Who Can Benefit from WFH the Most?

Post-Covid will be a new world for the workplace. Some companies decided to WFH permanently but some are eager to encourage their employees to go back to the office for face-to-face interactions. Of course some employees are very happy but some feel very disappointed. Which level of employees do you think would benefit the most from WFH policy?

Have you thought about to switch on your laptop and be inspired by the beach in Greece? Or pick up your kids from school then work at a cafe nearby their after-school activity centre? I did. Haha. But this practice requires high self-discipline and dedication to your work.

I have been talking to my friends, team members and partners. It seems that WFH benefit the middle management the most. The senior management might have ad hoc activities that require their presence such as during crisis; and junior employees prefer going back to the office instead of working from home with their parents or roommate(s). The middle management normally can sustain themselves to live alone or has families, therefore, has more space and need more time with family. WFH is ideal for them. They can decide when and where to work.

That is the reason of more companies moving to flexible workplace service providers such as WeWork, JustCo and Arcc Spaces. These companies can commit to a suite for 10 pax but accommodate 20 employees. The employees can come at different time and some can work at the common areas. Some large operators with sites inside and outside CBDs are even better so that the employees can go to the centres close to their home if they need a private space to work when their kids are at home.

As a team leader, you also need to trust your team members if you offer them WFH. While you offer them certain freedom, you also need to monitor your team members' performance. At some point, I found that one of my team members "disappeared" sometimes during office hours especially you need them immediately and one team member felt very frustrated and depressed to work by herself too long. As a team head, I had to pull them back asap and set some guidelines to them, otherwise WFH would affect the business and/or lose the talents.

In short, WFH provides flexibility and creativity (by working in different locations and meeting with different people) which benefits many of us. However, some companies and people found it challenging. As the senior leader or team leader, we have to understand our team members' needs and working style before rolling out WFH policy temporarily or permanently.