The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people approach work because the majority of companies had to transition to remote work, and employees had to complete their responsibilities from home. Individuals and staff have to cope with the new environment after working from home for so long. This paper will examine how individuals personally will approach the new work environments and discuss some strategies for adjusting to the new way of working.
The work environment and the approach of individuals to how they see their ideal work conditions and schedules is changing. Kane et al. (2021) argue that the development of the vaccine made the transition to the next normal is closer. Still, COVID-19 remains to be a threat, which means that organizations and individuals will have to take measures to ensure their safety, such as being vaccinated, adhering to the safety measures, reporting any cases of being sick, among others.
Many organizations have discovered that they can successfully work remotely. For example, real estate agents implemented remote expectations of buildings, and healthcare institutions transitioned to telemedicine practice (Crawford, 2022; Marston et al., 2020; Ander et al., 2022). As a result, the employees now face the issue of the work and life balance where they need to ensure that they can complete their work responsibilities from home while also maintaining their daily lives at home.
Individuals and staff, in general, will have to cope with the new work environments by getting used to remote and colocated work (Ahlstrom et al., 2020; Raman, 2021; Keum, 2020; van Straten et al., 2021). This means that some will have to continue working from home and managing their responsibilities remotely. Others will have to return to the offices and follow the safety guidelines, such as social distancing. Some organizations have implemented technology, such as sensors, to monitor social distance maintenance among their employees (Zanoletti et al., 2021). Others, such as restaurants, have implemented the practice of digital ordering, which helps minimize the contact between their waiters and visitors. According to Hitt and Holmes (2020, p. 259), “firms need new and more flexible strategies to achieve what North described as adaptive efficiency.” Hence, companies will need to show more support to the individuals, while employees will have to communicate their expectations from work.
The personal adjustments that some people may need to get used to involve enhancing one’s digital skills. This is because the majority of jobs, even those that previously could not be performed online, are now transferred to the digital space (Shrestha et al., 2021). As a result, individuals have to learn to navigate the digital space. Additionally, the traditional communication between the employees that is common in office environments is no longer a possibility for many businesses (Sharma et al., 2021; Sarkis et al., 2021; Rahman and Kim, 2021). Hence, both formal and informal communication now have to take place online or be managed in a safe manner involving all the social distancing and precaution measures. While individuals may feel the pressure from working from home for so long, the majority have already adjusted to such a practice and can continue successfully managing their work in this manner (Quitzow et al., 2021). Moreover, some companies now offer a hybrid approach to working, which allows the employees to choose whether they want to work online or come to the office, which helps maintain a good work and life balance.
In summary, individuals and organizations have to adjust to the new norm of working in the post-pandemic world. This norm involves adhering to remote work practices, for example, having meetings and completing tasks online. Additionally, the employees who have to work on-site will be required to follow the safety precautions. Procedures such as vaccinations and testing will become routine for those who have to work on-site. There is a personal challenge for individuals who want to work in the post-pandemic world to balance their responsibilities with their lives as they work from home.
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