From yesterday (3 August 2020) it was expected that many more people would return to their offices. The Government advice to ‘work from home’ has changed and employers are now expected to make the decision on how their employees can work safely.
So is it happening? It doesn’t look like it. And not just where I live in Manchester, where new restrictions have added more confusion.
In fact, according to new data from the British Chambers of Commerce, 62% of companies they polled expect their staff to be working from home for the next 12 months.
Guidance for employers on making it safe for employees to return to the office has focussed on health and safety procedures. I have written previously about improving productivity, knowledge sharing and development opportunities by combining home and office working.
There is a huge amount of information and guidance to help people get back to the office. So what’s really stopping us getting back to the workplace?
According to the British Chambers of Commerce, a lack of customer demand, reduced income and cashflow means that businesses are operating at about half of their previous level of capacity. Their survey, in partnership with Indeed, is the largest in the UK, receiving 750 responses. They are not reopening their offices because they are trying to keep costs down.
But is this the correct course of action in every case? We need the data to make the right decisions.
Business leaders and owner managers now need to focus on collecting accurate data measuring business performance and ensuring this translates into measurable objectives for each individual at every level. ‘What gets measured gets done’ as the saying goes. Leaders need to understand their business performance and create clarity and accountability within their team(s). External pressures on the business are immense so significant changes are required.
Only through accurate measurement and accountability can a business make the right changes in the right places at the right times. And being accountable for the achievement of a specific target will help determine who needs to work in the office and who can be just as productive working from home.
If you need help identifying and measuring the numbers that will create accountability and clarity in your business contact linda@stepsforgrowth.co.uk We can cut through the emotion and subjectivity that may be driving your business decisions and lay out the steps you need to grow your business.
Further reading:
Traction by Gino Wickman