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HOW TO APPROACH THE TECH-LIFE BALANCING ACT FOR EMPLOYEES
Technology allowed many to work from home during the pandemic , but this easy transition meant that some employees could not switch off as they constantly had access to their work computer and network . Euan Davis , European Lead , Cognizant ’ s Centre for the Future of Work , explains how companies now need to work on hybrid workplace practices to ensure employees have a good work-life balance .
Digital technology has never been more essential to our working lives than during the past 12 months when large portions of our society have been working remotely , in many cases for the first time .
Digital technology has allowed us to interact , collaborate and access our work and the wider world at the push of a button . It has been essential for communicating with friends , family , colleagues and loved ones , for accessing our exercise classes , book clubs , live entertainment and , of course , the tools we need to do our work . As we have all adapted to changing circumstances , it has never been more possible to bring the office into our homes or to function as close to ‘ normal ’ from anywhere . Now , we have to consider how and where we will work in the future .
Expectations are that some remote working practices will remain in place for many of us even after offices are able to reopen safely , and this will lead to a rise in hybrid workforces . This will mean employees are split , with some staff in the office and others working from home on any given day . The remote working practices we have all adopted over the past year were by no means a pandemic-only response ; they are here to stay and will offer much-desired flexibility in the longer term , as well as the ability for buildings to balance safety requirements in the immediate future where full capacity may not be possible .
At the same time , many cannot wait to get back to an actual workplace and be surrounded by their
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