HR in the Post Pandemic World

 Figure 1 (Source: https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/hr-technology/hr-management-in-a-post-pandemic-world-how-processes-and-technology-will-evolve-29725)

No one could have predicted what happened in 2020 before that or what will happen for HR in a post-pandemic world. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated a process that had already begun several years ago which workforce to a digital model.

Upon this dramatic change, the HR team had to implement strategies to get employee's engagement using different kinds of mechanisms to host digital events for the workforce, the use of smart tools for performance analysis or the hosting of rewards programs on professional platforms as the Remote Work or Work From Home concept hit the market and HR has made important steps towards the ‘always-on’ mode that is the hallmark of business in the digital age.

The focus on the diversified workforce:

Since the world is moving away from the Pandemic still there is a scar left behind which the workforce is afraid of, there are certain things that HR needs to redesign.

First, every company needs to change its focus on talent diversity as they can help in maximize the value since they come from diverse backgrounds. Further, the company still can improve the existing employees by giving the training which even more effective as the existing employees already know the culture and history of the company.

Figure 2 (source: https://blog.cisive.com/the-future-of-human-resources-in-a-post-pandemic-world/)

Adoption to new policies and strategies:

Earlier, companies allowed the people in specific roles to work from home when required and sooner the pandemic has begun, HR team had to find a competitive strategy to let everyone work remotely.

“According to Citrix report, about 88 percent of workers say complete flexibility in hours and location will be an important consideration in future job searches”. (McLellan, 2021) As stated, companies should develop policies to WFH, e-meetings, roaster shifts for critical/frontline workers and workforce with training, technology, and a passion for reinvention and it is vital to choose the right channel or digital solution for the workforce as not all the solutions are user-friendly.

Further, hybrid workplace model is ideally inclusive, and cloud-based HR tools such as HRIS, MS Aure Archiving ERP Portals, etc helps to keep everyone in the loop wherever they are and also store critical information safely.

Analytics in HR

Having a right analytic tool in HR assist with measuring goals of employees such as improving soft skills literacy, designing more relevant rewards and developing smarter metrics to evaluate employee satisfaction. Predictive HR is another growing component, with the help of past historical data, forecasting process changes, new job requirements and even overall strategic moves of the organization especially in pandemic and post-pandemic situation.

The main purpose of analytics to uncover patterns, quantify results and metrics, and drive innovation. Through machine learning and pattern recognition, analytics can provide a vision about how employees across departments are actually feeling about their role and their workplace, as well as insights on job fit based on skills, personality traits and work history.

Further, using the past analytics, HR should review the performance management tools as the WFH and remote working become very famous and measuring the performance and productivity is crucial compared to physical attendance.

Moreover, previous overtime analytics can suggest alternative options to replace the requirement for the critical jobs with additional staffing or shift roaster for particular assignments or departmentalization to maximize the productivity and optimal inclusion of different skill sets.

Conclusion

As the business and its requirements in the global context grow faster and more expansively, companies large and small must invest in effective and productive ways to provide high-quality service with competitive strategies to attract the stake holders. The HR department can spearhead this investment in productivity through tools, processes and training that equips employees to do their best and stay connected wherever they are as the Pandemic had impacted the working patterns. “For the ambitious brand that seeks to go digital-first, therefore, going ‘HR-first’ will in many ways be a prerequisite” (Ponnappa, 2021)

 

References

McLellan, D., 2021. Talent Culture. [Online]
Available at: https://talentculture.com/hr-in-a-post-pandemic-world/
[Accessed August 2021].

Ponnappa, S., 2021. People Matters Global. [Online]
Available at: https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/hr-technology/hr-management-in-a-post-pandemic-world-how-processes-and-technology-will-evolve-29725
[Accessed August 2021].

Sackett, T., 2021. SHRM. [Online]
Available at: https://www.shrm.org/learningandcareer/learning/webcasts/pages/0321sackett.aspx
[Accessed August 2021].

Syed, N., 2021. Human Resource Director. [Online]
Available at: https://www.hcamag.com/asia/specialisation/change-management/three-critical-hr-issues-to-focus-on-for-the-post-pandemic-world/257594
[Accessed August 2021].

 

Green HRM for Better Organization

Figure 1 Green HRM (Source:https://eduarticle.medium.com/history-of-green-hrm-91bb18562ba)

The awareness of environmental management and sustainable development has been increasingly rising day by day all-round the globe. The environmental affairs, social well as economic well-being awareness enroutes to the Green HRM which stands for both the organization and the employees within a broader prospect.

Green Human Resources Management (GHRM) is a set of policies, practices, and systems that turn the employees' green behavior to create an environmentally sensitive, resource-efficient, and socially responsible organization throughout the HRM process of recruiting, hiring, training, compensating, developing, and advancing the firms human capital.

The “Magna Carta” on Human Environment was declared in the first United Nation’s (International) Conference on Human Environment held in June 1972 in Stockholm declared that to defend and improve the human environment for present and future generations have become an imperative goal for mankind. (HRMI, 2018)

The Green HRM literature is largely a western one and, given the importance of Asian economic development for environmental management, this is an important gap for future studies to reduce.

HRM Green concept can be implemented in below:

1.       Recruitment

GHRM starts from designing or approving the job descriptions (JD) for the newcomers. In which, HR should ensure to highlight tasks related to sustainability and show the company has social and ecological concerns. Finalizing a candidate, it is primary responsibility to shortlist an employee who has knowledge, skills, approaches, and behaviors that identify with environmental management systems and is familiar with the organization’s environmental culture then capable of maintaining its environmental values.

For example, German firms such as Siemens, BASF, Bayer and Mannesmann use environmental activities and a green image to attract high-quality staff. The Rover Group carmaker, in Britain, makes environmental responsibilities and qualifications part of every job profile. (HRMI, 2018)  

2.       Green initiatives for HR Operation

Green initiatives included in HRM platform is a part of corporate social responsibility in the long run and systems in practice that is consistent with their culture and business strategy. Online portals and cloud folders can be used to archive employees’ documentation such as offer letters, credentials, CVs, and other important letters and documents.

Mostly HR-related tasks are managed on papers and it can be turned to IT-oriented with electronic papers and e-approvals too. Today E-business and learning have changed the methods and procedures at offices converting them into paperless offices. Paperless office is a workplace where the use of paper is either restricted or eliminated by converting important official documents and other papers into automated workflows.

 3.       Leaving the Company

Companies should practice a strict compliance to the green strategies and policies, and depending on the the seriousness of the mistake and its impact, companies should take action for unfriendly behavior up to dismissal. If this happens, it is really important to make exit interviews to evaluate the perception of employees on the company’s ecological practices.

Figure 2 - Benefits of GHRM (Source:https://eduarticle.medium.com/history-of-green-hrm-91bb18562ba)

Below are the benefits of Green HRM and its prime objectives are cost-saving and improving corporate social responsibility practices:

ü  Helps with employee retention and reduces labor turnover

ü  Improves a company’s brand reputation in the market and can possibly increase sales

ü  Enhances the quality of the overall organization,

ü  Improves stakeholder’s engagement

ü  Reduces the overall costs of a company as it energy, water, and raw materials are used more efficiently;

ü  Helps manage risks more effectively;

Having a good green workforce and strategies in place helps organizations become more comfortable and prouder of the impact of their offices and other facilities. moreover, it helps companies innovate and come up with new procedures and products.

(You Matter, 2021)

References

Ahmad, S., 2014. Taylor & Francis Online. [Online]
Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311975.2015.1030817
[Accessed August 2021].

HRMI, 2018. HRMI - Green HRM. [Online]
Available at: https://hrmi.org/green-hrm/
[Accessed August 2018].

You Matter, 2021. You Matter World. [Online]
Available at: https://youmatter.world/en/definition/green-human-resources-management-meaning-definition/
[Accessed August 2021].

