IACC External Meetings Demand Report 2022

Additionally, the way of leading a team has drastically changed due to the pandemic. Pre COVID-19, leaders were able to easily control a team as they were often together in a central office. Now with the decentralised work environment, teams are spread out and often working from separate places (Alexander et al., 2021). Leaders can also stress the necessity of discipline and set limits. People who work entirely on their own tend to be less productive over time, despite spending greater hours than they did in the office. They lose their sense of direction and frame of reference. The distinction between working and not working is blurring. Workers at home do not get signals about when to turn off the lights, so they do not know when to turn them off. As a result, leaders may explain that there is a difference between work and play, and they can model this behaviour in their own behaviour (Thomas, n.d.). 2.2.3 Transformation Post Pandemic In just a few months COVID-19 changed the workplace place, forcing different and flexible ways of working, post-pandemic. The working community is now entering the era of workplace 2.0 (Prossack, 2021). Working from home has given the workplace a new meaning. What was once called an office, meeting room, etc. has become now a home or coffee shop. As the world begins to re-open, many businesses are trying to establish their new rules for work. Some changes will be permanent, others will not. Areas that are expected to stay in the post COVID- 19 workplace are: 1. Speed rate of digital transformation From physical to virtual locations, there is an expanding variety of platforms that comprise what we may call the 'workplace,' or the environment where we do our work. As society grows more interconnected through digital and physical platforms, the number of platforms for performing job activities has grown quickly. The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased demand for remote technologies that support virtual environments, as mentioned in the environmental research. Many see the working circumstances during COVID-19 lockdowns as solid proof that remote working can be successful, therefore advancing digital transformation trends. This also demonstrates that hybrid work is becoming the new normal, as mentioned in paragraph 2.1.3. Many businesses will utilise a hybrid approach in which people work from the office part of the week and remotely the rest of the time. One major benefit of hybrid employment is that it provides maximum flexibility for both individuals and businesses. It enables employees to gather and work in a physical office space, when necessary, while also providing flexibility in work locations when face-to-face cooperation is not required. The element of digital transformation will change the function of the present working environment and raise the demand for technological advancement that can assist track and managing resources while lowering capital and operational costs (Shelly, 2020). 2. Adoption of remote working Post COVID-19, remote work has become an attractive option for many employees. As the world begins to open back up, remote employees are now able to work from anywhere they have the power and an internet connection, turning work from home into work from anywhere. For employees who relocated during the pandemic, the option to continue remotely could end up being the deciding factor in keeping their job or looking for new employment (Prossack, 2021). 3. Hygiene Consideration As mentioned in paragraph 2.1.1 one of the current trends in the market is hygiene. This means that Post COVID-19, touch-free technology in offices will become increasingly essential, and it may potentially be used

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