The COVID pandemic has stopped the business world in its tracks, but it has also generated a lot of questions about the future of the company and the workspaces:
• Should we reduce the surface area of workplaces because of the ‘forced’ introduction of remote working?
• Should facility management contracts be changed or adapted to meet the new realities?
• How can employees be brought back to their workplaces and does this still make sense?
• Should we move the company, relocate it following the paradigm shift that seems to be becoming the norm?
Of course, it all depends on the business model, the size of the company, its current location, its customer base, etc. However, one thing is certain: “copy and paste” does not work. Furthermore, one should start “at the beginning”, i.e.:
• Is the strategy still relevant?
• Is the product range still adequate and are we facing any changes?
• Have our customers, suppliers and employees changed their habits?
• Are our organisation and management still in tune with the new reality?
• Do we have and are we giving ourselves the means to achieve our ambitions?
It would be irresponsible to give cookie-cutter answers in an article like this. Let us just say that wanting to continue “as before” without questioning certain fundamentals is not the wisest of decisions. Beyond the reflections, one must then know how to move on to concrete action.
As the saying goes, it is better to act quickly and make a few mistakes than to act rightly but too late. This also applies to COVID’s emergence from the crisis: competition is not slackening; new players are emerging in the markets and clients are discovering new opportunities. If we intellectualise too much, we risk losing ourselves in the maze of inconsistency and incompetence.
Finally, if hiring a consultant is an insurmountable challenge for some business leaders, then they should not hesitate to consult colleagues and, why not, competitors, because remaining alone in their thinking does not allow them to explore the maximum number of avenues…
Good luck, good thoughts, and good reading.