Surface Ripples

Zoom Recalls Staff to Office

People may find it ironic that Zoom – the company synonymous with the Work-From-Home phenomenon that enabled the world to talk whilst COVID raged - has now recalled its staff to the office.

 There’s more to this than meets the eye. Zoom is merely asking its staff to come in for two days a week if they live within 50 miles of their place of work.  No great hardship, surely?

Much has been written about the WFH phenomenon (including by me) as a new way of motivating and retaining staff, as well as providing them with an improved work/life balance. The advantages to employers are happier, more productive staff, reduced rental costs and (with luck) increased profitability arising therefrom.

The advantages to workers are a better work/life balance, improved health, reduced expenses and the knowledge that they have an employer who cares.  Contrast this with business owners in “downtown areas” who have seen their business suffer due to lack of footfall.  Many have adapted and take their businesses online where they can. Others have reduced staff numbers as there is no longer the demand.

According to another article that appeared in the BBC, at least 4 out of 10 Londoners have switched to “hybrid” working.  For them of course, this is easier as they generally live closer to their workplace than might others. When I commuted to London, I had a 1 1/2-hour door-to-door journey so WFH for me would have been a boon. 

Experts in real estate now feel that a business that wants its staff to come in to work needs to “buy the commute” by offering something that workers can’t get at home.  Of course, they can simply threaten reduced salaries or the sack, but in the end that would be counterproductive.

That said, it will be necessary to come into the office for meetings, to update software or hardware and to meet one’s colleagues face-to-face. The “virtual team” is all very well and, where members are dispersed over different continents, continues to be a fact of life.

However, if you live a short distance from your physical place of work, there should be little harm in turning up two days a week (this still leaves you free on which days you can WFH).

We are still getting used to “the new normal” after the COVID pandemic. People will necessarily experiment with different ways of working and dealing with each other. The potential from working from home is enormous, but we can’t simply abandon the value of face-to-face contact.

The WFH debate will continue for some time until things settle down and new standards and metrics are set up to ensure that everybody gets the most of the new system.

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website  provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  

Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork

posted by William Martin @ 09:22