Organizational Dilemmas in a Post-Pandemic World
By Katherine Yang-Iott
As I was finalizing our 2022 Covid-19 Regulatory Impact Pulse study report this week, I saw a news headline about the UK launching the largest ever 4-day work week trial, to boost productivity. This caught my attention because our pulse study dives into the pandemic impact on ways of working in regulatory organizations where we see shifts in ‘organizational dilemmas’ as people get used to the idea that there will be no true ‘end’ of the pandemic. How people and companies have been operating for the past 12-18 months is the new normal…and with new norms come new challenges.
Back in 2020, we observed the ‘organizational dilemma’ as a remote work debate. While people enjoyed the flexibilities of remote work, they also expected many companies would want to enforce a ‘back to the office’ norm when the pandemic was over. The conflict was that many people felt they were able to do their jobs just as effectively remotely and preferred the benefits of remote work, hence the dilemma.
Now, our research shows a very clear shift in favor of remote work, both from the workforce (value the benefits in flexibility) and the organization (strong workforce expectations and more access for talent). In 2020, 63% of participants expected their companies to revert to in-office work culture, whereas only 33% state so now. With the remote work debate out the window, we see the emerging dilemma focused on challenges with defining individual boundaries in a virtual work environment. People are having difficulties disconnecting from work because their home life exists within the physical boundaries of their work life, leading to the feeling of being constantly ‘on call’ for the job.
As different unintended consequences of working remotely start to reveal themselves (toll on mental health, working too much, sustaining productivity), people will start to reevaluate what they are giving up vs. gaining from their professional lives.
