Moneypenny boss on whether five day office week will be norm again and what else has changed due to the pandemic

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The success of the vaccine programme and gradual return to ‘normality’ has seen the move for more workers to go back to the office as the economy opens up.

But Covid has transformed the way many people have worked over the past 18 months – with some changes here to stay.

Here Joanna Swash, Group CEO of outsourced calls and live chat giant Moneypenny, based in Wrexham, answers six questions about the return to the office and future of workplaces.

How can businesses bounce back after the pandemic whilst keeping morale high?

Employees have experienced one of the biggest periods of disruption to their working lives during the Covid-19 pandemic and while they coped amazingly well and adapted to home working and new technology rapidly, it was also a very stressful time for some.

The sudden resumption of business post lockdown, with a consequent increase in workloads, can be equally stressful, so it’s more important than ever to look after employees.

At Moneypenny we have always believed in very regular communication and we involve our employees in business achievements, celebrations and much more and have recreated all of this virtually, eg sending pizza lunches to them at home, virtual birthday and baby shower celebrations, picnics outside the office quiz nights, which we know are really well-received and much more.

On an individual level, we believe managers should have regular one-to-ones with their staff, to find out how the are doing, to tackle any concerns, and also to encourage and motivate them by fostering a strong sense that we are all in this together, so they know we stand by them. We keep in close contact with everyone through Workplace by Facebook, Teams and one to one calls, to monitor wellbeing and morale.

Has the pandemic changed working life permanently?

I believe the pandemic has accelerated changes that were already happening in the workplace. Increased use of technology, particularly in communications which saw rapid adoption of video calling through multiple different platforms, adoption of live chat and use of AI technologies.

Many businesses had proof that working from home could enable some employees to perform their roles just as well as they did from the office and could help them attend meetings that before they may not have been able to do so due to travel time.

Coupled with this, some employees generally loved the flexibility that came with working from home and also liked the reduction in commuting time, so there is demand from them for hybrid working model to continue in some shape or form.

Who are the people who have found working through the pandemic the hardest?

At Moneypenny we found that while many staff loved home-working, there were two main groups of staff that found it more difficult. The first group are the young staff who perhaps live in a shared house and the second group was the working parents who had to combine their job with home-schooling, which we all know was a challenge.

Feedback we’ve received from these two groups is that in future many are keen return to the office full time as they not only have all the facilities and equipment they need, but they also have an environment where they can easily collaborate with colleagues and share ideas.

What has changed the most and why?

Undoubtedly it is the use of technology that has changed the most, especially in the use of video call technology and in our field of business communications we gained many new clients who have outsourced their receptions, phone systems and Live Chat functions as they have re thought their communication channels as a result of the pandemic and outsourcing is on the rise.

A classic example is a company that had been using one mobile phone when its offices closed, with all inbound calls diverted to it. The mobile was shared between staff on a shift basis and transported between their houses. The client didn’t have a telephony system in place, or at least one that could be adapted quickly enough, until Moneypenny stepped in to help.

In addition, Live Chat had been increasing before the pandemic, but use of it surged during lockdown, doubling since March 2020.

What does the future look like in terms of hybrid working?

The changes we are seeing have been supercharged by Covid19 and due to a more hybrid way of working, many jobs are becoming more flexible for women in particular.

However, I believe that men would like flexibility too and that it is up to each company to consider this and that an individual’s decision on how/when they come into the workplace will be influenced by factors like personality, ambition and drive and whether they work to pay the bills, or work to progress their career.

At Moneypenny we will be operating a hybrid model and are constantly speaking to our employees and clients and ensuring we have a business model that works brilliantly for all parties and that is agile and flexible.

Will a 5 day week fully in the office become the norm again?

I don’t believe it will; I think most companies will pursue a hybrid way of working, with staff in the office for two or three days a week and the other week days spent working from home.

We’ve been consulting our employees on how they want to work in the future and while many are keen to come into the office, others relish the flexibility that comes with hybrid working.

I believe it is up to individual companies to decide what is right for them, their clients and their staff in coming up with the best solution.