The motivation behind going back to the office is growing
Some types of work cannot be done at home: healthcare, food and medicine manufacturing and distribution, car repairs, etc. During the pandemic, basic workers who perform these functions cannot wear sweat pants and sit on the sofa to work.They continue go with Go to work during the epidemic. Many people do not have the luxury of working in an office: they work in warehouses, hospitals, factories, or shops; many drive trucks, cars, vans, and bicycles. Some of us have different experiences. Those of us who teach have learned to teach through Zoom and are grateful for the technology that allows us to continue working. But as an educator, I have no illusions about distance learning: it is effective and usually necessary, but it is not better. Teaching is essentially just a form of human communication, and it is better in three aspects. Today’s online experience lacks eye contact, body language, and various non-verbal cues. We can conduct various forms of learning online, but some teaching requires face-to-face participation.
Last summer, I started to return to work because I learned what we call the hy-flex teaching model. Under hy-flex, we teach in the classroom. Some of my students are in the classroom with me, wearing masks, and keeping a distance from society. Some people use Zoom at home. Because I live within walking distance of the Columbia University campus, my commute is not an obstacle for me, but for others. But I remember teaching in the classroom in September 2020. Even with a mask, I felt relieved. In September 2021, Columbia University will restore campus density. Almost all vaccinated faculty, staff and student groups are not wearing masks. I can’t wait.
Although many people have become accustomed to living without commuting and advocate greater flexibility to achieve more work from home, companies still eager for employees to return to the office.As Matt Egan observed CNN business:
“Compared with other industries, Wall Street is obviously eager to turn a new page in this extended era of virtual work. Executives, employees, and people who follow the industry pointed out a series of factors. The first is cultural issues. Zoom calls and Slack news It is not a substitute for face-to-face contact and training. Others worry about the inherent network security and risk management vulnerabilities of companies that make billions of dollars in transactions every day. In essence, the banking industry is a face-to-face business-on the fiercely competitive Wall Street , No one wants to lose a transaction because of a slow WIFI connection.”
When people communicate with each other in formal and informal environments, organizations that rely on creative processes such as design, advertising, software development, research, and communication will flourish. The problem with the virtual office is that casual two-minute interruptions in conversation are replaced by 30-minute formal meetings. It is a cumbersome and tiring substitute for real things. Face-to-face group meetings interrupted by tangents become meaningful discussions, which are harder to stimulate in cyberspace. Sharing a meal, a long-distance flight, or even a catastrophic customer briefing all provide opportunities for connection and communication to build understanding, friendship and loyalty.
However, there is resistance to returning to the office, such as Wall Street Journal A recent submission by Lauren Weber. The title of the article summarizes its main points: “Forget to go back to the office, people just quit their jobs.” According to Weber:
“For at least 20 years, more American workers have resigned, which shows the optimism of many professionals, and it also increases The struggle the company faces Strive to keep up with the pace of economic recovery… Several factors are driving the flow of work. Many people refuse to do business as usual, prefer the flexibility of working remotely, or do not want to stay in the office until the virus is wiped out.The others are Exhausted due to extra pandemic workload and stress, And some people are looking for higher salaries to make up for their spouse’s unemployment, or use the past year to reconsider their career paths and transitions. ”
For some employees, they find that they can work at home as well as in the office, so they ask the management why they are required to bear the time and expense of commuting? There is no doubt that the American workforce has adapted to the pandemic and maintained its productivity. I believe that a more flexible working model will emerge in this disaster.This is the trend that started before Coronavirus disease. Temporary work spaces such as gig economy, the Internet, and WeWork separate some jobs from traditional offices.
But work is more than just a set of tasks.When the people working for it value the value of the organization, a well-managed organization will evolve into an institution Yes, More than just it do. The brutal management of a generation, the divestiture of hedge fund assets, and the ruthless layoffs have made many organizations no longer the objects of loyalty and love of employees. But better-managed organizations understand the importance of morale and interpersonal relationships. People with high morale are more efficient than people with low morale. Spirit and team building require interpersonal communication. Although the nature of work is changing, we will not see the demise of the physical workplace.
In addition to workers who think they don’t need to return to the office, there are a large number of people who are afraid to return. Those who need to return to the office after Labor Day will work from home for more than one and a half years. Although the reduction in vaccinations and COVID cases has enabled them to engage in more activities than before, some people are still afraid of entering crowded spaces. More than a year of social distancing has made some of us wary of each other. These concerns are far from trivial, and employers must understand the psychological impact of the pandemic when seeking to resume normal operations.
Despite these concerns, the momentum for returning to the office still exists. It is driven by management and employees who are eager to leave the pandemic behind. It was this force that packed the Barclays Center during the Nets playoffs and began to draw crowds to Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. I saw it in the classroom when I was teaching this summer. Students may value the convenience of Zoom in some group meetings, but they are happy to get together between classes, especially after class. Human beings are social and tactile species. The epidemic has taken away our family, friends, and for those of us in the city, it has taken away crowded streets, theaters, stadiums, places of worship, and of course restaurants and bars.
Another source of motivation is that for ambitious and upwardly mobile professionals, they know they need to be seen by senior management and appear in the room when making decisions. If the boss abandons the virtual workplace, they will need to climb on the train and then commute back to work. For those who are ambitious but may be afraid of losing their position, the fear of being left behind will prompt them to return to the office.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a disaster for the earth, the country and my hometown. The government’s failure to protect us from this highly contagious but controllable virus has caused unspeakable suffering, trauma and death. Humans have the ability to learn from disasters, and I hope this will lead to an understanding of the need for the capacity of public health institutions. I believe it has taught us a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of organizational management and locality. There is a lot of motivation behind returning to the office, but that office will never be the same.
