At nfpResearch, we have been thinking, like almost every other organisation right now, about how the events of recent years have impacted how we work. More people than ever are tele-commuting from their living rooms, and if the headlines are to be believed, returning to the office has become a sore subject for many of them. So, we’re doing a survey to find out how the charity sector is currently choosing to work, which you can take here.
The fact remains that not all work can be done remotely. But where’s it’s an option, there are still those in favour of in-office working. The argument often goes that getting back into the office is good for productivity, good for team morale, and provides a better environment for managers to supervise workflow. Even the Prime Minister got involved this week, claiming that people work better on-site, and supporting a move away from remote working (in his own inimitable way).
There are many who argue the opposite, that office working is an archaic practice that we will never return to. Remote work means that hiring talent from all over the country has become a possibility. Employees also gain previously unheard-of flexibility. For some this is a simple case of skipping the daily commute and saving money amidst the rising cost of living. There are deeper implications to this improved work-life balance though, with a significant boost in quality-of-life going to parents, carers, and less mobile members of the workforce. These demographics can suddenly work more convenient hours without the logistical difficulties of getting in and out of the office every day.
It’s no wonder then that people are stressed about a return to a pre-pandemic work style. As the workforce makes up its mind about how it wants to work, the risk to organisations becomes a loss of talent if they decide on the wrong policy going forward. So, the question becomes whether pandemic-era policy been a temporary fix or the new normal?
We’d love for you to take our survey (no more than 3 minutes long) to tell us how you’re working. Whether you’re senior management or an intern, we want to know how much you’re working in the office, the policies your organisation has chosen, and how happy you are with the approach being taken.
From your responses we’ll be producing a free report, highlighting trends in the sector, and which approaches have been the most popular and well received. This will be available for download from our Free Resources page.
To take our survey, please follow the link below: