The End of an Era?
I’ve always said, “if you don’t like change, you’ll like irrelevance even less.” As 2020 rolls on, we are seeing the impact on “how we work” change, perhaps permanently. In just a few short months, video conferencing for work and communication has taken a giant leap. Home offices are now the norm and we have freed up commute time. Yet we seem to be working more, along with juggling kids and the “COVID Challenge” (that layer of prevention over everything) daily. Without commuting, lunch hours and office banter, is the 5-day / 40 hour “work week” still relevant?
We used to say the phrase, “work-life balance” as the Internet changed the way businesses could communicate and operate. The ability to VPN into your work, or access e-mail via the web or smart device brought work just about anywhere. The concept of ‘balance’ was to ensure that we didn’t allow work to invade our personal space away from the office. However, today, we’re seeing the evolution of this phrase morph to “work-life integration.”
In a very rapid timeframe, we’ve seen the remote office demonstrate that we can work as effectively, perhaps more in some ways, than before when we congregated in offices. Time has changed from something we had in ample supply, to a more precious commodity these days. This has impacted the way we work and how we perceive that time as well. Let’s look at some of the primary categories that have changed and may result in a 4-day work week coming soon to an organization near you….
Location, Location, Location
This is the most obvious variable and perhaps the most important. Office locations determine where we live and where we work. It can impact our commute, lifestyle, personal-lives and even our children. What if that time spent in the car or on the bus or train was no longer needed? If location is no longer a variable, does it make sense to live in an area that has an extremely high cost of living? Or can you now have that dream job anywhere you choose to live? Described as “Urban Flight” more people are considering life outside densely populated areas as a result of the pandemic. As COVID changes the concept of office space, this may be the opportunity for many to have their cake and eat it too.
The Workday
Related to location, are we seeing the workday get longer without the daily commute? Indeed much of the time consumed in transit has now been applied directly to work. Consider the standard commute as one hour each way, every day. That’s 10 hours a week that have now been potentially converted to work. Even if it wasn’t entirely traded 1 for 1, there’s still a recovery of time at a massive scale happening. When you consider the typical 40 hour work week, 10 hours is 25% of that!
Lunch!
Throughout my career lunch was always an important part of the day. Whether time with vendors or colleagues, it provided an opportunity to change the venue while grabbing a bite to eat. Sadly, through COVID and remote work, this valued time has been lost for many. Even still, while eating at the desk may happen, the official professional lunch is on hold for now. We may see the return of the professional lunch eventually, just don’t expect it to be as common as it was before.
The Office Meeting
There’s some truth in most humor, much like the meme of “This meeting could have been done with an e-mail.” While not the case for every meeting in the office, many are often drawn out with banter or discussions that go off track. In the office hallways there always the chance of sidebar encounters on your way to or from the meeting as well. What I’ve experienced the last few months is that most virtual meetings are more focused and efficient; leaving more time to attend to e-mails and tasks.
The “Watercooler”
This term may be dated, but consider it the generic term for the updated kitchens or communal coffee bars that have popped up in offices around the country. Usually decorated and designed to be informal “work” spaces, these are also places where time can slip away. While important for those intangible moments of team building, they are also not the most productive place. In the virtual remote office, the “Watercooler” has been replaced with instant chat, discussion boards or quick ‘Teams” calls.
While these examples are not new for what has traditionally been remote workers, the difference between now and before is the volume of people working remote, or on revised work schedules. While some may return to the office, that environment will also be different. Offices will be incorporating social distancing, traffic flow patterns and “touchless” options at every opportunity. Even with a return to the office, the “Watercooler” and other shared spaces will be more muted.
Regardless of location, in 2020 it seems like we are working more efficiently. As we see the concept of the “Office” shifting for many, so too do I believe we will see a shift in the concept of the work week. Without daily commutes and many of the above distractions, a 10 hour work day could easily be achieved with much less stress and strain. Its entirely plausible that we could see the trend of a 4 day, 40 hour work week start to take hold and the 5 day work week soon become irrelevant.