It’s safe to say - COVID-19, the 4th of August explosion, and the ongoing Lebanese financial crisis, have created a vast shift in the workplace.
While some businesses have been struggling, other businesses are currently thriving. The successful companies who used smart decisions to safeguard their employees, new flexible strategies and shifted quickly to online, were able to overcome the crisis. Google, Facebook, Twitter, Fujitsu, Mastercard and others were among the first to adopt these strategies.
Smart management techniques embraced changes quickly and efficiently by using technologies such as videoconferencing, task management software and other digital collaboration tools.
Consumer behavior has also altered. Online communication, online entertainment, and online shopping have witnessed remarkable overnight growth.
The simultaneous changes of business models and consumer behaviors have created a sort of harmony in those who were quick to adapt and a demand for “work from home” jobs.
Benefits
While working remotely can have its challenges, many benefits have surged.
Businesses who adapt to the change and implement flexible processes will find these to be a major asset. These businesses are embracing the “new normal”.
At the same time, they will notice the positive change in productivity that can reach up to 20% according to Bloom, a professor at Stanford University in California. The key here is to have flexible processes, set clear deadlines and avoid micromanaging the team. However, not all employees are more productive at home. In this case, they should find an appropriate environment to ensure productivity, as this is going to be the new norm.
With the virtual model put in place, labor will remain in their hometowns and contribute to the economic development of rural areas. Socialprise, a Lebanese digital marketing and communication agency, has been operating from distance for 15 years now, with a team of Lebanese working in rural areas. Sela P., the Marketing Director at “Socialprise”, says “Working remotely is the greatest working arrangement I have experienced. It also pushes me to be relentlessly self-directed”.
The ongoing COVID-19, the financial crisis and the 4th of August blast left many jobless. Building a freelancer’s online profile by highlighting the unique skills and offering the services online will help many generate revenues.
Here are some tips:
- Consult JobsForLebanon.com, LinkedIn, Hire Lebanese and many others for online job listings.
- Become active on social media by exposing your skills, find creative ways to link digital to your skills.
- Produce unique products at home and sell them online.
The labor market has shifted with a whole new perspective reverting to online websites and social media platforms to promote the products and services. Take for example “watani store”, a Lebanese marketplace that offers its services for free to all Lebanese products and services and connects them to the diaspora. It recruits Lebanese talent to work from their homes. This initiative has embraced the change in the marketplace at all levels. Noha, founder of Oils of Nature, grew her business with watani.store . She says, “The increase in the international demand for my products encouraged me to expand my team who are working from home.”
Challenges
Every change has its own unique set of challenges.
Having access to the correct set of equipment to be productive at home is a major one. Many traditional businesses use desktops at the office. Now, the employees use their personal laptops to work from home. Since international payments are also limited or require fresh dollars, many businesses use the free versions of software to manage their teams. The features are definitely limited, however, they facilitate the workflow.
The communication has hit a wall. With the routine of face-to-face meetings as the roots of communication, the business teams are now forced to adapt to online planning and conversations.
With no physical supervision, task management can be challenging. Here is where the management should implement an online task management system. Common software used are Trello, Asana, Slack, Basecamp, Active Collab, WorkBook, Jira, Monday.com among others.
The base of working from home requires a good internet connection. It is no secret that the quality of internet connection in Lebanon is weak and varies between regions.
Especially with kids at home, managing the time is hard. Things are even harder with kids having to continue their education online. Business owners feel it is justified to communicate with their employees at any time, even late at night. Employees are pressured to finish all tasks because they had no office hours and suddenly everything became urgent. Since the situation is not a temporary one, it is highly recommended to set working hours even at home, for both business owners and employees. After all, having a flexible time to work can boost productivity.
Changing a culture needs a lot of time, especially for the older generation who is not used to using technology to communicate with their team. Businesses need to trust their employees and start assessing their productivity based on the tasks performed, the deadlines that are met and many other criteria using the online tools at hand.
Businesses should take this opportunity to reevaluate their business needs, their costs, and their management strategies by being flexible especially with the team. Employees and home businesses need to learn new skills that they can offer from distance and that will allow them to create a work-life balance. Virtual companies are the future, and it is highly recommended that employees and home businesses learn all the needed skills to work from home efficiently to “future-proof” their career.