HOW should we work in the future?
Is it too soon to start contemplating how this could change so many ways we live our lives? I realize we are in the eye of the COVID storm and the struggles are here and now. This is a time for scientists, not dreamers, right? Yet even in the largest of storms, who doesn’t look to the horizon for some shape or form?
Emily Dickinson wrote, “I dwell in possibility.” Who doesn’t, after all?
MANY of us are working from home right now. As we get better at this, with increasing technology to assist us in our at-home endeavours, moving forward into that hopeful future, will office-based organizations re-assess their overhead output, and look for creative solutions to balance our work/home lives while also cost-saving? For many who already work from home, with assisted technology, either part- or full-time, either as freelancers or as part of a business contract, you know where this is going. But for so many, who make that commute five days a week at generally the same daily times – congesting traffic, using resources, outsourcing domestic tasks, organizing carpools, buying meals in boxes – life is hectic.
Contact is important. Personal connections are essential to the human condition. We are a social species. I’m all for seeing colleagues physically in real space. But every single day? Who determined this as the optimal contact amount? We know part of that answer dwells in a working world of the past, that bears no semblance to today’s communication norms and tools that make much of our work possible. It’s a productivity model that may, in many fields, be anachronistic. As it is, how much communication do you do without leaving your chair, even though your email recipient may sit three desks down?
I can envision large office spaces becoming day-share spaces. Work in your office two days a week, more or less. And rotate those days with other organizations with similar space requirements. Alternatively, I can also envision organizations downsizing their brick and mortar space, and rotating in-office attendance by teams. Lock your filing cabinet, grab your notepad and laptop and head home. Next meeting is a 9:00 a.m. Zoom tank, so no sleeping in for you. Make your smoothie, brush your teeth and get to work. Ahhhhh. I feel more relaxed already. (Your dogs know it’s their day, so plan for a midday walk). And you may even get in that 4:00 p.m. yoga class.
For a couple decades now, businesses have touted the teamwork or die approach. But is all this collaboration leading to better results?
In his blog post on the virtues of working alone or together, Mr. Happy Work, a self-proclaimed “fan of working alone,” says that the solo model can improve pace and prevent problems that can pop up when more people are involved. He says, “Issues arise as the group gets larger from things like politics, process, hierarchy (official and non-official), and structure.” Collaborative teams can be complicated. We all have individual ways of approaching work, processing information, and coming up with creative ideas. It’s not always a one-size-fits-all method, despite what you said in your last interview about “loving team work!” Mr. Happy Work adds that “another problem with working together is that competent team members are often held back by incompetent team members. Even worse, incompetent team members are made to look all the better because of the knowledge and hard work of the competent team members cleaning up their mess.” There’s more to consider in weighing the pros and cons, but assuming you’re given the green light to permanently remove yourself from group politics to go at it alone a couple days a week, according to Julia Jornsay-Silverberg this could be a pretty good thing. She says, “When you work alone, you can move faster because there are fewer people you’re relying on for approval and permission.” This is good news, right?
I checked in on Facetime with a friend of mine about this question (right now, everyone is so omni-available), who has done both freelance and corporate work in her career as a writer and content producer. Tanya agrees that some at home time would be very doable and enjoyable in her profession, and says, “I write a lot. I can do that twice a week from home.” But she isn’t keen on breaking ties completely with the office model. “Sometimes you need face-to-face verification that you’re on the right track.” She also, in her typical social positive way (one of the reasons I love her), says, “It’s nice to see people. Eye to eye is a big deal. It’s also harder for people to hold back information that way.” She thinks it really depends on the job and the nature of your work. I think she’s right.
But imagine the environmental implications. By now, you’ve likely seen some of the environmental results of all of us going nowhere everyday. China is virtually pollution free. The canals of Venice are crystal clear blue. Check it out for yourself at https://bit.ly/3dDeJfv. It’s a real lemonade moment to this lemon we’re all ingesting.
And of course, there’s our well-being to discuss. Have we been keeping an unnecessary pace? Could we help ourselves, our families, our neighbours and communities by being more balanced? By thinking more closely about the things that truly matter?
These last few weeks have created much pause and reflection. I, for one, hope that does not end.
Randi Solomon 