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How much time will employees spend in the office post-Covid? Microsoft India’s HR head shares insight

How much time will employees spend in the office post-Covid?

Microsoft India's HR Head Shares Insight

In the last few months, there has been an unprecedented boom in the adoption of technology by companies. They are quickly digitizing their processes, how they serve their customers and the way they operate. Hybrid workplaces have become the new normal as soon as employees participate from home and from office.

So what is a hybrid workplace? “This will have a different meaning for different organizations depending on their needs,” says Ira Gupta, Head of Human Resources, Human Resources. Different groups of people have different needs; There is a group of people who like to work from the office, then another group who want to continue working from home two to three times a week.

“A hybrid workplace will have flexibility at its core that will allow people to engage with it on the terms they are most comfortable with. Not one size will fit all. But in many cases, it is also completely remote. Will not done.” She says.

This flexibility and the agility of the new workspace will also change the basics of how an office space has been built in the past. Previously all processes, employee benefits were created on the basis that all employees work together in physical proximity and this would change considerably.

Also read: Crisis brings opportunities: many lessons from COVID-19

Microsoft says that Gupta has done its recruitment and onboard virtualization. Even technology is personal and digitized. The benefits have been changed to factor in the new normal. Tele-medicine is included among other medical benefits. An epidemic leave has been introduced for those who require care for themselves or for their family members. Mental health leave has also been added. “It was not a priority to the same extent as it became over the years. It’s going to be a lot faster,” she says.

While technology is playing an important role, says Gupta, the culture of an organization will also have to be strengthened. She says, “At a time when some people come to do more work than others, the key to a flexible workforce will be the organization’s culture. It’s going to be strong.”

She explains that there is an expectation that every employee of the firm will adopt some values. But in a remote environment, there may be new joins who have not yet visited the office or met colleagues. “This is where the role of culture becomes a lot more important, because your current leaders, your current managers, current peer groups who are interacting with that new person, and not just in implementing it through words To be able. She says that HR needs to spend a lot of time and energy.

Also read WEF 2021: ‘Skilled workforce must ensure global growth in the post-pandemic world’

She states that while one of Microsoft’s core products is the Microsoft team, the company is not entirely in favor of a remote workplace. “I highly doubt that 100% of technology can work in the workplace. We at Microsoft are not in favor of it all.”

The reasons are simple. To create a relationship, says Gupta, virtual interactions cannot replace personal interactions. A video call still cannot replace coffee table gossip conversations, where a lot of business intelligence gets communicated. It is also not easy to replace brainstorming sessions.

This means that physical offices are not going anywhere but their look and feel will change. People will be coming to the office but may come a little less than before. This may be for a meeting or brainstorming session. Says Gupta, “I think there will be many more meeting rooms that are likely to happen. More than one telephone booth and conference room will be different sizes so that people can come, hang out.”

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