WFH: One policy to rule them all?

By this time, you may already be tired of hearing about “the new normal.”
That being said, working from home (WFH)/remote work is definitely becoming part of the new normal for office policies at companies around the world. Some decided to extend WFH until the end of the year, such as Facebook or Spotify. Others decided to implement WFH and remote work permanently, like Twitter. However, there are some companies where remote work was implemented from the get-go, such as Zapier or WordPress, as I mentioned in one of my previous articles.

Companies and decision-makers have to consider many variables, including:

• Will people have more control over their time and be more productive?
• What is the best management system to engage remote coworkers?
• Are we willing to change business processes to embrace these changes?
• What is the impact on our company’s culture?

Besides which specific rules to implement, people’s opinions on the topic diverge about the impacts that may occur as a result of remote work.

Many don't fully understand the long-term impacts and consequences that radical change to where and how we work will have. Are we prepared to give away the office social traditions, such as a morning coffee with coworkers? When working from home, can we draw the line between personal and professional time? Does every one of us have access to the proper space to work remotely?

At this point, I believe that, besides our convictions and opinions, there are more questions than answers about WFH, remote work, or flexible work. A global event occurred that pushed the need to reinvent ourselves and our institutions in a very short period of time. The consequences of that change have costs but also represent opportunities.

I also believe that one thing must be kept immutable: our company purpose. That will define which option, or set of options, we should address and implement in the future.

We need to be resilient and act fast. Companies like Growin must set an example of how to deal with these situations, while simultaneously understanding that what people need to feel comfortable and safe is mandatory to answer the questions that will keep us thriving.

For that matter, it's our duty to allow and reinforce our two-options policy: provide a great place to work (Growin offices) and allow remote work (normally, WFH) to our employees.

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