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Freedom Within a Framework
COVID-19 ’ s Impact on Remote Work
KRISTEN UPPERCUE
The COVID-19 pandemic shattered traditional office work as we knew it . In March 2020 , those who were used to working consistent hours in an office trekked home , exchanging in-person meetings for virtual ones and commuting for walks to the couch , while suddenly balancing home and work simultaneously .
Prior to the pandemic , nearly a quarter of Americans did at least some of their work remotely , according to the 2019 U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics ’ ( BLS ) American Time Use survey . In May 2020 , 48.7 million people — or 35 % of the employed workforce — reported they had worked remotely due to the pandemic , according to the BLS ’ Current Population survey . This number does not include those who would have worked remotely regardless but does include those who completed more remote work than they would have under pre-pandemic conditions .
For employers and business owners , this meant abruptly adapting remote work policies , adjusting technology and leading employees through new work practices in an already uncertain time .
“ It was important for our firm to continue to serve our clients , so we had to find ways to make adjustments to the way we were doing business ,” says John Culler , CEO and partner at Beyond Marketing in Wheeling , WV . Beyond Marketing is a full-service advertising and public relations firm with nine employees .
Prior to the pandemic , all employees worked in the office five days a week with weekly staff meetings and in-person client meetings . But once the pandemic began , most of Culler ’ s staff began working remotely , having received permission to bring their work computers home . The firm reconfigured its computer server to allow designers to access client files from wherever they were , staff and client meetings were held virtually via Zoom or telephone , and extra cleaning services with sterile misting machines were used to clean the office on a weekly basis .
“ Through the pandemic , workflow and productivity were good . We did have a decrease in business that helped to balance the amount of output ,” Culler says . “ Remote work is less efficient when you need a collaborative business — we work on projects that require a great deal of input from several different areas .”
For the last several months , Culler says Beyond Marketing has performed similarly to what it was doing pre-pandemic . Today — nearly two years since the pandemic began — the organization has returned to in-office work with one team member working remotely . The company does not have a formal policy on vaccine requirements ; however , the entire team has received the COVID-19 vaccine .
“ Before the pandemic , we really did not have a remote work policy but we now use what was learned to work remotely if someone has a concern about their health or out of convenience for our clients ,” Culler says . “ Technology has helped to make the work process a reality . We , along with most other businesses , need to find a path to survive and continue to be viable .”
For public accounting firm Dixon Hughes Goodman LLC ( DHG ), work flexibility was ingrained in its workplace culture long before the pandemic began . By late 2019 , DHG had already assembled a workforce to reimagine the firm ’ s flexibility , which accelerated practically overnight in 2020 .
“ DHG has long considered flexibility
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE