Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 56

The Last Word
Have We Changed
How We Do Business?
An assortment of industry stakeholders weighs in on how day-to-day
business operations have changed three years after the pandemic's onset.
Compiled and with an introduction by Mark Okern
THE PAST THREE YEARS
have brought significant
changes to the way that
businesses conduct their
operations. The shift to
remote work and the increased
use of digitalcommunication
tools have
forced many companies to
reevaluate their strategies
and find new ways to collaborate
effectively.
The reactions to these
changes have varied widely.
Some companies have
embraced new ways of
working, quickly adapting to
the use of new or expanded
tools and strategies. Others,
meanwhile, have struggled
to adapt, finding it difficult
to maintain the same level
of connection among team
members - to say nothing
of connecting with customers
and suppliers.
These days, one of the
commonest challenges
that organizations confront
is the lack of face-to-face
interaction. The loss of
informal conversations and
impromptu meetings has
made it more difficult for us,
as humans, to build relationships
and establish trust.
Additionally, some
companies have found it
56
hard to maintain company
culture and remote-employee
engagement, struggling
to sustain the same level of
productivity and motivation
among team members.
More Diverse,
More Dispersed
To be sure, not all changes
have been negative. Some
companies have found the
shift to remote work beneficial,
as it has allowed them
to attract a more diverse and
geographically dispersed
workforce. Moreover, it has
enabled them to reduce
costs associated with office
space and other logistical
expenses. And multiple research
studies have pointed
out how remote work has increased
productivity among
knowledge workers.
My personal experience
has been that organizations
that embraced remote work
- especially those that did
so prior to the pandemic
- have fared better due to
infrastructure and processes
already being in place and
contributing to their culture.
That's far better than having
had to create all that while
under the various stresses of
recent years.
Commercial Integrator MARCH 2023
Everyone in the collaboration industry has been greatly impacted
by the pandemic and the changes resulting from it.
What's ultimately undeniable
is that everyone in the
collaboration industry has
been greatly impacted by
the pandemic - for better
or worse - and the changes
resulting from it.
Accordingly, I asked a few
of our colleagues the following
question: Have you made
any significant, long-term
changes to the way your
clients and you conduct
business and operations in
light of the last three years?
Of course, the responses
leaned toward how people
are communicating. I was
surprised not only by the
overall positive personal response
to current tools but
also by how it was reflected
across both those who were
established remote workers
and those who, arguably,
had not been longtime
advocates of this kind of
technology.
At right, our various respondents
share their thoughts.
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Commercial Integrator March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator March 2023