 

 

Employee Benefits in the Organizational Context

Figure 1 Employee Benefits (Source: https://www.aihr.com/blog/types-of-employee-benefits/)

Employee benefits are the additional back that workers get from an organization other than the salary. Worker advantage programs were presented within the mid of 20^th century, when exchange unions began to develop organizations begin to introduce advantage programs to decrease the effect of unionism (Vicky, 2015), companies needed to decrease the clashes and employee turnover, so they came up with diverse sorts of representative benefits. Not as it were that, companies presented numerous representative benefits to draw in the abilities and to increase the work fulfillment as well (Virgin Pulse Wellness Glossary, 2017).

If we look at some of the benefits that a worker is entitled to in the modern-day, we can say the following are the most common.

Pension & Social Security: Social security could be financing that's paid by the company and in some cases apart from employee’s salary moreover deducted and paid to the specific body which is able to gather and repay in full after retirement. And the pension is a workplace retirement plan which could be a payment that's paid every month by the government or by the company to cover the costs after retirement (Friedberg, 2019).

Day Care: Companies offer this service to support the employees to work happily without worrying about their babies and this has become very popular in the west in many companies which are been even nominated as best place to work, this benefit mostly reduces female employee turnover.

Special Paid Leaves: Both public and private sector organizations offer their workers some special leaves as maternity leaves, paternity leaves, casual leaves and sick leaves are mostly paid leaves. And in some organizations employees are offered paid time off for social events such as protests, close relative demise, birthdays, etc.

Health & Life Insurance: Numerous companies deliver wellbeing protections for their workers to let them work stress-free almost their wellbeing and most of the organizations deliver wellbeing protections to the dependants of the representatives as well (Minnesota State, 2013). And this specific benefit has become the most valued by the workers.

Work Flexibly & More Day Offs: Certain organizations offer adaptable hours to hold the talents and some of the time they are permitted to work from home as well. More excursion time lets the workers to unwind after a frenzied work plan, by this bosses point to realize efficiency through work satisfaction (Virgin Pulse Wellness Glossary, 2017).

School Support for Children: This benefit is a social responsibility of an organization and many organizations nowadays offer these special benefits to their employees economically in stable countries.

As explained above, when an organization takes initiative to provide the fringe benefits for employees, it really motivates them and as “Happy bees make more honey” employees turn to give their extra commitment to achieve the organizational goals. Further, it creates a positive vibe at the workplace and attracts the best-fits to the labour pool where people love/dream to work for.

Video 1 Four Types of Employee Benefits (AIHR, 2021) 

References

Friedberg, B., 2019. Retirement Plans: Pensions vs. Social Security. [Online]
Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/040116/retirement-plans-pensions-vs-social-security.asp
[Accessed 25 August 2021].

Minnesota State, 2013. Types of Employee Benefits. [Online]
Available at: https://careerwise.minnstate.edu/jobs/benefittypes.html
[Accessed 25 August 2021].

Vicky, 2015. Employee Benefit Programmes: History, Growth and Types of Benefits. [Online]
Available at: http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/employee-management/employee-benefit-programmes-history-growth-and-types-of-benefits/60365
[Accessed 25 August 2021].

Virgin Pulse Wellness Glossary, 2017. Employee Benefits. [Online]
Available at: https://www.virginpulse.com/employee-benefits/
[Accessed 25 August 2021].

Why does an Organization Need Employee Exit Policy?

Figure 1 Employee Exit (source:https://twitter.com/EmployeeForums/status/1413330829955280897/photo/1)

Hiring and Firing are important pillars of an organization to have the best fit in the employee pool. As all the organization have its own Recruitment policy, it should also be HR's responsibility to have a proper strategy for exit to filter and retain the best fit.

Exit Policy

Employees will leave the organization due to retirement, resignation, end of the contract, termination, etc. when they leave, it is their responsibility to submit a written resignation letter to their head or the company will give them notice. Subsequently, the exit policy fulfills the purpose of having the process in place when an employee leaves the organization.

