Coronavirus Could Change the Way We Work

Written by Arianna Pollack

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us had the ability to walk down the hall and ask our coworker or boss a question. Not only did we take this for granted, people accepted the idea that this level of in-person interaction was necessary for many occupations. Across America, many workers are held to the expectation that their work will be done in the office everyday. While in-person interaction is valuable in the workplace, the pandemic has shown us that it is possible to work effectively outside of the office when necessary. This realization could be the catalyst for sweeping changes in the workplace post-pandemic.

COVID-19 has accelerated technological adaptation by forcing people to learn how to use tools they were previously unaccustomed to. Being thrown into a crisis in which we cannot spend time together has shown us that we do not actually need to be together to accomplish our professional goals. For instance, Neal Freyman, the managing editor of Morning Brew , a daily newsletter for young business professionals, stated in a recent email that he wrote the Brew from 11 different states on a 4,700 mile road trip without missing a single earnings report (Freyman et al., 2020).

A 4,700 mile trip is a vacation Neal Freyman would have probably needed to take substantial time off for in the past, but that can now be done during a typical work week. This might make people question why they needed to sacrifice aspects of their personal life for their job in the past after seeing that it is possible for both to exist simultaneously. Couples in long distance relationships now have the ability to live together, an employee with a passion for travelling can now do his work on the road, and a working mother now has more time to spend with her child. The rapid progression toward universal familiarity with technological tools has the potential to reduce the opportunity cost of commuting to an office or workplace everyday in the future if more work can be done from home.

This could also allow jobs at corporations located in major cities to be more accessible for potential employees who cannot afford to move to a more expensive area. A family with three children may not be able to afford a move across the country to a New York City apartment even if one of the parents received a job offer from a company they would love to work for. However, remote access and video chat services like Zoom could allow this family to continue living in their current home while the parents work virtually.

If parents are able to work from home it could also help them save on the cost of child care. Despite other challenges due to the pandemic, about two-thirds of adults with children under 12 at home currently say it’s been somewhat easy for them to handle child care responsibilities (Pew Research Center). Although it can be difficult for parents to tend to childcare or household needs at times throughout the week, they might still find that they are able to spend more quality time with their children during the typical work week while saving additional costs.

Temporary changes in workplace policies may have a permanent impact on long-standing corporate behaviors throughout America. For instance, companies may find that some business travel can be replaced with virtual meetings. Additionally, the number of workers who commute to work across the country may be significantly less in the future. A decrease in overall business related travel could potentially have a strong environmental impact while also creating more opportunities for more employees to participate in meetings with clients and business partners around the world. Even my fellow students have spoken about global conferences they were able to listen in on as interns because their supervisors were unable to travel this summer.

None of this is to diminish the value of the intimacy and energy that stems from work relationships made through in-person interactions, but rather to show that the pandemic may create more flexibility for people to work without sacrificing personal endeavors. Some employees may be nervous that virtual work will dismantle the separation between work life and personal life on a daily basis. However, via communication between managers and employees, there are still ways to maintain clear guidelines with remote work so that employees do not feel as if they have to be continuously responding to emails or messages about a project.

Rules are still necessary, but employees are likely to have more agency in creating the foundation for them moving forward. It will be harder for employers to deny flexibility in relation to work hours and settings if employees have proven that they can work efficiently outside of the office. This pandemic could spark a new era of innovation regarding the framework of a typical work week. Companies will have to adapt their business models and reevaluate costs that may no longer be necessary. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread suffering and loss, we can find a silver lining in its potential to transform the business world in a way that will make our work-life balance more fulfilling.

References

Freyman, N., Howell, T., & Yao A. (2020, August 22). Jeff leaves Amazon. Morning Brew.

Pew Research Center. Most Americans Say Coronavirus Outbreak Has Impacted Their Lives. Pew Research Center, 4 Sept. 2020, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2020/03/30/most-americans-say-coronavirus-outbreak-has-impacted-their-lives/.