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Employees need not commute to work, and some people have gone from jet-set to home-bound without having many adverse effects on their business. Since employees face many challenges during a pandemic and still fight to move ahead, organizational leaders need to consider which all cultural changes must be continued, which they must counteract.

Pandemic could bring a lasting, positive impression on the workplace culture:

Making the personal space more visible

During work from home days, dispersed teams use video conferencing platforms to enhance communication and collaboration. This routine provides a bird’ eye view into the personal lives of your colleagues, clients, and even your bosses. With every video meeting, we are into the private spaces of our colleagues in unprecedented ways.
At times, your colleague’s child or pet may find screen spaces; at these times, rather than detracting, these personal glimpses will help you to improve workplace interactions. These personal glimpses can help bring a sense of community that remote employees are desperately craving for and help coworkers reconnect with each other in new ways.
Apart from all these, such personal glimpses will help team leads see the employees as human beings and become more understanding and flexible. This can help them to be more tolerant of a missed deadline or an unconventional deadline.

More skilled workers

The sudden outburst of pandemic forced employees to cut off from the outside world suddenly. The inability to connect in person with their colleagues and the pressure to find new solutions have empowered the employees and improved the resilience and self-reliance of most workers.
Those employees who have been dropped in the middle have empowered themselves with a new set of skills. Individuals have moved at a fast pace and discovered new ways of problem-solving, innovation, and rapid innovation. Also, the communication skills have improved as employees could not have in-person communication. It makes a move for employees to brush up on their written communication to create a context that is understandable to their coworkers. Collaborative skills have also been enriched as widespread team members put extra effort into the smooth running of projects and ensure that everyone stays on the same page by letting team members know what they are doing and their project stage.

More flexibility

Since the workforce has moved remote for the past few years, remote employees have become more productive, happier, and less stressed. Organizations understand the importance of personal autonomy on employee satisfaction, and flexible work policies tend to enhance employee retention, productivity, and employee wellbeing.
Flexible working hours will become more widespread. Individuals who are more creative late at night or want to fit fitness and care responsibilities around their daily activities will profit from flexible working hours. Remote employees will appreciate this manner of working during these times.
When looking for a new job, one-third of employees prioritize benefits packages, with flexibility topping the list of desired benefits across industries ahead of greater pay, gym memberships, and discounts/subscriptions.

Harnessing technology

Work from home has pushed employees to master new technologies. Various communication, collaboration, and project management tools have become part and parcel of the workforce. Most of these technologies and platforms are either free of cost or require very low-cost options to scale individual or business needs.
Organizations have primarily switched to various communication and collaboration tools, thus helping employees to be more productive.
Millions of consumers will have realized the value of rising technologies in their own homes. Most outdoor activities, such as exercising in gyms, visiting theatres, museums, cinemas, and galleries, and traveling around the world, have been prohibited throughout the country-wide lockdowns.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) will have served as an escape and entertainment for the masses. Companies may use advanced technologies to stay ahead of the competition by leveraging them for staff communication and productivity and incorporating them into products and services in new creative ways.

Better collaboration

Though it may seem ironic, social distancing and remote working can bring back people together again. Employees working from home in silos have better understood the importance of teamwork and are more inclined to collaborate proactively and increase efficiencies. This adoption will foster a more humane attitude towards coworkers, and employees tend to be more helpful to their colleagues during emergencies.

The Takeaway

At every crucial situation, we must pick ourselves and explore new ways to trudge on. The business world would require innovative approaches to offer solutions that will meet the client’s requirements. The epidemic has had a significant impact on corporate culture. But it has made organizations more agile, and respect, innovation, and customer-centricity are becoming increasingly essential aspects of workplace culture.