The resignation/termination letter should mention the notice period. Further, they should continue with their regular role and responsibilities throughout the period, and they should assist their existing team and transition if the replacement is in place.

If there won’t be a proper exit policy, the company will suffer in a different aspect, and having a clear procedure will guarantee the protection of the organization and its assets, as well as it will help employees leave with dignity. This also helps the company to measure the feedback of employees about their tenure.  

Importance of Exit Policy

Same as it is essential to pay attention to an individual who is joining the enterprise, off-boarding an employee also cannot be neglected. This has a lot of benefits. It is necessary as it helps the company in overcoming talent turnover and has a huge impact on the growth and performance of the organization. Moreover, it provides the enterprise with instructions and information about what needs to be changed and enhanced.  

Figure 2 Exit Process (source: http://hrmpractice.com/processes-for-employee-exit/)

Key Elements of an Employee Exit Policy

Professionalism in transition, Transfer of Knowledge, Analysis, and feedback/exit interview are the four key elements of Exit Policy.

Both company and employee should maintain professional work ethics to ensure a smooth transition. A business should consider the notice period offered by exiting employees. Organizations should critically evaluate the productivity of the notice period and if it seems not worth delaying, the employer can accept the resignation immediately and pay for the notice period or negotiate for a win-win situation.

The HR team should ensure the proper and well-planned handover/takeover strategy during the notice period or before the exit to fulfill the transfer of knowledge document which includes job tasks, ongoing projects, status, deadlines, etc. It should also mention where the related information is stored.

Quickly analyzing the circumstances for exiting the organization is appropriate to make sure the root cause of the exit by assessing JD the workload and this also helps to find a solution in the future to improve the functioning of the company by having a strategy.

Upon the analysis, it is important to seek feedback through an exit Interview to understand the employee's situation and experiences about the job, their work environment the reason for leaving. A good exit interview system can help reduce turnover and increase employee satisfaction and commitment by addressing the issues. On the other hand, conducting an exit interview is obviously not effective with a terminated employee.

Finally, the HR team should have a checklist, set of steps to follow, and ensure the list is completed when each employee leaves and which will avoid missing anything.

Conclusion

Hence, all the companies should have the Exit Policy which provides a chance of improvement on the employee’s side and improves the working of the company. The procedure should be handled very strategically and both employer and employee should stick to it for a better outcome.

Further, companies should ensure to take an exit interview which will provide a clear picture of the reason behind why the employee is leaving. Having the right exit strategy implemented has the potential of bringing the best for your present and future too.

References

Guest Post, 2021. All Business. [Online]
Available at: https://www.allbusiness.com/business-exit-strategy-business-plan-119617-1.html
[Accessed August 2021].

Anon., 2020. Human Resource. [Online]
Available at: https://www.feeliumecontract.com/knowledgecenter/why-do-businesses-need-employee-exit-policy%3F/5e257aacfe9ba0260766b4d2
[Accessed August 2021].

Jahan, S., 2021. Human Resource Management Practice. [Online]
Available at: http://hrmpractice.com/processes-for-employee-exit/
[Accessed August 2021].

Paul Williamson, 2021. SELL MY BUSINESS. [Online]
Available at: https://www.sellingmybusiness.co.uk/articles/selling/the-importance-of-having-an-exit-plan
[Accessed August 2021].

Job Specialization and Transition Employees to Specialization

What Is Job Specialization?

Figure 10 JS Process (Source: http://wedugroup.com/en/company/organization.php)

It is a process of assigning a set of individuals who are well experienced in a particular area/work to complete it by focusing on that area effectively as they gain knowledge, education, and experience in a specific area of expertise.

The importance of job specialization in the modern-day workforce is that it helps to fulfill the need for skilled workers. Hiring such experts in the production-related organization or every work sector of the organization would help the business vastly and helps to grow and development of the organization.

