According to the media, only teleworking exists in this world: it is to forget a little quickly that the workplace in business remains, for most employees, THE basic place and that telework was a worst-case for many companies during this crisis of coronavirus.
On closer inspection, the companies and employees most satisfied with teleworking were those who already knew it before or who worked in new job-sharing work concepts and who had a seasoned management in this form of mobility. It is also possible that the traditional work environment is so outdated that telework appears to be a deliverance…
Ununified, teleworking or poorly experienced by a management that cannot “manage” as it sees fit its teams can quickly become a hell for employees who are either totally neglected or hyper-controlled.
Apart from very specific cases, teleworking as such should be seen as a complement to work in the company. It is therefore not a question of telework “OR” of workplaces in companies but of “ET”.
Moving from a “traditional” work model without sharing workplaces or telecommuting to activities carried out exclusively from home is not a sinecure. The process must be accompanied by professionals and, above all, be part of a change management plan.
All companies that think they can save themselves this phase of change will, sooner or later, make the bitter experience: the acceptance rate will be low, tensions will increase and the efficiency of the organization can be quickly undermined, but as they say: it is up to them…
The coronavirus will have at least shown the opportunities of teleworking, its pros and cons. In any case, no one will be able to say that this approach is not working.
It is hoped that our country’s companies will very quickly implement new workspace concepts in order to achieve what specialists have long known about this: greater mobility, autonomy, efficiency and satisfaction coupled with the reduction of financial burdens and environmental impacts.
In conclusion, teleworking should not be contrasted with workspaces but complement them.
Good luck and take good care of yourself.