Accounting leaders today are looking at a whole new landscape in terms of the way we work and how we adapt to the future of office-life post-pandemic. Remote work has become the norm for most of America (and the world) in the past year and half. And for many, the transition was new, necessary and forced.
Right now, while many employers have remained remote, others are trying to decide what their future office looks like – be it fully remote, in-person or hybrid – and how their company culture, policies and processes must change as a result.
As organizations adapt to the post-pandemic age, one thing is certain: businesses will have to reevaluate their work models to be more inclusive of their employees' comfort level or employee retention will become an even stronger issue. The great resignation is not just a buzzword and is currently being felt by CFOs and other accounting leaders across industries in large part due to team member preferences on remote and in-person work.
Future of the Office: Remote, In-Office, and Hybrid Models
Every industry, business, team and individual is different. And while you can't accommodate every wish, you can help your employees identify their needs that will allow them to be more effective in their day-to-day responsibilities. For those organizations still trying to decide how they want to work going forward, there are benefits and considerations for each workplace model.
Remote
It's no secret that most employees will want to continue working from home. Although video meetings will never replace face-to-face interaction, there's obviously a number of benefits to remote work in the long term for both small and large businesses alike – flexibility, cost containment and a lack of office distractions top the list. Companies who allow their employees this option need to ensure that resources and tools are readily available – including equipment, software, communication platforms and more.
Hybrid
As the world arises from an unexpected pandemic, many companies are changing their tune about how and where employees work. Still, some companies are hesitant on making their workforce fully remote. There are plenty of advantages to splitting your time between the office and home – increased productivity, lowered company costs and increased employee well-being. And while you might be debating whether implementing a hybrid model makes sense for your organization, ponder this: 68 percent of adults polled by Morning Consult say a hybrid workplace model is ideal.
In-Person
For those itching to get back to their desks, a tentative return to the office couldn't come fast enough. For others, a return to in-person work is necessary due to their nature of business. When people are in the same office space, teams enjoy collaboration, socialization and productivity, but as in-person work is phased out, leaders will have to try even harder to compete for top talent. The key for businesses operating in-person right now is to focus even more on work-life balance and retention, which leads us to the importance of company culture.
No Matter What, Company Culture is Still an Indispensable Aspect of Any Business
At first glance, one might assume that COVID-19 put a hard pause on company culture. However, even though the way we work has been forever changed, company culture remains the driving force behind productive and satisfied team members – even, and especially, in a virtual environment. There's no denying that company culture is vital for accounting leaders looking to find, hire and retain top talent.
Accounting leaders must focus even more on what they are providing to their team members to make them stay. And while virtual employment makes events and other culture-builders tough, creating an environment of success, support, recognition and service is far from impossible.
The Silver Lining – Employees Have Become a Priority
Although this pandemic has caused a lot of headaches and sleepless nights for finance leaders (and much worse worldwide), there is still some good that has come out of 2020 and beyond. Remote work, which was often desired by employees has shown itself to be an effective way of working for many organizations now seeing the benefits of employee-focused policies.
Company culture has survived as a key element to winning the war on talent. And, if this Zoom-era has taught us anything, it is that many of the most important parts of building and growing a business can be made virtual with incredible results.
If you're looking to build your remote, hybrid or in-person culture while adapting your finance team post-pandemic, download the full special report, Accounting Industry Outlook: How to Navigate Finance Post-COVID, for more in-depth advice and analysis on the future of work, accounting process implementation, company growth and more.
