Expecting a return to the office call? It's among the biggest questions in the virtual workplace as public transport slowly revs up under a new normal that means living with the coronavirus. But what do the biggest bosses think?
Seventy-three percent of CEOs see their organization implementing a work-from-home policy even after COVID-19, according to a survey by the Management Association of the Philippines and PwC. Another 87% said they were willing to provide employees with tools that support remote work.
WHO ARE RETURNING TO THE OFFICE?
How much of the workforce could continue functioning from their homes? Based on the survey, 36% said up to a quarter of their employees, 33% said over a quarter up to half, 16% said over half up to three quarters, and 15% said over three quarters to 100%.
People will return to the office, the question is how many and what safety measures will be put in place. Consider too that 54% said they would make work-from-home a "permanent option."
Eighty-seven percent said their companies could empower employees to work from home when the need arises. The MAP-PwC survey covered 161 respondents.
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The Philippines has been under some sort of quarantine since mid-March and for six months and counting, millions have been on videoconference meetings in between household chores. That is if their industries don't require their physical presence in the office.
Work from home also has its complications. People are working longer hours, according to a Jobstreet.com survey. How do you balance work and home life when your house is also your office?
WHAT WILL WORK IN THE NEW NORMAL BE LIKE?
Even before the return to on-site work are sounded off, the government's pandemic-fighting task force has enforced changes in BPOs that continue to operate regardless of quarantine classification -- face masks and face shields at all times, no common smoking areas and eating in shifts at the cafeteria.
The pandemic has forced businesses to accelerate their shift to digital, 80% of CEOs in the MAP-PwC survey said they would invest in it. Among the top areas: communication software (69%), automation software and tools (37%), field force automation (35%), software for human capital (35%) and software to access data and factory machines (19%).
More specifically, these translate to artificial intelligence, augmented reality, contactless payments, smart transportation, robotics, and drones, according to the study.
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