The importance of ensuring a cohesive working environment is paramount to business success both pre and post pandemic, however its importance has risen since the pandemic due to the discord that may exist through home working situations.  Business no longer have pure access to their employees, and the personalisation that can exist in a face to face meeting has changed.  While emails, chat software and Zoom calls seem to be the new norm, the ability to meet with your team on site likely drives a more cohesive team.   The World Economic forum has reported that an increase of 44% of workers worked from home during the pandemic and that 78% report this will have a negative impact on productivity.   If the lock downs, global news and virus was not enough working from home also effects mental health.  As challenges to stay connected, childcare arrangements, home life requirements are resulting in burn out in so many employees. (Web Forum, 2022)

From a managerial standpoint, this all makes managing employees and business more difficult.  While adaptation has naturally taken place with an increasing importance of having a focus on sustainable and inclusive growth.  Business continually seek to re-invent themselves, with long range planning difficult to accomplish.

References

Written by Kate Whiting, S. W. (n.d.). Most leaders think remote working will hit productivity – this is why. World Economic Forum. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/does-remote-work-hits-productivity/

Bright, D.S., Cortes, A.H., Gardner, D.G., Hartmann, E., Lambert, J., Leduc, L.M., Leopold, J., Muldoon, J., O’Rourke, J.S., Parboteeah, K.P., Pierce, J.L., Reece, M., Shah, A., Terjesen, S., Weiss, J., & White, M.A. (2019). Principles of management. Rice University. https://openstax.org/details/books/principles-management