This article ‘Salesforce declares the 9-to-5 workday dead, will let some employees work remotely from now on‘ sets the scene for some transformation of the work environment in the wake of the Covid crisis (this was as a reaction to a Salesforce post itself ‘Creating a Best Workplace from Anywhere, for Everyone‘).
The idea is that while most employees will still be encouraged to drop by the office 1 to 3 days per week, they will be given far more flexibility in their work hours and conditions than previously. Some will even be allowed to work fully remotely. “An immersive workspace is no longer limited to a desk in our Towers; the 9-to-5 workday is dead; and the employee experience is about more than ping-pong tables and snacks“
Fully office-based employees are now expected to be only a very small percentage of the workforce and even for them, more flexible workhours may well be the norm.
As I have often said in this blog, crisis do accelerate changes and this is definitely one that is due to happen, in particular as we work increasingly globally through videoconference and across time-zones.
The way we relate to our work, how much time it takes in our day, where and when we work, is due a complete overhaul. The 9 to 5 arrangement of the Industrial Age is now obsolete.
