LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – The pandemic left millions of people working from home and now that things are back to normal, is it time to get back to the office? 13 Action News host Todd Quinones discusses the changes that are coming to the American workforce.
MULTICARE GROUP
“We’re a must-have company and my team worked from home,” says Patrick Casale of The Multicare Group.
Like so many companies, the Multicare Group, located near US 95 and Alexander Road, last year got employees to make phone and Zoom calls from home. Casale says on one level that working remotely has been good for some of his insurance company’s agents.
COME GO
“I think the freedom to come and go as we are doing can make us more productive. I think the workforce would prefer that … I really believe in the business world that micromanaging sometimes burns people out. “Says Casale.
Casale says remote working is attractive to some from a financial perspective as well.
NO OFFICE
“I have to tell you, my business partner wanted me to get rid of the office. Save the money. I’ve thought about it. I’ve thought about it a lot,” says Casale.
But Casale says it’s NOT a move he wants to make.
“In the insurance industry in particular, people want to know who they are taking out their insurance with,” says Casale.
KEEP AN OFFICE
Casale thinks it’s a smart move to have an office where customers can find you. This sets it apart from major competitors.
“It’s a push-button business. How many people get upset waiting five minutes to finally get a real person? Well, if we do the same here, we lose that personal touch,” says Casale.
DEPENDING ON THE INDUSTRY
Maggie Harris of Harris Coaching and Consulting believes that the success of remote working really depends on the industry.
“I think it works in some environments. I hate coming back with such a slurred answer to say that it matters. But honestly, it does, ”says Harris.
EMPLOYEE INPUT
Harris says there are a number of factors that companies need to consider. First, a company needs to know what its employees want.
“Part of that is really having conversations with employees, and when you’ve had those conversations with employees, you recognize the input they are giving you,” Harris says.
MEASURING SUCCESS
Do companies also have to decide how to measure their success?
“Do you measure how many people are working? Or do you measure output? Because that 9 to 5 or that 8 to 5 day for a typical organization that doesn’t count gambling companies really goes away,” says Harris.
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
Employees can do their work from home, but it can be a little different.
“You can work, have a meeting, do the laundry and empty the dishwasher,” says Harris.
According to Harris, when companies choose to let their employees work from home, it is important to make sure they aren’t overlooked.
JUDGMENT & ACCEPTANCE
“When I see they aren’t working, I don’t know they are working and there is a bias, judgments and assumptions. So executives really need to review how they’re dealing with it, ”says Harris.
To avoid this, she suggests that people at all levels need to work from home, at least part of the time.
LEADERSHIP PARTICIPATION
“If you want to be hybrid, you as a manager also have to be hybrid. It can’t be that the leadership is still in the office, the higher the position, the more you pay other people who aren’t that important can be hybrid, “says Harris.
Even after a year of working remotely, Harris believes it will take another 12 to 18 months to test the process before companies know what is best for them. But there is one thing that many seem to agree on: the work will never be the same.
TEST THE PROCESS
“It will never look like it did two years ago, and I think organizations that believe in it will suffer a lot,” says Harris.
Patrick says his company had to make changes during the pandemic and its flexibility that will keep it in business.
CHANGE
“Right now in 2021 after COVID, change will be the new word for any agency or company. If you don’t follow the changes, you are in trouble. You will fail, ”says Casale.
