MORE companies have been calling workers back to the office, but few are readily returning. In fact, a recent survey of more than 1,000 workers in the United States found that just 25 per cent would like to go back to work at their company’s office on a full-time basis. At the other end of the spectrum, says the survey, conducted by Robert Half International, a global human resource consulting firm based in Menlo Park, California, one in three workers said they would look for a new job if their employer required them to come back to the office full time.

With COVID-19, many organisations were forced to adopt work from home (WFH) or some sort of hybrid to ensure that their employees stayed safe. The longer the pandemic dragged on for, however, the more comfortable some employees have gotten with WFH, and in some countries, it has become the model for the future.

Some local companies have done very well with the WFH model, and the prime minister has always been advocating for those who can, to allow their workers to WFH. Career & Education sat down with Cecile Cooper, country chief culture and human development officer, JMMB Group, to discuss WFH and the future.

C&E: How has your organisation evolved to adapt to the new workspace? What does your office look like now, compared to 2019?

CC: JMMB Group, as part of its human resource best practices, has always embraced the flexi-work model to varying degrees prior to COVID-19. As a result of the exigencies of the pandemic, the adaptation of the flexi-work model already in train was significantly accelerated in line with the adoption by most, if not all stakeholders globally. JMMB Group first sought to protect the life and livelihood of its team members by responding to the novel coronavirus in the early stages with the necessary work-from-home options deployed. The company then formalised its remote working arrangements (RWA) which had as its objective the conversion of roles that were compatible for permanent remote work options. As a result, there has been a significant number of persons enrolled in the first cohort of the RWA programme. This programme is based on an eligibility criteria established by the organisation, that is, the team member’s role and productivity capacity, and the need to maintain client confidentiality and data security to ensure a win-win situation is created in the best interest of all stakeholders. Going forward, as part of the company’s recruitment strategy, individuals will also be hired in eligible roles to work remotely, in keeping with the team member eligibility criteria.

A major shift the organisation has seen is an increased number of team members working from home either fully or partially. Since the pandemic less than 42 per cent of the JMMB Group team members work full-time in office; these work on site teams consisting mainly of front line team members. Approximately 47 per cent function within a hybrid solution and 11 per cent have worked remotely, since the Government announced the work-from-home order in March 2020. To support this shift in its remote options, the company has not only deepened its already rolled out stringent cybersecurity measures, but also has rolled out a more structured framework to implement additional technology and manage a broader cross section of the teams working remotely.

Under the RWA programme, those team members assigned to work permanently from home will only be on site for collaboration and other face-to-face meetings, in common or agile spaces. In extending care to its team members, JMMB Group also afforded team members to work from home partially or on rotation, including those team members with parenting needs or sheltering due to unique COVID-19 vulnerabilities. For the latter group, where their roles are not compatible for remote working, the company re-deployed them to other departments or assigned them to value-added projects as it began the phased introduction of its formal RWA since the pandemic.

C&E: Some employers have found that their employees can be just as productive working from home, as in the office, is it likely that you’ll continue this more fluid way of working post-COVID?

CC: JMMB Group, which operates in an high trust environment, has always held the belief that team members can maximise their productivity with the right tools, support and guidelines; and with new possibilities and the changes in the future of work, the company has decided to broaden its remote work policy framework. As such, the company plans to further expand the scope of the current flexible work arrangements to include a partial hybrid option, which would see eligible team members rotating between on site and remote modes, under specific circumstances in line with the needs of the organisation.

C&E: How big of a challenge is tracking employee productivity during WFH, and how have you managed this?

CC: The JMMB Group seeks to support its team so that they are set up for success and are able to maximise their productivity during remote working. As such, the company has maintained its ongoing performance management programme and enhanced its coaching and other support services such as online counselling services to ensure that team members can maintain work-life balance, which is a key component to a productive team. Based on the company’s ongoing performance management, there has been no fall-off in the team’s productivity as evidenced by the company’s profit of J$7.7B for the 2020/21 financial year, an increase of nine per cent during a challenging year.

Additionally, the company has rolled out a full curriculum and orientation programme designed to train its team members who are a part of the RWA programme to make this mindset shift, so that they can maximise their productivity and balance the new realities. The curriculum entails leading remotely with hybrid and WFH teams; stress management, maintaining work-life-balance; effective use of Microsoft Teams, among other topics.

C&E: How do you ensure that there’s still open communication and support, and that employees are kept connected and engaged, even while remote?

CC: In recognition of the need to balance safety and productivity while keeping the connection, communication and the culture alive, the company introduced a team engagement initiative dubbed, Togetherness Thursdays Re-imagined, in October 2020. This initiative allows team members to come together virtually on a monthly basis, and has taken the form of a Versus Battle showdown; topical panel discussions; team updates and demonstrations. Additionally, teams are encouraged to maintain departmental lymes and meetings, while adhering to COVID-19 protocols, to keep the fun, communication and engagement high. The team is also updated about new developments and happenings through e-mails and other internal communication channels on a regular basis.

As the constraints of the COVID-19 protocols abate, going forward the company will be able to enhance and restore many of the face-to-face activities that the team is accustomed to engaging in and expressing themselves according to the unique vision of love in a fun-filled and family environment.