In the last year, companies across our industry, country and the world were challenged to quickly adopt a fully remote workforce. Like with most changes, it took a short transition to figure out how to stay engaged, support our clients, and juggle the demands of our home lives (during a pandemic no less).
Now, almost 16 months later, we have realized how beneficial remote work can be to us individually, and as a business. And we are not alone. Big automotive industry brands like Stellantis[1], Ford[2], and General Motors[3] are stepping up to set new standards, too.
Not surprisingly, Gallup reports that 59% of people want to continue working remotely as much as possible even after COVID-19[4]. Who can blame them? Not only does the extra time saved in commuting give us a chance to pursue personal interests or healthy habits, but it also gives us autonomy to build a more personalized workspace that pushes us to do our best work based on the work we have going on.
COVID-19 has also pushed people to evaluate where they live, and as a result, we’re seeing tech hubs and creative talent migrate to new places like our GSM’s beloved Houston[5]. This only helps us build a stronger bench of diverse talent and allows us to stay agile enough to meet the unexpected head on.
The bottom line is, we believe our teams need continued flexibility for the long run. We trust them to make the right decisions and work with their leaders to collaborate in person when it’s most valuable or beneficial to do so. Where our team gets their work done from matters less to us than how engaged they are in the work, and their ability to contribute to our long-term goals.
In the next couple of months, we will safely reopen our offices again and adopt a ‘Work Flexibly’ standard. This means the way we will use the office space and how our teams return will look different.
Based on the needs of the role, some positions will be designated as Fully Remote where individuals will spend 90%+ of their time in a home office or on the road visiting our clients. All other associates will come to the office at least 16 hours per week – and how they allocate those 16 hours is up to them.
Common work areas and shared spaces will be open and available for teams to meet and collaborate. The office space is reimagined as a place for collaboration, team building and fundamental social capital[6]. We’ll continue to leverage technology like Microsoft Teams, Google and more to foster flexible interactions whether people are working from home, an office or elsewhere.
The case for change is clear. The global workforce has new, elevated expectations on autonomy and flexibility to do their best work where it works best for them. Count us in!
[1] Wayland, Michael. "Automaker Stellantis expects employees to work remotely most of the time under new plan." CNBC, May 7, 2021.
[2] Kelly, Jack. “Iconic American Automaker Ford Motor Says Employees Can Work From Home ‘Indefinitely’ With Its Newly Redesigned Hybrid In-Office And Remote Model.” Forbes, March 21, 2021.
[3] Lutz, Hannah. “GM launches ‘Work Appropriately’ flexible work standard.” Automotive News, April 20, 2021.
[4] Brenan, Megan. “U.S. Workers Discovering Affinity for Remote Work.” Gallup, April 3, 2020.
[5] Hart, Kim. “COVID-19 scatters tech hubs for young talent.” Axios, May 10, 2021.
[6] Baym, Nancy; Larson, Jonathan; Martin, Ronnie. “What a Year of WFH Has Done to Our Relationships at Work.” Harvard Business Review, March 22, 2021.