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Designing the Future of Work
Designing the Future of Work

September 8, 2021

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When we look back at time into the numerous calamities that the human race has experienced and like clay becomes brick after going into fire, human race has always come out the other side stronger, better & more resilient.

Two words that come to mind are “Grit & Perseverance”.

As the Pandemic turned from a rude shock to being a reality, not only people but organisations, governments, and the broader community started to go into a mode of Persistence and Perseverance…

For most companies, the first act was the welfare of their staff and ensuring that they had all the right support and care. Firms took steps like declaring a swift extended ‘Work from Home/Anywhere’ policy and in addition to that, colleagues were provided with the perquisites to do their work from the comfort of their home in with the required technology set-up.

The paradigm shift was seen with the whole industry moving from the traditional question of ‘why – work from home, its risky business’ to let’s get this done and trust our teams and work with our risk leaders to ensure we can enable the work from home.

What transpired with this transition was the pace at which Digital needed to be adopted as it became imperative and not a choice/luxury anymore. Human race was being pushed to change the way the world worked, which sparked new innovation and changes to the firms operating models.

For our industry, this kind of transition was driven enterprise-wide and all the hiring, onboarding and training of new joiners to set them up for success was carried out digitally, while the charm of meeting and greeting people was amiss, the teams doubled up their engagement with gamification of onboarding and trainings, bringing one’s creative and talented side to the meetings and giving the buddy system a new meaning.

Things weren’t all smooth sailing & there were challenges such as ensuring hardware reached the remote location of colleagues who had returned back to their home towns, challenges with internet connectivity & power outages. Step by step, we all overcame these hurdles and ensured minimal impact to work and the experience for staff working from home.

There has been a flipside to the whole work from home, while some have really welcomed and accepted this new-normal, there are some who have had challenges in adjusting to this shift. In addition to that the fact that between the different waves of Covid-19, the impact was felt up, close and personal and that brought about a need to ensure that organisations were able to show Care.

Care by introducing new leave policies to take care of self and family.

Care by creating a central support group, providing critical information and support 24/7.

Care by carrying out vaccination drives for employees and family members across sites.

Care by providing financial support to colleagues as needed.

Care by introducing mindfulness and mental health day off’s in the charters

Care by extending return to home till situation becomes congenial

 

Care needed to be coupled with engagement and it became essential to ensure that leads and managers were taking that extra step to engage with the colleagues and extend help and support to let them know that they weren’t alone in this fight. We encouraged open discussion on Mental Wellbeing topics and introduced paid Mental Health holidays to help employees reflect and recharge. Avenues opened up for a safe environment with specialists whom firms engaged as their Wellbeing Partners to provide the right consultation and support.

This focus on employee safety and wellness is now extending beyond work from home as we turn our attention to ‘Return to Office’. Most companies, are moving into a Hybrid Working model whereby the bulk of the staff will be returning to office 1-3 days a week.

This model includes a re-design of the office premises to ensure social distancing norms can be followed when at work. Additional safety measures across transport, cafeteria, onsite medical support and other avenues have been enhanced, as well.

As we design the future of work, a holistic approach towards well-being of our staff is key. Our leaders can take this opportunity to demonstrate authenticity and real care for the staff by continuing to provide support and being flexible to their needs and personal situations. Promoting access to webinars on mental health, encouraging physical wellness, taking time for breaks, and exploring creative avenues and outlets will help employees build resiliency.

As I conclude, I am reminded of the famous words by Sir Winston Churchill, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

We have reached a stage where there is a sense of confidence that the worst is behind us and looking ahead, while we hope for no further waves of Covid,  we are better prepared and equipped to live our lives and do our business in an optimal balance.

 

Author: Asad Mohammad, Vice President - Shared Services Operations


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