WorkFlex - Future Flexible Work Policies and Processes for Software Development Companies

The COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly led to a historic change in perceptions about working from home. Today, companies realize that their employees' hopes for the future differ greatly. Some can't wait to return to the office, some come back reluctantly, some want to visit the office a few days a week and some want to continue working from home. The ability to work from home became an important advantage for job seekers and companies had to change their work policies.

Purpose

WorkFlex aims to establish a holistic view of the future phenomenon of the hybrid workplace and gain rich practical insights on how to support remote workers, hybrid teams and companies.

Implementation

Studies of pandemic work show that it has its opportunities and challenges. While most engineers report that they are unaffected or increased their productivity, others are significantly hindered by the home working, and more so the teams, which moved from localized synchronous interaction to fully remote, computer-mediated. Reported challenges with asynchronous communication, collaboration breakdowns and structural silos signal possible negative impacts on quality, productivity and innovation. In the future, some companies choose not to risk and force employees back to the office by introducing mandatory office days or percentage of time spent on-site, others opt for full flexibility and even allow employees to move globally. Approaches to office space also differ. Some plan major changes, some focus on co-working spaces in the hope of attracting back employees, others drastically reduce office space.

Predicting the impact of these strategies in terms of retaining staff, keeping them happy, while maintaining the company culture and the smooth running of the business in the long term, is not easy. Challenges for the future include meeting the diverse needs of individuals and teams and ensuring effective organizational functioning: 1) job satisfaction, well-being and sense of belonging, 2) performance, 3) operations, 4) communication and collaboration, and 5) efficiency and flow.