In an Era of “Living With COVID”, Companies Need Hybrid Working Plans to Survive
- Long-term investment to prepare for continued uncertainty will be critical to success
Global leaders have suggested we are “on the threshold”1 of an era of “living with Covid”. Questionmark, the leading online assessment provider, urges employers to commit to long-term plans for hybrid working to secure employee loyalty and drive productivity.
For employers, the era of “living with Covid” brings clarity but not necessarily a return to normality. A global survey revealed four out of five (83%) business and IT decision-makers think at least a quarter of workers will remain hybrid post-pandemic. Yet, crucially, barely a third feel adequately prepared.
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Employers must support staff to adapt with hybrid certification programs to test and impart new skills and workplace behaviors. Hybrid compliance tests can make sure employees work safely, collaborate and communicate with customers effectively.
John Kleeman, Founder of Questionmark, said: “One lesson of the global pandemic is that the only thing we can be certain of is uncertainty. Hybrid working is here to stay. Now is the time to plan and invest, particularly in areas that can be delivered equally well online or face to face, such as training and assessment. Companies can no longer wait to see what happens with the pandemic. Those that do risk losing out to competitors with a stronger story to tell about ‘living with’ and ‘working with’ Covid.”
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In areas such as team management, staff training and assessment, hybrid approaches will be the key to success.
Questionmark is urging employers to have a scalable platform in place that allows for a consistent user experience, whether for training or working in person or online. To help determine the best approach, assessing employee skills, attributes and preferences can help shape company policy for the “living with Covid” era.
Questionmark has published a paper giving advice on creating productive and informed working arrangements in a world living with COVID-19. “Managing a post-pandemic workforce” is available to download now, while it has also released a video on business planning in an uncertain world.
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