Life after lockdown – the birth of activity based working
What could be the changes to work-life post Covid? Will, there be changes, or could it all just slowly go back to normal? Well, the sensible answer will be a bit of both probably as firms seek to embrace activity based working. However, a few changes will save companies money, time and hassle and they could be permanent.
The obvious one is that all knowledge-based business will have finally embraced in collaborative software “at every level” is the important element. This, in its self, will not change much, but I believe it will hugely affect business travel. People will find it increasingly difficult to justify travelling when bosses know how effective video/webinars can be. Think about how much time and money it could save. This could completely change the conference sector and the culture of attendance, even when there are physical products to be seen. Digital conferencing will be born out of this, I believe.
I think this will also be the real birth of activity-based working with “fewer desks, more sofas” – A “relaxed yet constructive culture” could put pressure on bosses to make the office a place you want to go to, not have to!
But underlying this will be the trust that will have grown in well-run companies. Leaders who succeed through this will have managed based on outcomes and objectives, not presence. I think the flexibility of working from home will never stop for some.
People will care more about each other, have more sympathy for each other, and the main thing will be trust. Trust to do what you do, where you want to do it will finally happen for everyone.
Written by Dave Judge. The Group Creative Director for Space Zero is a brand experience designer with 26 years in the industry, creating award-winning experiences for global brands such as Adidas, Virgin, Ford and Diageo.
He is now working on what the innovation-driven environments of brand, retail and experience design could bring to the education sector in the design of learning environments.
