As the coronavirus pandemic enters its sixth month, more companies are embracing remote work as a necessary reality in the post COVID-19 economic landscape.
Outdoor company REI even announced Aug. 12 that it was going to sell its newly constructed 8-acre corporate campus before the first employees ever reported to work at the Bellevue, Wash. location.REI President and CEO Eric Artz told employees in a video call that: “the dramatic events of 2020 have challenged us to reexamine and rethink every aspect of our business and many of the assumptions of the past. That includes where and how we work.”
As the summer has unfolded companies, such as Google parent Alphabet Inc. have extended remote work for many employees well into 2021.
Joining Google, with remote work into 2021: Amazon, Group Nine Media, Indeed, RBS, Scotiabank, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Viacom and Warner Music Group.
Some companies have announced that some of their employees can work remotely forever, including Facebook, Shopify, Slack, Square, Twitter and Zillow.
“I hope this will offer the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote to employees, according to CNN Business.
This sea change in how we work is forcing HR to rethink how it rewards and recognizes employees in a remote work world.
Many traditional company culture staples such as gym memberships, group dinners out and company celebrations are not COVID-19 friendly.
"With employees and companies making such strides in work-from-home execution, there's going to be a massive rethinking of just how you build culture," said Cheryl Fields Tyler, CEO of Blue Beyond Consulting, in a Society for Human Resource Management article.
To maintain productivity and engagement HR must find new ways to reward its remote workforce, starting with the realization that flexibility for personal time and customized work schedules are more important than ever with many employees dealing with educating children at home and caring for extended family members.
CEO Arvind Krishna recognized these challenges in a special eight-point pledge which highlighted the human side of his IBM remote workforce. He pledged to:
HR around the country are getting creative to reward its remote workers.
Among the many ideas emerging include:
Struggling with how to handle the next normal as it relates to your employees? You're not alone. Reach out and let us know help you.