Ever since the lockdown restrictions came into effect back in July earlier this year, working from home has become the new normal for many businesses and their employees. Although, as the latest case numbers of Coronavirus in Victoria have dropped drastically, the possibility of planning to return to work seems to be very close on the horizon.
However, it is very likely that the traditional workplace will not be the same. There will be many changes such as a limited amount of people allowed in one elevator, mandatory face masks and seating restrictions in break rooms. It’s also looking very likely that businesses will have to transition to a blended work environment which will involve a mixture of working on-site and working from virtual offices, such as a virtual office space South Melbourne.
What came as a surprise to some businesses was how well they were able to maintain productivity while their staff worked from home. Even large organisations such as BOM (the Bank of Montreal) are considering having around 80% of their employees switching to a blended work environment.
Apart from benefits such as having less staff using shared office equipment like desks, phones and keyboards, here is just a glimpse of what transiting to a blended office will look like when using a virtual office:
The need for less travel
As the COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne may be easing, many facets of conducting business have already changed including reducing the need for travel. For example, many companies now facilitate most of their employee interviews, office tours, client meetings and even site inspections virtually. Many corporate events and conferences are now held online.
Not only does this reduce the time and expenses spent travelling, but it also provides a greater level of accessibility than ever before.
More online staff training and meetings
Just like many work conferences, staff meetings and training will continue to take place online. However, companies will have to work out whether it is better to have scheduled discussions and brainstorming sessions to include the entire staff and teams or asynchronous sessions.
The importance of maintaining temporal boundaries
As employees could be continuing to work from home during certain days of the week, it is crucial to maintain temporal boundaries for work engagement and staff well-being. This is because as more businesses and services open back up, many employees may have to juggle challenges such as elder-care or childcare responsibilities during their regular remote work hours.
Businesses will need to allow their employees to find a work-time schedule that best suits them, as working the traditional ‘9-to-5’ business hours may not be realistic depending on their situation. However, they will also need to be respectful and conscious of other staff members that will be working different hours to them. Developing a remote work policy will help a business to navigate through this such as outlining each team member’s responsibilities.
The reality of transitioning to a blended workforce is most likely on the horizon for many businesses in Victoria large and small. If you are searching for a virtual office space in South Melbourne, Collins Street, Bourke Street, La Trobe Street, Torquay or Footscray, browse through our website to view our range of virtual office plans today.
Alternatively, you can call us on 1800 967 566 to discuss how workspace365 can assist your specific needs.