Since the turn of the century staff have put pressure on employers regarding the work/life balance. Is this beneficial to the customer?
The coronavirus lockdown, whilst important in minimising the transmission of the virus, has brought about a change in business attitude towards staff and the customer. This blog poses a number of questions as to why this should be. In doing so it is important to foresee the impact of a number of issues which seem to signal change in the future.
Some 2/3 years on we need to ask ourselves whether the lockdown is still being used by business to effect change with a view to profiting under the guise of Covid-19’s effect on the economy?
There appears to have been a shift in employers’ attitude to staff. Does working from home weaken the productivity of these employees?
Does working from home weaken the productivity of employees?
Have employers introduced effective means of monitoring the performance of those working from home?
The willingness of staff to work from home suggests a dramatic change in employees’ commitment to their posts. Can we forecast how long this might last, what will it lead to and what percentage of staff working from home will become the norm in the longer term?
Since the turn of the century staff have put pressure on employers regarding the work/life balance. Is Covid-19 giving employers the opportunity to bring this change about without openly appearing to concede to staff pressure?
What impact has this realignment of staff working conditions on the quality of customer service?
Successful companies strike a balance in their day to day operation between the profitability of the business and the quality of service provided to their customers. Can one expect this still continue in future?
Experience over the last 2/3 years appears to suggest that this balance cannot be taken for granted as the outcome of the lockdown appears to have led to a higher degree of staff orientation on the part of employers, which will inevitably create a negative outcome on the quality of customer service. Again, will this be embedded in future trading or will businesses revert to pre-virus times?
One hopes that this questioning of the perceived effects on issues arising as a result of the pandemic will make us all think more deeply on the inhibitors to maintaining the quality customer service a successful business strives to maintain.
Sam Taylor
Guest Editor