Coronavirus has disrupted the 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. working style and brought forward a new reality of remote working and a focus on the importance of mental well-being in the workplace.
As offices gradually re-open, the question on everyone’s mind is whether companies will revert back to the previous way of working or whether the shifts that happened during the pandemic have permanently altered the future of work.
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Sage advice from Dr Nancy Gleason of NYU Abu Dhabi during the first panel of the AB Future of Work Forum pic.twitter.com/ImUp85CV8q— ArabianBusiness.com (@ArabianBusiness) April 28, 2021
“I think it is not reasonable to assume that with a shift of this significance on the heels of what was already industry shifting that life as we know it is going to go back to normal nor should it necessarily,” said Solveig Nicklos, an expert in organisational culture and performance managing and the director X.0 Consulting.
“Covid-19 was an accelerant and I think it demonstrated cracks that already existed in this system, it didn’t cause them. Those cracks are now clear and obvious to people and need to be addressed,” continued Nicklos who was speaking at the first panel of the AB Future of Work Forum earlier on Wednesday.
Solveig Nicklos, an expert in organisational culture and performance managing and the director XO (X point O) Consulting
Companies and employers need to adapt to the changes that were brought forth by the pandemic if they want to survive agreed the panellists.
“We have organizations with enormous number of assumptions and default behaviours that were built for reasons at the time, but many of those paradigms have shifted. If we don’t take the moment as leaders to stop and test those assumptions and revisit what built those foundations before we are going to find ourselves very obsolete very fast,” said Nicklos.
Aamnah Husain, Counselling Psychologist, German Neuroscience Centre
One of those areas which companies need to focus on is the mental health and wellbeing of their employees as they deal with the uncertainties of the new reality they are in, explained Aamnah Husain, counselling psychologist, German Neuroscience Centre.
This focus on mental wellbeing has led employees to be more appreciative of a corporate culture where they have flexibility to set their own schedules and where a work life balance is nurtured.
Nancy W Gleason, associate professor of Practice of Political Science NYU Abu Dhabi
“The EU is considering shifting to a four-day work week. There’s no reason the Middle East can’t do the same. People will be happier and spend money during that day off, which drives the economy,” said Nancy W Gleason, associate professor of Practice of Political Science NYU Abu Dhabi.
“The bottom line involves engaging with employees in better ways, because it’s so expensive to hire a new one,” she continued.
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