Will The Pandemic Change The Normal Workplace Environment?

For the last six months the working environment has changed for most people. Whether that is a different workplace environment or different responsibilities for your job description, the reality is work looks different for a lot of people than it did six months ago. This has many people wondering whether the pandemic will change the normal workplace environment?

One way the pandemic will likely change the normal workplace environment is the increased number of people who will continue to work remotely. Since many employees have been working out of their homes for the last six months, it is likely that some of them will not return to a more traditional office setting. With fewer people working from a brick and mortar office, some companies may be able to downsize their office space or look into co-working office spaces. Going even a step further, with a reduced in-person work force, companies may be able to relocate their headquarters. If employees do not need to be on site, a company can be headquartered wherever it works best for the owner and/or senior leadership.

Another way the pandemic will likely change the normal workplace environment is how meetings are conducted. As companies have learned about what actually requires an in-person meeting, what meetings can be conducted via video chat, and what meetings would actually work best in an email format, the workday will likely look very different in the future. While before company travel may have been the norm, that may very likely decrease as companies realize that a meeting doesn’t actually need to be held in person, but could be done via video chat. Rather than use company funds to bring all interested parties into the same room, they can skip travel and simply hold a virtual meeting. 

Both of these changes also mean that the pandemic will likely change who is recruited in the workplace. Pre-pandemic, location mattered. Companies were limited to recruiting people who lived near the company or were willing to relocate. With more remote work options available, and less in-person meetings required, companies can instead recruit the best and the brightest, regardless of where they currently live, or want to live.  

For a number of reasons, it is very likely the pandemic will change the normal workplace environment. There is a chance things could return to a more pre-pandemic normal but with every passing month, it is increasingly unlikely.