COVID-19 leads to a new way of working

Homeworking went from a rule to a “new normal”

Since mid-March 2020, working from home became the rule in most companies.

We understand that working from home is an effective measure against the spread of the coronavirus. This the reason why we have complied with this rule which changed some corporate culture and became the norm and a habit for teleworkers.

The advantages of homeworking

Since the beginning of this pandemic, several advantages of working from home have been observed.

First, with  , it is extremely easy to work remotely thanks to the VPN access and platforms like OneDrive, SharePoint, DevOps, Teams, … Nowadays, it is so simple to share documents with colleagues while working live on it or schedule video conference meetings.

Secondly, with teleworking, we can better  . The time lost in transport and the fatigue that it can cause become a time saver… Indeed, most of us tend to  .

As a bonus, note that this reduction in transport contributes to the fight against climate change by reducing pollution.

We also tend to reduce our lunch break because most teleworkers do not bother to take this break and prefer to end their day earlier. This flexibility of our working hours allows us to  .

Thirdly, at home, we are  ,  because we are not interrupted or disturbed as we can be in an open space at the office. In addition, we have more autonomy and responsibility to deliver the results expected by our employer. Finally, the company also benefits from this efficiency and   of their employees.

The disadvantages of homeworking

There are many benefits to work from home, but also few disadvantages.

This famous lunch break that we now spend behind our screen was much more pleasant when we shared this moment with our colleagues physically. These moments were often an opportunity to  . In the long-term, we risk reducing this relationship by working full time at home.

And inevitably, at home, we are constantly  –  and   sometimes  . We receive calls and emails at any time of the day and sometimes very early in the morning or vice versa very late in the evening.

Importance of communication during COVID-19

In the long run, this social distance could affect the sense of belonging to the company.

To maintain this  , it is important to prioritize   with colleagues, weekly team meetings, and monthly meetings with the entire company    .

Within Cubis, it was the case: the monthly meetings were maintained virtually to respect the rules of social distancing. Cubis also keeps organizing trainings for employees to stimulate the cooperation between colleagues.

In May 2020, during the crisis, our company planned a virtual drink after-work to give us the opportunity to  .

Cubis delivered an aperitif pack at home to each employee to thank us for the job accomplished. We virtually inaugurated this aperitif together, which was a great way to  .

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting physical distancing measures had many consequences on the life of workers, one of the most important is teleworking. Although we miss physical contact with colleagues, several advantages have emerged: easy to work remotely thanks to the technologies, better management of our schedule, more efficient and productive, a better balance between our professional and private life.

And it is very important to maintain regular internal communication to keep a sense of belonging to your company and maintain links with your colleagues.

Blog by Camélia Rabyi