Little by little, employers are announcing their intentions in terms of post-Covid telework. Some have already announced very flexible policies, while others advocate returning to the office as soon as it is safe to do so. In the long term, what could be the impact of these policies on the culture of organizations?
Telework was imposed on organizations at the beginning of the pandemic. Now that workplace re-entry is possible in the short to medium term, organizations need to position themselves on opportunities to work outside the office.
Over the past year and a half, a host of surveys have indicated that a majority of workers would like to keep the opportunity to work from home or somewhere else outside the office. As with pay or vacation, an employer’s telework policy will become an important criterion in choosing an organization.
A major impact
For some, the more flexible their organization is in terms of teleworking opportunities, the better. For others, organizations that promote an office presence in a pleasant and stimulating environment will be privileged. In this context, one may wonder what the long-term impact of these policies will be on the culture of organizations.
For Philippe Zinser, trainer (especially on Isarta), coach and lecturer in human resources for Patrimoine RH, it is obvious that teleworking will transform the organizational culture. He sees a major impact on companies with a traditionally more paternalistic culture, which will have to consider reviewing their management practices.
Another certainty according to him is that companies that do not offer flexibility in terms of telework will lose employees.
A standard that is gradually becoming established
“Telework used to be a way to stand out among the companies I accompanied, says Philippe Zinser. Today, remote working is becoming a standard”.
For him, in the longer term, the companies that stand out in terms of telework will be those that start recruiting employees from other provinces or other countries.
In addition to the source of employees, could long-term telework policies influence the type of employees an organization will recruit? Could employees for whom friendship in the workplace is particularly important favour companies that prefer in-office work?
Conversely, will the more introverted seek out places where maximum telework is available? For Philippe Zinser, it is important to keep in mind that many people are looking for a clear break between their workplace and their place of living.
The same goes for Mathilde Quentin, who is also a consultant at Patrimoine RH. For her, even introverted people need to be around colleagues on certain occasions.
For the expert on the issue of happiness at work, it is first important that organizations make their premises pleasant and conducive to collaboration. They must also ensure that employees clearly see the added value of coming to work and that they come to work by choice, not by obligation.
At the same time, managers will need to learn how to evaluate the efforts of their employees based on the results achieved and not on time spent on the job. As a result, more than ever, the culture of organizations must be based on the principles of trust in employees.
