Beitrag | EPAKEA

The year 2020 marked the era of Remote Work like never before. With the pandemic forcing millions of workers into new working conditions, companies have had to quickly adapt to this paradigm shift. Zoom embodied this transformation like no other company. In September 2023, Zoom surprised many when they announced they were rethinking their own remote work strategy. What does it mean for remote work if even Zoom brings its employees back to the office?

Change of perspective

Zoom, headquartered in San Jose, California, benefited greatly from the sudden shift to remote work. In an unexpected twist, Zoom announced in September that it would be reintroducing in-person workdays. This decision didn't just surprise me. My thoughts on this...

Zoom's return-to-the-office policy

Zoom's return-to-office policy, unveiled in September, required employees who live within 50 miles of an office to spend at least part of their workweek in the office. This decision may seem strange for a company that has been influential during the remote work boom. However, it underlines a broader trend – the resurgence of face-to-face work, a trend that is also being felt in Switzerland and Germany.

There has been a lot to read about this topic in the past few weeks. Experts emphasize the importance of Zoom's decision. It symbolizes the realignment that is taking place in the workforce. Joan Williams, a professor at the University of California College of the Law, says: “ People are trying to figure out what the new normal is - and that's more like a hybrid workforce." This opinion aligns with my observations and experiences that the future of work is more of a mix of face-to-face and Remote Work could be (see also: Hybrid working environments).

Zoom's hybrid approach

A Zoom spokesperson explains: “We believe a structured hybrid approach is most effective.” This approach recognizes that some form of face-to-face collaboration is essential, while leveraging technology to Remote Work. Zoom's proprietary technology plays an important role in implementing this hybrid model.

A change accelerated by the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic played a critical role in accelerating the transition to hybrid work. Research shows that before the pandemic, only 5% of work hours were spent at home. However, between April and December 2020, this proportion increased to 50%. Raj Choudhury, a professor at Harvard Business School, emphasizes that many companies now see the hybrid approach as the best of both worlds.

Current workplace landscape

Current statistics for the US show that as of October, 30% of full-time employees in the US are working a hybrid work schedule, while another 12% are working fully remotely. Office occupancy in large cities is around 50%. This shows that Remote Work makes up a significant part of the world of work, but there is a noticeable return to the office. Also Roche & Novartis and some banks in Switzerland are reflecting this trend by issuing new instructions on work design. According to reports, communication is not always optimal.

Challenges and employee expectations

However, this change is not without challenges. Some employees have expressed resistance to returning to the office. A Microsoft survey last summer showed that employees would rather change employers than come back to the office. There have been work stoppages at Amazon US and employee frustrations following the announcement of hybrid work models are omnipresent on social media. Employee expectations have changed and employers must balance these with their business needs. Better said, managers must rethink their own role and learn to deal with the changed conditions.

The importance of implementation

How companies approach the transition to hybrid work models is important. This is illustrated by an example from Grinder, where half of the workforce resigned after being forced to return to the office. I am personally aware of three cases from Switzerland,

where employees have left the company. Again, employee expectations, needs and opportunities have changed, and companies need to be flexible and consider the needs and wants of their workforce - especially because the past 3 years have shown that Remote Work can be possible, productive and useful.It should also not be forgotten that Zoom did a lot of things right; the decision to adopt a hybrid working model, in which employees work in the office up to 2 days per week, was a formalization of a long-standing operational practice at Zoom. And it caused much more outrage externally than internally.

My personal conclusion

Zoom's decision to reintroduce face-to-face working days may seem paradoxical at first glance and it initially irritated me (until I had more information.)

It reflects a noticeable trend towards hybrid working models and emphasizes the need for flexibility and personal collaboration.And no, this is not an invitation to managers and CEOs to reintroduce presenteeism (An article on this follows).

The future of work is evolving, and Zoom's approach to it serves as a testament to the adaptability and dynamism required in today's workplace. A potential that should not be underestimated - and secondly is also irrevocable - changes happen, the only question is whether you want to actively help shape it or hope that perseverance is good enough.

In a constantly changing working world, it is crucial to respond flexibly and proactively to your expectations and requirements in order to be successful in the future and also to find suitable employees.

What are your experiences? How does your organization handle the challenges of the different working models, remote – hybrid presence? – I would like to talk to you about that.

I look forward to an appointment with you (Book here).< /p>

And to start with the idea, blue collar workers will also have new expectations and needs when it comes to the organization of their work in the future.