Job specialization requires Training for an employee initially and once they are trained, they will be able to master by performing it repetitively helps to complete all assignments without much oversight or supervision.

How Do You Transition Employees to Specialization?

Most of the employees leave their job due to their boss/manager, low salary, poor work culture, etc. yet another main reason is they don’t get enough opportunities to grow and improve their skills. ABC private limited initially hired the employees to just complete the defined/scheduled work. In such a role, the chance of growth is zero.

But later, the HR at ABC recognized and was keen on helping their employees to improve their skill set by arranging training and other programs to specialize in their tasks. This enables the employees at ABC to perform their work much effectively and achieve success. This became a win-win situation for both the employee and the company.

Moreover, the management of ABC came up with a plan to give incentives and promotion who shows outstanding performance so that employees don’t feel trapped in their job roles and result in getting them senior positions as well.

The best way to absorb transition in employees is to provide enough chances to develop and also to motivate them regularly.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Job specialization:

Pros of Job Specialization	Cons of Job Specialization
Boosts productivity	Become outdated after a point
Finding a proper job	Masters only on one skill
Security in the job	Omitted from all positions of managers
Helps employers become independent	Gets monotonous
People will want you more and more	Reduces sight
You become more educated	Cannot go for breaks
More opportunity to socialize	Stops you from multitasking
Saves time	Lacks variety
Gets higher pay	Require training
Accuracy in the job	Leads to unemployment

 Table 01 (Source: https://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-job-specialization/)

Conclusion:

Job specialization is beneficial as it reduces the expenses/wastages and increases productivity in overall but it also comes with a few cons that every organization should be careful about and the organization should have a proper plan and strategy to handle the system, well and good.

References

Indeed Editorial Team, 2021. Indeed Career Guide. [Online]
Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/job-specialization
[Accessed August 2021].

Reddy, C., 2016. Wisestep. [Online]
Available at: https://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-job-specialization/
[Accessed August 2021].

Samuel, 2015. How I Got Job. [Online]
Available at: https://howigotjob.com/articles/job-specialization-definition-example-pros-and-cons/
[Accessed August 2021].

Why Personal Development Plan is Important?

 

What is a personal development plan?

A personal development plan provides a framework to identify the areas of individual strengths and weaknesses to come up with a guide that will optimize and capitalize on existing skills and capabilities. It is a continuous and long-term process of nurturing, shaping, and enhancing skills and knowledge to achieve maximum effectiveness and ongoing employability.

Personal development planning is the process of:

1. Creating goals and objectives,

2. Creating current experiences.

3. Defining skills, knowledge, or competence needs; and

4. Choosing appropriate development activities to meet those perceived needs.

Personal Development Cycle

 

Figure 1 (Personal Development Cycle - GB Training, 2017)

Personal development is an important stage of life that everyone should aim for because of its advantages. It could be expressed using the SMART principles, which stand for Specific, Measurable, Applicable, Realistic, and Time-bound goals. A personal development plan can help to recognize the strengths and limitations especially.

Learning is a never-ending process and development is a continuous process. A personal development plan includes time for introspection. It leads to the self-reflection which actually be an open door to examine what changes you can work on that will truly help you succeed and do something about it. (Mariano, n.d.).

 What are the benefits of a personal development plan?

According to Ricardo (2017), Self-awareness is the first step in personal development. To achieve long-term success, individuals or employees to first understand who they are, their values, beliefs, knowledge, skills, capabilities and other qualifications. This self-evaluation gives a clear awareness about the possible development areas, and which enables to focus and plan the required areas to improve and to lead towards the goals and objectives.

As an employee, this will enable in achieve long-term career development or career change plan success. Further to improve the required set of skills at the workplace on a specific task-oriented or learn something new. Anyway, this plan will help identify where we are from the plan and the defined goal. On the other hand, which will also be helpful for the organization to get the employee self-motivated and dedicated to self-improvement which even avoids the cost of training and development.

After considering many of the facts about personal development and development plans, there should be a way of measuring the success of the plan and which will improve the knowledge and skills, where it keeps the employees, motivated to succeed. This self-reflection will ultimately benefit the organization.

Video 1 Benefits of a Personal Development Plan (Source: Content Marketing, 2018)

References

Mariano Oliveti, n.d. Why is it important to create, and review, your Personal Development Plan regularly? [WWW Document]. URL https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-important-create-review-your-personal-development-mariano-oliveti (accessed 21/08/2021).

Ricardo, D., 2017. What are the benefits of personal development? | GB Training. GB Train. Birm. URL https://www.gbtraining.org.uk/benefits-personal-development/ (accessed 21/08/2021).

 

 

IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE WORKERS IN HRM PRESPECTIVE

 

Figure 1 Peter Drucker Quote (Source: https://www.quotemaster.org/knowledge+workers)

The term “knowledge worker” was first found in the book called “The Landmarks of Tomorrow” (1959) by Peter Drucker, also defined the knowledge workers as high-level workers who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge, acquired through formal training, to develop products and services. He noted that knowledge workers would be the most valuable assets of a 21st-century organization because of their high level of productivity and creativity.

This category includes professionals such as programmers, web designers, system analysts, technical writers, and researchers. Knowledge workers are also comprised of pharmacists, public accountants, engineers, architects, lawyers, physicians, scientists, financial analysts, and design thinkers.

Knowledge workers also pre-defined as ‘White-Collar-Workers’ by Upton Sinclair (1950) to who performed administrative and clerical roles and those who performed manual tasks in the workplace were named as blue-collar workers.

Most people worked in traditional types of knowledge-based work such as teachers, ministers, and writers. As industrialization progressed, new types of workers used the information to make a living. Investors, managers, and consultants were among the employees.

The knowledgeable staff is factual and can read and write. They use the information to solve problems. In addition, good communication skills enable them to work closely with other employees in decision-making, goal setting, and negotiation. The team should be enthusiastic and motivated to find a new information and apply it in their work ( CFI Education Inc, 2016)

Why are Knowledge Workers Important to the organization?

According to Cohen (2011), Knowledge staff is very efficient and contributes to market growth over the past millennium. knowledgeable work is gaining momentum in a developing economy, and organizations will need to find ways to increase productivity. Roots that increase the productivity of their experienced staff will have the opportunity to compete.

Donations from experienced staff will help expand the organization's knowledge assets. It will be difficult to quantify, but it will increase the overall value of the company's strategic capital. They form working groups, communicate systematically, build, share, and store information, coordinate time and strategic objectives, and discuss the next steps to move the organization forward to achieve in their ultimate goal.

HR Involvement

Knowledge staff is a unique resource that requires and is appropriate for time management and care. Traditional motivational ideas do not advance with working facts or the interests of knowledgeable workers (Maccoby, 1988).

The organization’s HR policies and procedures are required to establish a new type of incentive/remuneration plan to motivate and retain the knowledge workers. The organization and HR Department should carefully evaluate and plan when creating and implementing an appropriate reward system for them.

Since knowledge works are assets in organizations because they have different skills and knowledge compared to manual workers (blue-collar) who perform repetitive tasks. Because information workers have to produce results that are different from those of ordinary workers, they must be treated and measured differently. Keep an open mind and be aware of the various needs and motives of experienced staff. This will make it much easier for them to come up with new and effective ways to grow their product.

Conclusion

Knowledge workers are very efficient and contribute to market growth and are typically in charge of exploring and developing new ideas rather than implementing and managing existing processes. New products, new designs, and new business models are typical outcomes of knowledge work. Therefore, organizations should adopt an effective plan to motivate and retain them in the long run.

References

CFI Education Inc, 2016. Corporate Finance Institute. [Online]
Available at: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/knowledge-workers/
[Accessed August 2021].

Cohen, J., 2011. Financial Times. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/5731c4e0-edcf-11e0-acc7-00144feab49a
[Accessed August 2021].

