Remote Work Heralds the Start of a Cultural Change
By: Alice Greschkow
Tags: Productivity, Remote Work, Work Life Balance, Work, Work From Home

2020 has been a tough year for most people — private constraints and uncertainty are a grueling force when they continue without a clear end on the horizon. Coupled with store and restaurant lockdowns, productivity losses, and frozen project budgets, 2020 was a punch in the gut for millions of people.

But there is also a reason for optimism. The world of work is a heterogeneous spectrum — those who were among the people who were able to switch to remote work this year experienced the beginning of a cultural change and a profound shift in how people evaluate work and their role as workers.

The numbers are clear

In August, the technology group Cisco conducted an international study called “Workforce of the future”. More than 10,000 people from Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, who worked from home for at least 10 consecutive days, were asked about their experiences and assessments of working at a distance.

In Germany, the tendency is clear: the majority wants to hold on to the positive sides that have been created by a more flexible working environment: 61% like the opportunity to work in distributed teams, 60% appreciate the greater autonomy, and for 58%, faster decision-making processes are a big plus.

It seems that the initial burden of the changeover has subsided: More than half of them say they have their private lives under better control than before the crisis. Only 16 percent reported a deterioration. Besides, 60 percent say they work more productively than during the first lockdown in spring. In most cases, the confidence of superiors in the work of the teams had not suffered. In international comparison, there are no major differences — people around the world have gained through distance work.

According to the Cisco study, there could also be another positive side effect: less traffic. Around half of the teams would like to take fewer business trips as a result of the newly established work routine.

A new self-image of work and workers

One number that stood out for me is this one:

86 percent of those surveyed would like more personal responsibility.

This statement supports the tendency that we are in the middle of a cultural change. This cultural change is challenging old ways of looking at the world of work. While for decades it was considered an achievement to have fixed working hours to be able to enjoy the union-fought free evenings, it seems to be okay for more and more people to work at orthodox working hours — as long as they can decide for themselves.

Moreover, a more abstract concept of what a company actually is, is developing. As work shifts more to the private sphere, questions of occupational health and safety, but especially of loyalty and a sense of belonging, arise. I believe that one of the biggest challenges in the long term will be to foster a strong corporate culture, trust, and cohesion within teams when direct contact is rare.

The self-image of workers is also changing. The longing for more autonomy and the increased focus on the private sphere is creating an image contrary to the previously widespread model of “command & control”, according to which workers must subordinate themselves and decisions about their place of work and working hours are primarily made by the employer.

The flip side of this is that management tasks of work organization are handed over to employees who cannot or do not want to take responsibility for the organization themselves.

More than just a change of workplace

In all the chaos that 2020 has brought, it is easy to overlook the fact that the home office has heralded more than just a change of workplace.

Rather, after a long time, a new space is opening up again to reflect on the value of work for the individual, society, and the economy, and how this space is being designed.