How the Pandemic Could Change the Workplace Beyond 2020
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How did the pandemic immediately rewrite the rules of the workplace?
Here's your Money Briefing for Monday, December 28th. I'm J.R. Whalen for The Wall Street Journal. The pandemic rewrote the rules of the workplace in 2020. Virtual meetings replaced conference room sessions, and the commute was measured in steps, not miles. But as we enter 2021 and more companies plan how they'll reopen the office, both employers and their workers will adapt to a brave new world of workplace rules.
a lot of employees are going to push the envelope and say, pound the table, I demand to work from home. And they're going to have to have some companies and some leaders that stand up and say, here's why we're not going to do that.
That's Tom Gimbel, CEO of the LaSalle Network staffing firm. Coming up, he'll discuss how the staffing process has changed and how the pandemic has thrust managers into uncharted territory. That's after the break.
The home office took on a whole new meaning in 2020 after the pandemic forced most workers to set up their desks in their kitchen or living room. But what can we expect in 2021? Let's bring in Tom Gimbel, CEO of the LaSalle Network staffing company, for his thoughts.
Which jobs must remain on-site versus which can work remotely?
Tom, thanks for being here.
Good to be with you, JR.
So let's talk about the workplace and how it's changed this year. Seems like working remotely has affected pretty much everything.
Yeah, it's interesting. I would say that work has changed or the workplace has changed because there isn't one anymore for a lot of companies in this virtual world. But I think it's a temporary fix or a temporary situation. I don't think the long term solution will be remote work.
How will company culture influence decisions about returning to the office?
So what's been required of companies and employers to adapt to this new world, you know, even though it might not be permanent?
Well, that's the really interesting thing that exists today. I mean, if you take something that we are all seeing and giving congratulations to, like the medical professional, right? So what makes a hospital run? Well, there's the doctors and the nurses, but then there's also the administrative staff that greet families and patients. and patients and there's back office people administrators and executives and then there's billing departments and finance and marketing and and you have this competing set of criteria needed to do the job and that is frontline workers in any industry whether it's garbage men or water department or whatever and delivery drivers for food and then you have the people that don't need to be in the office
And you have this intersection. And I think that's the real challenge that most companies have had are the people that have to be in the office and then those that don't. And trying to balance the necessity versus want and trying to make sure that people understand and respect each other's situations.
What recruiting and hiring changes did companies adopt during 2020?
Is there any precedent for all of this or any kind of a blueprint we can look back on?
Moving forward, I think it'll really be what companies want their culture to be and what companies are gonna feel strong enough to stand up for what they believe is right and not bow to the pressure of employee wants and demands. And that's really the biggest challenge that we're gonna have moving forward is a lot of employees are gonna push the envelope and say, pound the table, I demand to work from home. And you're going to have to have some companies and some leaders that stand up and say, here's why we're not going to do that. And what really wanes during remote work is collaboration and onboarding of new employees. If you're a company that's going to stay the same size with the same people and the same tenure, remote work may be okay.
But it's very hard to collaborate and innovate when you're not together.
Now let's talk about the staffing process, everything from how companies handle applications to the actual hiring. What changes did we see this year?
So that's been something that is really fascinating and I think terrific, is that companies have realized that the recruiting and interview process can be expedited using technology. We all knew it before.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did the pandemic immediately rewrite the rules of the workplace?
0:05–1:16
2
Which jobs must remain on-site versus which can work remotely?
1:16–1:41
3
How will company culture influence decisions about returning to the office?
1:41–2:50
4
What recruiting and hiring changes did companies adopt during 2020?
2:50–4:15
5
Are performance reviews handled differently after months of remote work?
4:15–5:08
6
How should employees prepare emotionally and factually when asking for a raise?
5:08–6:22
7
What mental‑health supports should employers offer for remote workers?
6:22–7:08
8
When and how might companies bring employees back, and what will reentry look like?
7:08–12:29
Speakers
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