Proximity and Accessibility During the Phase of Remote Working
It has been a few months now since an invisible virus disrupted the daily activities of the world. When Covid19 put the world at standstill, not many were prepared to deal with the challenges that were thrown at workplaces. Keeping the health and safety of the employees at the forefront, every organization opted for work from home for business continuity. It was undoubtedly remarkable how each employee adapted to a new way of working by displaying optimum efficiency and productivity. While many studies time and again have proven that work from home increases employee productivity, it has also been made aware that a long-term work from home regimen poses multiple challenges with regards to lack of proper infrastructure or dedicated office space and IT support. What started as a welcomed convenience during a time of great uncertainty, rapidly advanced in to a state of apprehension as people struggled to cope with unreliable internet connectivity, absence of ergonomic furniture and amenities coupled with home confinement.
At one point where employees are facing some challenges when working from home, they are apprehensive to return to their workplaces due to safety concerns. The solution? Work near home. Work near home will enable an ecosystem of different locations and experiences to support convenience, safety, functionality, and well-being. Employees can continue to achieve a work-life balance due to time saved on commuting. Time saved on the commute can turn into more fruitful hours, and more quality time with family or friends, a win-win situation for both employers and employees. Employees working from a nearby business centre or coworking space can collaborate and bond with other employees present, which is not possible when working from home. This can aid personal and professional development which can create strong bonds amongst teams. According to the latest Cushman & Wakefield report, 73% of employees feel that companies should embrace flexible working policies. Coworking spaces, since their inception, have been the ultimate choice for flexible working. Additionally, most employees cannot continue work from home for a long time as most of them have functions that require a high level of centralized supervision which are only available in a formal office setting which can be facilitated by coworking spaces. Coworking spaces have readied themselves to offer office arrangements within the neighborhood of employees, so that office workflows can be maximized with least risk to the employee's health. Apart from now offering multiple shifts in most locations to offer flexibility, coworking spaces provide an office-like environment with uninterrupted network connectivity, concierge services, multi-cuisine cafeteria, meeting rooms, etc.
As we steadily adapt to the ever-evolving new normal, shared workspaces have incorporated stringent safety measures to provide for a safe and smooth ‘work near home’ program. Coworking spaces are ensuring member companies to work out ways to keep up social distancing in office spaces. These include running multiple shifts, working on alternate days, and rearrangement of workspaces, including meeting rooms, to ensure only limited number of employees are present at any time, as per govt. guidelines. Additionally, the emphasis is being laid on touchless technology to reduce touchpoints like bar code scanning for tea/coffee dispensing and payment, etc.
Today, as businesses and organizations prepare to find new ways to safely create connections and enable business continuity, coworking spaces are working with companies and employees around the globe to reimagine what the future of work will look like in a post-COVID world.
