competitive edge in retaining and attracting talent.
Another major question is how to integrate the “culture” of the organisation with employees, which is becoming a challenge with WFH (work from home).
Hybrid working, satellite offices, co-working models, ‘plug and play’ workspace solutions are here to stay. In India, thanks to the expansive working population, setting up businesses in Tier 2 & 3 towns easily generates more business thanks to availability of abundant & qualified talent, at a lower cost. Workspace and workforce solution providers have stepped in to help these businesses explore new inroads into towns which have huge potential to become next specialized business hubs.
Workspace solution specialists now offer more than just commercial space support, they provide the complete set of customised services for businesses to suit their needs. ‘Built-to-suit’ workspaces are now picking up the pace. Especially in Tier 2 & 3 towns, functionality takes precedence over form and a major requirement is hiring professionals and training them if the role demands so. Mikro Grafeio is offering such on-demand solutions to various companies operating or setting up business in Tier 2 & 3 towns.
As we adapt to these evolving work models, it is important for companies to keep in mind the change in employee preferences, management styles and integration of corporate culture to support new working models. Being flexible is important, and future of work will be shaped by Hybrid work models, supported by distributed workspaces.
(The author is CEO- Mikro Grafeio. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