 Maccoby, M. (1988) Why Work: Motivating the New Generation. New York: Simon and Schuster

 

Working From Home in Global Context

During the COVID-19 Pandemic peak days the world suffered a lot and still few countries are keep suffering a lot.  The luckiest people are those who avoided and overcome the effect of the epidemic COVID-19.

Those who lucky enough to have avoided layoffs are the luckiest ever and more likely than ever to be adapting to a working environment that is familiar and alien at the same time.

Yet, not really having to be at the office offers a suppressing work-life balance and it shapes the wonderful working day of most of the individual. Most of this work world started to practice the Work From Home (WFH) concept including ABC Private Limited (ABC) after the pandemic Covid-19 and few of them already doing it which depends on their nature of work. Whatever it is, WFH is likely playing a larger part in daily life, and that of people who are dependent, than it ever has before.

Figure 1 - Benefits of WFH (Source: https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/work-at-home-after-covid-19-our-forecast)

Further, WFH benefits everyone in all the ways since the employees and ABC remain connected, positive and therefore employees at ABC can work productively while maintaining and fulfilling their home responsibilities without any stress in-between on a daily commute. Also, it avoids rushing to the office and to home in the morning and afternoon which always creates stress in everyone’s life.

Research shows that traveling 10 miles to work each day may lead to Higher cholesterol, Elevated blood sugar and Increased risk of depression as well. In this scenario, WFH concept implemented by ABC Management helps to support its employees’ mental and physical health and the time savings which allows focusing on priorities outside of work, like getting extra sleep in the morning, spending more time with family, getting in a workout or eating a healthy breakfast which ultimately helps the organization to get more productive outcomes from the employees who WFH.

WFH helps to save money for employees and employers in long-run as for employees it reduces fuel cost, vehicle maintenance, transportation, parking fees and lunches bought out etc. The savings aren’t just for employees, either. As companies allow employees to continue WFH, according to Global Workplace Analytics (Lister, 2021), a typical company can save around $11,000 per year for every employee who works from home like Twitter, Square, Shopify, and Facebook, they also see significant long-term cost savings as they manage to avoid the costs like Overhead, Real estate costs, Transit subsidies business travels and conferences etc.

Moreover, during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. employers are saving over $30 billion per day by allowing employees to work from home. This major economic benefit of remote work could continue as more companies make it a long-term solution.

WFH is leads to fewer interruptions, fewer office politics, a quieter noise level, and less meetings. Add in the lack of a commute, and remote workers typically have more time and fewer distractions, which improves the increase. On the other hand, researchers say, Physical Office environment shows a “Fales Positives” that always leads to bias and favoritism. After all, coming in early and leaving late may look like more work, but actual performance is a much better indicator of productivity. FlexJobs’ 2020 survey found that “workers who thought they might be more productive working from home actually were more productive when working remotely” (Courtney, 2020).

Surprisingly. WFH has some cons as when we try to look at the bigger picture, there are still quite a few disadvantages of WFH as everything in the world has two faces of pros and cons, WFH option is no different. It is a benefit for many, but not for all.

Let us look at a few of the disadvantages of WFH such as lack of Teamwork, lack of motivation, unmonitored performance, frequent breaks, breach of confidentiality, lack of office-work environment and more distractions.

No system in this world is perfect but we have to make the best out of everything. The disadvantages that have been pointed out to be taken into serious care to overcome from such lacking part with suitable mechanisms and various ways of employee engagement, which can help organizations get past these disadvantages.

Video 1 The Remote Working Revolution Has Arrived (Source: TEDxRichlan,2016)

References

Courtney, E., 2020. Flex Jobs. [Online]
Available at: https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/benefits-of-remote-work/
[Accessed August 2021].

Ikram, L., 2021. Vantage Circle. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.vantagecircle.com/disadvantages-of-working-from-home/
[Accessed August 2021].

Lister, K., 2021. Global Workplace Analytics. [Online]
Available at: https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/work-at-home-after-covid-19-our-forecast
[Accessed 08 2021].