How quickly can the transition to a circumstance happen where almost all the employees of an organization were working from home, every day – what would have been your response to this question about a year ago?

Whether the question would have been probed a year ago or earlier, it is improbable to imagine having accomplished something like this quickly. Yet, this is exactly what happened this year because of an irrepressible occurrence.

It was an unconceivable push for transformation which was born out of inevitability that impelled the businesses into doing things that they earlier might have believed to be irrational. At its core, it was the significance of harmonizing the requirements of the business, which is to keep functioning, keeping in mind the necessities of the employees and providing them with a safe environment to work. Other requirements that were earlier considered as important, like the presence of employees in the office, seemed to be less essential.

The employees have propelled into this archetype change by the stimulants like freedom from traveling long distances to work, opportunity to spend more time with their family, and liberty to utilize their time in more fruitful ways.

Employers that were able to meet the expectations of their employees thrived, whereas those that were not have flapped.

Cisco recently published an article where it reflected on the benefits of meeting the expectations of the employees. The study was spread across 12 countries where 10,000 office going employees were observed. It was observed that the transformational benefits of this abrupt shift in working culture can be channeled to drive creativity and innovation, in continuity.

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The key findings of the survey were:

• More than 54% of the employees said that they engaged in physical activities often when they were working from home.
• More than 61% wished their organizations would retain the quick decision-making processes that have been inculcated after the pandemic.
• About 64% of the employees said that the work from home culture has improved their mental health.
• Finally, 87% of them say that options like options to choose working hours, place of work, and flexibility enhances the productivity of a business.

Besides the statistics, the report also calls attention to a more significant point, where the employer needs to comprehend the different ways in which their employees or team requires to be supported. It is quite obvious that by allowing the teams to work remotely gave them an opportunity to take control over their lives, and the results were indeed wonderful.

Clearly, there are several examples where the employee experiences were otherwise, for instance, the bosses had mandated their employees keep a video call open throughout the time so they could be under their watch. And on the contrary, there are some excellent examples of businesses showing their eagerness to support their staff and invest in required training and equipment. They also ensured that they provided their employees with some online extra-curricular or social activities to keep their morale boosted.

Cisco President for the Middle East, Europe, Russia, and Africa, Wendy Mars, referring to the report, says that, it accentuates the existing significance of digital transformation, and the need for businesses to familiarize themselves with it promptly. The pace at which the businesses enacted to the situation, as they did not have any choice, ensuring that the employees remained engaged while the business functioned. They were able to execute this in an accelerated manner and the way this happened across the world was indeed remarkable, she added.

The view on work from home culture has changed immensely. People know that employees can be greatly productive while working from home and this will essentially change the nature of work in the future.

While speaking to people around us, who have been working from home, it is quite apparent that they been able to attain a much better work-life balance, than what they did earlier. Moreover, this study also reveals that the change in the style of work has enabled people to take care of their physical and mental health in a better way.

It appears that the responsibility now lies in the business organizations to recompense their employees for the promptness displayed while adapting to this sudden shift in work. They can do so by ensuring that they are continuously provided with a supportive environment to work.

It is evident that businesses want their employees to exhibit enterprise-class level capabilities irrespective of the fact that they would be working in a conventional style office or remotely from home.

Besides this, some challenges that the employers might face is that they would have to ensure their employees don’t just uphold their skillsets but also develop new abilities that would be valuable to them and their companies in the future.

The decentralization of workplaces would affect the company cultures radically. Without certain perks such as face-to-face working or after-work outings, out of the list, both employers and the employees need to be visionary about developing shared values and structuring team spirit.

Technology is expected to offer an abiding solution. With a 5G network, both Augmented Reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR) are now at its zenith. Call drops and stuttering video calls will soon become void as communication will become effortless. Businesses that will stay ahead with the technologies are going to be rewarded in the form of a more productive and happy workforce.