Living through the COVID-19 pandemic has forced employers and companies to rethink the notion of the ‘traditional’ workplace. The traditional career map needs a new model as the pandemic saw employees sent home to complete their daily tasks rather than come into work everyday. Employers quickly lost control of having their team in one place, making the traditional workplace almost vanish overnight.

​As employees gradually come back to work, they are now demanding a new way of working. At 2XM Recruit, we have devised a list of how companies should be rethinking the traditional workplace in order to keep valuable staff.

FLEXIBILITY

Is your employee a mother? Do they like playing social sport on a Tuesday night? Companies need to acknowledge that their employees are people with – sometimes stressful and busy – lives outside of their 9-5.

They might have an urgent doctor’s appointment where they can only get in during work hours, or their child might have a presentation that they want to attend. Employers need to offer flexibility because the reality is that there are not enough hours in a day! ​

TRANSPARENCY

Often you will find that workplaces with a great culture have transparent managers and leaders. This means sharing the good, bad and not so fun information with your team without oversharing on the minor details.

It also invites open and honest conversations. Didn’t like how your company dealt with COVID-19? Would you prefer a system be managed better at work? These points allow for a constructive and honest conversation, hopefully leading to a better workplace for your employees. ​

SHOW COMPASSION & SUPPORT

We are beyond the old-fashioned social construct of not being able to air your thoughts and feelings in a workplace. In the past, this could have been seen as weak by an employee, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many employers and employees to be compassionate.

Whether it was because people could not see their family, or someone was struggling with working remotely, showing compassion needed to be adopted as an everyday workplace practice. As we gradually go back to normal life, it should continue to be within all workplaces.

​It is no longer a matter of if, but when all workplaces will adopt a non-traditional model of work. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a new way of working, where employees who are starting to go back to the office are realising that they are going to require that sense of flexibility, transparency and compassion to continue working. We are all humans at the end of the day!

At 2XM Recruit, we pride ourselves on being industry leaders across the mining, construction, engineering and rail sectors in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. We would love to hear how your company responded to COVID-19, and how they built flexibility into their workplace. Contact us now for strategies to push on despite the challenges of COVID-19!