The early 20th Century has been described as an age of extremes. It was a period characterised by external shocks, namely the devastating effects of two world wars, rampaging influenza in the 20s, the crippling effects of the wall street crash in 1929 and an ideological tussle between the US and the USSR. All these external events tested two principle human constraints, the human need for security and group identity (Howard M C, King J E, 2008). The response was staggering, the size of the state expanded to the swings of Keynesianism, welfare systems were created to cradle citizens from birth to death, workers rights were written into the consciousness of policymakers and civil rights found their voice in a time of fierce power competition. The pandemic has brought to light the fragility of our way of life and has revealed the thawing inequalities of society. So just as the age of extremes brought about sweeping changes in our political, economic and social structures, the pandemic has shown the need for a new social contract in working relations. The worker’s rights of the 20th century were focused on the physical and contractual wellbeing of labour, there now needs to be new protections for the mental wellbeing of workers. Additionally, workers welfare should be enhanced by the liberalizing effects of working from home and as such firms need to accept that workers will demand more flexibility.
Awareness of mental health has been growing in recent years and firms have been fast to implement human resources and safety nets in their ecosystems. This makes sense for two reasons; a happy workforce is more productive and caring for the mental wellbeing of employees promotes job retention. However, over the last year, peoples private and professional lives have been fused by the converging power of zoom, Microsoft teams and remote working systems. The struggles of burn out, social isolation and the creeping erosion of leisure time, have all contributed to mental wellbeing deteriorating in many people. It has become harder for managers to turn a blind eye to the human needs of their workers and there is now the realisation that team cohesion is just as important as personal development. Moreover, the use of video calls has increased transparency and ultimately worked to create a more linear structure of communication. Thus, it is hard to ignore the mental health of your workers when their K-nine companions crash the conference call or their stampeding children escape from their digital classrooms. Some firms have responded swiftly by sending care packages of goodies, coordinating art classes, distributing pilgrim’s pizza kits to the far-flung corners of their remote workforce or leading experiments in cocktail nights, cheese tasting and remote movie nights. The interactions between workers have become a strategic priority and as such the mental fitness of employees rely on such initiatives to maintain team spirit, self-worth and a culture of appreciation. Firms that are slow to move on mental support will see the motivation and productivity of the workforce wain. It is the interest of all actors to ensure that the way we think of people’s mental health is just as important as physical health.
Attitudes to work are already changing. The government has shifted its attention to protecting employment rather than scrutinising national debt. Equally, lawmakers are eyeing up new regulations and protections for workers who opt for remote work in the future. Large banks, such as HSBC announcing its intention in moving 1200 employees to permanent work from home contracts, have accepted the changing dynamics of work. Additionally, large hosts of companies have announced their intention to allow staff to work from home 2-3 days a week and create smaller, more focused office spaces. Consequently, the city of London is planning to repurpose office space into housing and creative hubs. Therefore, the future of work should allow workers to have more flexibility in how they choose to work and should foster greater trust in working relations.
Overall, attitudes have changed, and companies are taking a larger role in supporting their workforce. In response to the pandemic, firms have realised the need to encourage team interactions and governments have re-learnt the art of protecting their citizens in collective interventions. Just as the age of extremes drove change in the socio-economic and political fabric of society, the pandemic is proving a similar catalyst for change.
Written by Henri Willmott,
Content Manager