COVID-19 has caused major disruption to traditional workplaces worldwide. Homeworking coupled with increased use of 5G technology may hold the key to a completely alien future. This article investigates those claims as well as an exclusive interview with a Visa Country Manager who has been working from home from the beginning of the crisis.
The pandemic has caused an astronomical shift in workplace culture. In 2019, the Office for National Statistics, UK (“ONS”) reported that out of the 32.6 million people in employment in the UK, only 1.7 million people say they mainly work from home, with roughly 4 million people claiming they worked from home in the week prior to the survey. However, in April 2020 the ONS released statistics related to the first month of lockdown, which showed in the week of the survey 49.2% of people were working from home, an increase of approximately 44%.
In recent months, major corporations have announced they will have a long-term strategy for homeworking in the future. Japanese Tech firm Fujitsu have recently announced that they will be reducing their office space to half of its current capacity. They have a new initiative named “Work Life Shift” which aims to offer flexibility to its workers. The initiative aims to give its workers ultimate flexibility, with the possibility of working from home, a corporate hub or a satellite office. Fujitsu have realised increased productivity by allowing their workforce to be flexible and therefore have made a decision which has put them far ahead of their competitors. Another impressive statistic is that Fujitsu believe the Work Life Shift initiative will reduce their carbon footprint by 50% further emphasising how beneficial this move could be, not only to their workforce but the planet.
Another example of a world leading co-corporation moving to flexi working is Twitter. In May 2020 Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that if employees want to continue working from home, they will be able to do so. This was a surprising announcement which could encourage other large Silicon Valley firms to take the leap and revolutionise the sector. Industry experts cite Zoom, Hangouts and other video conferencing technology as enabling such a smooth transition, with some even attributing video conferencing to greater employee communication.
The move is not only occurring in the tech sphere, in Australia even Law firms who claimed that remote working wasn’t appropriate for their sector have started to shift perspective. Executive partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, Andrew Pike claims that many actually find working from home easier for the harder more intellectually stimulating tasks. However, there are drawbacks to working from home, not disconnecting is a problem which has been affecting the workforce for years. Late night emailing, to finishing that little bit extra when you get home. This will only be enhanced by home working as the lines between work and play become ever more blurred. Companies who do not encourage their employees to clock off and wind down may find that productivity may even decrease with time as their employees burn out.
A corporate leaders’ perspective on working from home
In an exclusive interview with Malak AlSaffar, Country Manager for Visa Bahrain, we discussed the lifestyle changes of working from home caused by the Pandemic and the future of work. AlSaffar has been working for Visa in the UAE for 6 years, working her way up the ranks. She has recently been appointed Country Manager for her home country, Bahrain. For AlSaffar her role as Country Manager started one week before the pandemic engulfed the region, thereby limiting her to work from home and conduct all meetings virtually. In line with Visa’s CEO Al Kelly’s announcement, Alsaffar and her colleagues will continue to have the option of continuing to work from home for the coming months until 2021 before returning to the office.
The drawbacks
Living in Dubai, AlSaffar has had mixed experiences with broadband coverage. She does not have 5G in her area, however, many colleagues she works with in Bahrain do. AlSaffar has had to rely on her fibre optic broadband to keep her connected, whilst utilising all the available tools that Visa has put in place to ensure seamless and consistent working experience. From her experience however, she has seen that those with 5G coverage do not face issues with speed problems or connection failures.
As a Country Manager, AlSaffar’s role involves large amounts of travel, which due to COVID-19 has been cancelled, therefore having strong internet connections allows her to maintain her relationships with her clients and colleagues virtually. Pre-COVID, her home had been her safe haven, a place to disconnect relax and release any stress of work; of course, this has all changed. The feeling of claustrophobia occasionally kicks in when long days of work are not kept just at the office but may start to encroach on personal space. This along with the lack of face to face contact, which can affect some interactions, has skewed her enthusiasm for the homeworking set up.
The benefits
AlSaffar claims her work life balance has gotten better, allowing her to accommodate different time zones, spend less time travelling – as normally she would be flying weekly – and allowing her to create some more personal relationships due to the more relaxed environment of home working. Visa has also ensured that all employees continue to focus on their wellness during this time, and support them with the necessary tools and systems to making it easier to work from home.
Furthermore, AlSaffar was optimistic that balance is the key. In her view, creating a more flexible environment for work with reduced long-distance travel will really improve employee productivity and enjoyment for the work they are achieving. One would also think that with 5G enabled laptops they would only improve connectivity, and enable working on the move to become more viable, rather than the current strategy of mobile phone hotspots or WIFI.
Is 5G key to making working from home a feasible long-term option?
This is the crux of the matter. Can 5G really revolutionise the traditional office space? Lower Latency, higher speeds and reliable connections is everything 5G promises and of course, this will only help those who are working from home, as well as those running small businesses away from the reach of fibre optics. This is essential to those wanting to take the next step and grow further than once thought. Both flexible working and 5G will play crucial roles in the future, especially in attracting the top workforce to your business. Investing in both will ensure you will be future proofing your company and continue to attract the top talent worldwide.
For those who are struggling with home working, here are some top tips that I have collated and found important myself over these difficult times.
For more advice please see the NHS website here.
Sources: ons.gov.uk, bbc.com, fujitsu.com, theguardian.com, forbes.com, nhs.uk. All accessed [16/07/2020]
Malak Alsaffar, Country Manager Bahrain at Visa, all thoughts and comments provided in this article are her personal views on not reflective of the organisation.