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Embracing the new normal of virtual working

 

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In these times, much has been said and discussed about the Covid-19 Pandemic and the multiple effects it has had on society and the functioning of its institutions. The impact has been formidable, with millions of people around the world losing their jobs and affecting the global economy in unprecedented ways. A reality that not even the most pessimistic economic minds would have imagined at the start of 2020.

We are facing a transformation of all the social behaviors – ranging from daily interaction with our neighbors and friends, the school learning of our children, to the way in which the world of work will operate in the coming years. The advent of telecommuting is one of those extraordinary changes that we will see from here on.

Remote work initiatives had been developing long before the pandemic, although in a timid way and limited to activities mostly related to sophisticated research and technology jobs. This allowed the hiring of professionals in different parts of the world who could communicate remotely. Generally, in other areas the policy was that once or twice a week some workers could work from home, as a way to motivate them to be productive and as a benefit to reduce commute time. It allowed workers to live in more affordable places and then attend a weekly meet or two at the office. The most seasoned companies caused some envy in the rest of the market with their remote work policies, encouraging lower moving or housing costs.

But they were the exception and the idea of ​​fixed attendance at the workplace at established and set hours continued to prevail. The main concern, of a Taylorist nature, continued after almost a hundred years, based on the effects of downtime and the negative effects on creativity that the lack of direct worker control entailed.

Despite the strong momentum seen towards telecommuting during the 1990s, flagship companies such as Best Buy Co., Reddit Inc. or Yahoo, among others, started trading their flexible work arrangements in favor of the creative effects that occur when people grouped by similar knowledge are close together. This motivated many companies, which had served as an example for remote work, to expand their offices again and establish green areas, parks and spaces for emancipation that could keep their employees in the workplace most of the time.

It would take the Covid-19 pandemic to establish teleworking at a massive level and overtake the considerations of Human Resources experts and the Taylorist bias. Globally, almost all companies announced that a significant part of their workers would start working remotely even anticipating that this will continue after the offices reopen. Let us look at latest global virtual working statistics.

 

 

It is not clear how much traditional work environments will weaken with this revolutionary change, but businesses that benefit through this change will see and experience savings by reducing the overheads that are required for running physical workspaces. This change has definitely opened many opportunity corridors for digital companies to help transform traditional business operate smoothly in the new normal as millions of people get used to better ordering their work spaces, organizations develop a culture of work by objectives and society itself develops recreational spaces to underpin the psychological change that involves moving from constant personal interaction to impersonal virtual routine.

A proactive telecommuting approach must be able to deliver the skills to fulfill productivity goals and objectives. Perhaps most importantly, it must also help younger workers develop skills through relationships with more experienced colleagues , that allows them to benefit from a much more intangible expert knowledge that is difficult to transmit through formal education.

The agility expected for organizations in this context is formidable but never before has it been more urgent.

Almost all companies have benefited from implementing remote work but there are disadvantages that can come with this as well. These challenges may impact the business in some ways. Below are some aspects that fall under this category. Let us look at the shortfalls of virtual learning.

It is not clear how much traditional work environments will weaken with this revolutionary change, but businesses that benefit through this change will see and experience savings by reducing the overheads that are required for running physical workspaces. This change has definitely opened many opportunity corridors for digital companies to help transform traditional business operate smoothly in the new normal as millions of people get used to better ordering their work spaces, organizations develop a culture of work by objectives and society itself develops recreational spaces to underpin the psychological change that involves moving from constant personal interaction to impersonal virtual routine.

A proactive telecommuting approach must be able to deliver the skills to fulfill productivity goals and objectives. Perhaps most importantly, it must also help younger workers develop skills through relationships with more experienced colleagues , that allows them to benefit from a much more intangible expert knowledge that is difficult to transmit through formal education.

The agility expected for organizations in this context is formidable but never before has it been more urgent.

Almost all companies have benefited from implementing remote work but there are disadvantages that can come with this as well. These challenges may impact the business in some ways. Below are some aspects that fall under this category. Let us look at the shortfalls of virtual learning.

 

 

To conclude: Regardless of the benefits and shortfalls of virtual working, consumers still have a stronger tilt towards digital sales and that is here to stay until a safe cure for the virus is found. Even for financial services and Insurance businesses to resume services, it needs to re-train and refresh the sales force and supporting functions to be able to execute sales and distribution through digital mediums. A tangible and approachable solution to this sudden requirement is Blended Learning. Executed with safety but with interaction it is a relevant, efficient, yet safe way to train and motivate staff. With businesses currently having restricted access to their teams and consumers, constant dynamic change in the distribution model is imperative and professional blended learning can give businesses the edge

We at iPi believe that businesses can evolve and grow during these challenging times, proving they have a great skilled sales force which is ready to grab the opportunities available.

We are industry experts in financial services and insurance training and development of sales professionals sector. Backed by Industry experts with over 4 decades of practical experience.

We will back with another insightful article soon. Until then please subscribe to our complementary iPi network service for regular insights from the world of financial services and insurance. Subscribe here.

Stay safe and keep learning.

 

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