Since March of 2020, when the first novel coronavirus case was identified in Jamaica, companies across the island have put in place several measures to deal with the situation.

One of these measures was the introduction of a work-from-home (WFH) policy.

The Business Observer sought the views of several company managers on the WFH policy.

Their responses are published below.

For the GraceKennedy Group, which has over 2000 employees in the region, in business segments where WFH has been used over the last 15 months, productivity increased to the point where protocols have had to be put in to ensure staff members were taking adequate rest breaks, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Don Wehby told the Business Observer.

“A return to the office for those working from home will depend on the levels of full vaccination.

“With the exception of manufacturing, banking, Western Union, and other critical areas requiring that staff be present, as much as 60 per cent of staff were now operating from home.

“With the Government opening up the economy, what I would say is that we will approach it very carefully in terms of people being back at work.

“We have been encouraging our staff to get vaccinated. Once they are fully vaccinated, they can come into office at least three days each week. Hopefully, during the summer months, we will get higher vaccination levels. I will make a decision in September on work from home. As to the question of everyone returning to work, I don’t see that happening for now. Some have children at home,” Wehby said.

For other entities, WFH did not work well and was abandoned over time, replaced instead with social distancing protocols.

Derrick Cotterell, CEO of distribution and retail operation Derrimon Trading Limited said most of the company positions (particularly in the retail part of the business) could not be performed remotely.

“The results of working from home were mixed. For a few positions it worked fairly well, but based on the feedback from the staff, almost all prefer working in the office on a regular day-to- day basis, but like the option of possible work from home if the need arises.

“Team members with children found some benefits from the work-from-home option when their children were at home as it saved costs, and they could personally monitor the children’s programme,” Cotterell shared.

Other companies surveyed over the last week by the Business Observer feel that work from home will continue to be a feature of their operations for the foreseeable future, especially with the slow pace of vaccination.

Tyrone Wilson, president of skills provider ICreate, which employs less than 50 in its ecosystem, sees it as an opportunity for companies to digitise and continue moving.

“I believe all companies should continue to have a work-from-home policy of some sort. There are obvious benefits to individuals and businesses. As we move forward into a more digital society, we will be more able to facilitate a robust work experience that doesn’t only rely on staff and customers visiting a physical location to get business done.

“At iCreate, ,” Wilson said.

Realtor Howard Johnson Jr, CEO of Howard Johnson Realty Limited, has whittled office staff down to a bare minimum, and says any full resumption of office schedules will depend on who has been able to secure inoculation against COVID-19.

“Individuals and companies have to assess the risks that come with the return to ‘business as usual’. This may include how many team members are inoculated, the provision of protocols within the working environment, and just general adjustments based on lessons learnt. I note that it also is not mandatory to force persons to take the vaccination, which can have an impact on ‘work from work’ orders.”

Wilson outlined that, currently, only six team members are allowed in office at any given time, which includes one receptionist, two property management members, two agents, and himself.

At event management company Main Event, which offers event management and other services related to the entertainment industry, a slimmer operation has emerged since the advent of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“The pandemic has cost us a lot and has made us nimbler. What we thought we needed in the past were our wants. We now know, much better, what our needs are versus our wants,” Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Main Event Richard Bair said.

CEO at Main Event Solomon Sharpe on the subject of remote working said that work from home should last as long as the threat of COVID-19 is hanging over our heads.

“We at Main Event have had to downsize our operations to work from home. The revenue- generation activities since the onset of COVID-19 have not required on-site work. Where it is critical to work from the office, we have limited the number of individuals and we have created a hot desk (known as M-Desk), where space can be booked to work as required. Work from home has allowed us to save people in their safest space, which is usually home, not in the office.

“Now that our industry is opening again, we will be doing quite a bit of work on the outside. However, based on scientific utterances, being outside is safer than working within closed walls.

“Main Event has been a very agile, nimble business. We have to maintain the same amount of dynamism and be flexible in response to clients’ needs, and be flexible in responding to the environment which the Government has permitted us to operate in.

“When I started this business, it was started as work from home, which eventually became a structured workplace environment. In times of crisis we also must go back to the basics. With the advent of Microsoft Teams, we have been able to have very dynamic and productive meetings. We invested in it three years ago and it has been a very good tool for us in time,” Sharpe said.

At Lasco Financial Services where just over 55 per cent of staff are operating from home, Managing Director Jacinth Hall-Tracey said that WFH/telecommuting is an area that was being considered by many forward-thinking companies even before the onslaught of the pandemic.

“I believe the work-from-home arrangements should remain in force as a permanent fixture. As a matter of fact, where this may be facilitated, it would solve challenges related to space constraints, as well as control overhead expenses,” she said.

Hall-Tracey said that positives attached to WFH included the finding that productivity increased for some roles as they seem to be more focused in an uninterrupted space and reduction in overhead expenditure with less people on site.

“There has been abuse for some roles that need tight monitoring, so measures must be implemented to record deliverables and track performance. Yet, another problem emerging has been mental fatigue as staff members have not been able to interact/socialise in break sessions,” Hall-Tracey said.

Currently, she explained, the role/function of the team member is the determinant of whether a work-from-home arrangement can be engaged.

“In our business we serve customers, therefore, customer facing staff would not be able to work from home. Support staff, however, have been placed on a schedule, where they are in office on specific days and work remotely on some.

Monica Young, director of human resources at Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited (MMS), notes that some services cannot be done remotely.

“Where it has been permitted, positives are a reduction in the number of employees at the office, thereby reducing exposure to COVID-19, higher productivity in some categories since employees do not observe the normal working hours, and less unplanned absences.”

“There are concerns surrounding the security of company resources, the suitability of remote work locations, and poor connectivity issues to allow performance of duties.

“The use of work from home has been dependent on whether the duties can be performed efficiently remotely and whether the resources are available to perform those duties,” Young said.