Narendra Modi's call for restraint on energy use, including working from home, places companies that have struggled with getting employees back into offices in a tricky situation. Employees working offsite during Covid rearranged their lives around the disruption and company bosses tended to accept the new normal, where possible.
Yet, there are serious corporate reservations about WFH over productivity and collaboration that can erode competitiveness. Having to consider a second spell of self-enforced remote work will, in some cases, undo years of management effort to rebuild stronger teams. But attitudes towards return to office are not uniform. A broad spectrum of businesses is comfortable with a hybrid work model that optimises for productivity and talent retention. This segment will find the energy-saving argument difficult to resist.
Also Read: ‘Every small effort matters’: PM Modi urges Indians to cut imports, save fuel and stand together amid West Asia crisis
Governments urging WFH as an option makes it compelling beyond what management gurus will eventually have to say about it. It is early days for a definitive view to emerge in management literature about effects of remote work. Particularly since these changes are occurring against the backdrop of much bigger work disruptions due to AI. Some of those will spill over to the location of work, and building muscle memory about WFH could be useful. Managers will have to find other means to improve efficiency, creativity and mentorship in a work environment that fundamentally changed in 2020. By 2030, the landscape may become unrecognisable.
Just as companies, employees need to make deeper adjustments to WFH. For many, remote work can hinder professional development a collaborative environment offers. The trade-offs diverge widely according to the nature of work, and a successful WFH programme requires strong supportive communication from managers. Remote work can promote business resilience by balancing employee welfare with productivity. If it catches on in economies vulnerable to energy shocks, a new form of competitiveness could emerge. After all, nobody gains from longer commutes.
Yet, there are serious corporate reservations about WFH over productivity and collaboration that can erode competitiveness. Having to consider a second spell of self-enforced remote work will, in some cases, undo years of management effort to rebuild stronger teams. But attitudes towards return to office are not uniform. A broad spectrum of businesses is comfortable with a hybrid work model that optimises for productivity and talent retention. This segment will find the energy-saving argument difficult to resist.
Also Read: ‘Every small effort matters’: PM Modi urges Indians to cut imports, save fuel and stand together amid West Asia crisis
Governments urging WFH as an option makes it compelling beyond what management gurus will eventually have to say about it. It is early days for a definitive view to emerge in management literature about effects of remote work. Particularly since these changes are occurring against the backdrop of much bigger work disruptions due to AI. Some of those will spill over to the location of work, and building muscle memory about WFH could be useful. Managers will have to find other means to improve efficiency, creativity and mentorship in a work environment that fundamentally changed in 2020. By 2030, the landscape may become unrecognisable.
Just as companies, employees need to make deeper adjustments to WFH. For many, remote work can hinder professional development a collaborative environment offers. The trade-offs diverge widely according to the nature of work, and a successful WFH programme requires strong supportive communication from managers. Remote work can promote business resilience by balancing employee welfare with productivity. If it catches on in economies vulnerable to energy shocks, a new form of competitiveness could emerge. After all, nobody gains from longer commutes.
