The post-Covid workplace could be full of challenges

Government's decision to extend the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus til l3 May has resulted in many employees adopting the work from home(WFH) routine.

Although work from home may become the new normal in the coming days till the covid-19 pandemic is brought under control.

About two-thirds of the 4.3 million ITBPO workforce across the country have moved to a work-from-home model to keep services continuous during the lockdown.

PM Narendra Modi shared his views on emerging scenarios in the worklife post covid-19 pandemic and also urged industry to take the lead in embracing new business models and work culture that are resilient to future crises and are efficient, as well as inclusive.

Returning businesses to operational health after a severe shutdown is extremely challenging. Most industries will need to reactivate their entire supply chain, even as the differential scale and timing of the impact of coronavirus mean that global supply chains face disruption in multiple geographies.

According to Ms.Yogita Tulsiani, M.D & Co-founder at iXceed Solution"It would be a trivial challenge as we have to prepare the new team structures that work remotely: smaller, a cross-functional network of teams vs rigid top-down organization. We need to focus on multi-channel team communication, clear milestones or decision points, transparency."

"There would be leveraging technology teams that escalate remote work capability: online articles, collaboration tools, training on appropriate channels. Tighter routines would be there for productivity: commit to norms, have team launches, clarify post-critical meetings, set aside personal time & routine,she added.

There would be an increased role of the leadership in providing direction, energizing teams & connecting the dots. Periodic meetings will be the new thing to synchronize work & remove blockers. There would be a sudden requirement for the following things like Tailored communication tools catering to different scenarios, Result-oriented performance management on all levels – individual, team enabled by digital dashboard", she further said.

The weakest point in the chain will determine the success or otherwise of a return to rehiring, training, and attaining previous levels of workforce productivity.

Here are some ways to how the workforce will be executed after the lockdown:

• Institutions that reinvent themselves to make the most of the better insight and foresight, as preferences evolve, will succeed.
• Contactless commerce could be bolstered in ways that reshape consumer behavior forever. The end of supply-chain globalization, if production and sourcing move closer to the end-user.
• Governments are likely to feel emboldened and supported by their citizens to take a more active role in shaping economic activity.
• Educational institutions will need to consider modernizing to integrate classroom and distance learning.
• The aftermath of the pandemic will also provide an opportunity to learn from a plethora of social innovations and experiments, ranging from working from home to large-scale surveillance.
• Near-term issues of cash management for liquidity and solvency is clearly paramount.