Work from home has created many kinds of anxieties and worries for employees, leaders and managers. Employers are constantly looking for ways to keep the teams engaged & connected. They are exploring various platforms, tools and methods to connect and collaborate with team members. Managers are adapting the ways of working to accomplish all the tasks and functions on a virtual platform. A key concern for employees and managers, in this scenario is their ability to use the digital tools & platforms and to transition their activities from Physical to Virtual.
UiPath conducted a survey of 4,500 office workers across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, India, and Singapore, in February and March 2020. (source: https://www.uipath.com/newsroom/employees-around-the-globe-demand-new-skills-training-from-their-employers) . According to this survey, almost 50% of the employees are apprehensive of losing their jobs within next 5 years. They feel that their current skills will need to be enhanced ( Upskilling) and they will need to learn new skills (Reskilling) to remain productive, and not to become obsolete.
In the context of work-from-home, Reskilling involves not just the ability to operate the virtual platform and tools , but to also seamlessly use these for conducting day to day activities. A common misconception is that using a digital platform is nothing but about making a video call. It is a video call but with immense potential to do a lot more. Managers & Leaders can leverage this potential to their benefit.
Imagine a scenario where an HR talent acquisition manager has to conduct a recruitment drive for multiple positions. In a physical scenario, it involves many candidates, different Interviewers in separate rooms, a process of moving candidates from round x to round y across rooms depending on their selection, conducting psychometric testing and many such activities. All the while the HR manager coordinates and ensures that everyone is engaged and the process is streamlined. Now, think of the same scenario on a virtual platform. Is it possible to conduct a recruitment drive while keeping the same processes in place ?
The answer is Yes. With the advanced platforms and tools available today, it is possible to conduct such drives completely online while ensuring the same experience, effectiveness and results as one would achieve in a physical world. It is possible to create virtual rooms to segregate candidates & interviewers based on roles, to manage candidate progress from one round to other, and to administer a test, all on the same call, and while maintaining absolute privacy for every candidate being interviewed.
Similar and many more such business scenarios such as employee induction, Sales/product/process reporting, Reviews, Branch visits, Strategy meetings, Client Meets, among others, can be managed virtually.
It is time to accept that the virtual world & platforms are real and very much part of our daily work life.