A viral video that apparently shows a remote worker setting up a green screen at the beach has sparked yet another debate about remote working.
Posted to TikTok by user averyncmm (and later reported on by the likes of Metro), the clip appears to show a man setting up a sheet of green fabric.
Although it’s unclear exactly what the man is doing, the video was captioned: “Spotted: a fellow remote ‘worker’ setting up his ‘office’ green screen for the day.”
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The clip, which has racked up more than 132,000 likes at the time of publication, sparked a debate about what’s acceptable when it comes to home working.
Metro collated several comments out of the hundreds post on the clip.
One TikTok user, Milly Rosario, said: “The work gets done, right? Nothing to see here but a productive and proactive employee.”
Christopher Cuccinel added: “I think businesses and employees are more productive when everyone is happy lol”.
Others pointed out that, if the employee was actually allowed to work remotely, the attempt to conceal his location might be a redundant one.
“Thinking when we’re at home we put up beach backgrounds but when we’re at the beach we put up home backgrounds??” Kitty NeNe wrote.
“No need for green screen when zoom got virtual backgrounds" another user responded.
Remote working still going strong
The coronavirus pandemic shook up the world of work, with many employers now embracing more flexible working structures on the back of it.
One of the most well known firms to have embraced this new model is Airbnb, where workplace flexibility has gone a step further. In a letter to staff earlier this year – that was widely reported on by various media outlets – the holiday rental company’s CEO, Brian Chesky, announced that the “vast majority” of employees would be able to continue working from home (or anywhere else), permanently.
Chesky explained in the email that staff who choose to work remotely won’t face pay cuts, and that all employees will still be able to work from an office if they choose.
Additionally, the firm’s remote working policy will also allow staff to work from abroad in more than 170 countries for up to 90 days a year in each location; an initiative that will start from September. However, Chesky clarified that staff will be responsible for “getting proper work authorisation”.
While much of the policy talks about where and when employees can work, it does explain that being able to connect and collaborate together has always been a crucial part of the culture. As such, the email explained that they will be able to regularly meet for team gatherings and social events.
How can greater flexibility help HR?
A wealth of data has pointed towards an increased and growing appetite for more flexible employers. It has become so important to employees they often say that they would be willing to jump ships if they didn’t feel that they were getting flexibility.
For example, EY’s 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey found that more than half (54%) of employees surveyed from around the world would consider leaving their jobs post-pandemic if not given some form of flexibility in where and when they work.
On the other end of the spectrum, employees are continuously on the look-out for employers that can offer them greater flexibility. Findings from The Talent Accelerator study, reported on by HBR, found that 88% of knowledge workers said that when searching for a new position, they will look for one that offers complete flexibility in their hours and location.
Additionally, the same study also found that 83% predicted that in response to the global labour shortage, firms will increasingly leverage work models to attract top talent, regardless of where they live.
And with flexibility opening companies up to larger talent pools, this points towards another benefit that HR can reap around diversity of talent.
In a 2020 interview with CNBC, Bryon Slosar, the CEO and Founder of HIVE Diversity said that an increasing number of firms the platform works with are now focusing on a “talent first, location second” approach. Slosar explained: “They’re widening their searches for talent beyond their office’s zip code and attracting applicants that, in a pre-pandemic world, might have been shut out from those opportunities,” he explained.
The HR thinking behind Airbnb’s design for employees to live and work everywhere is apparent in a section of his email to staff which read, “We want to hire and retain the best people in the world (like you).
“If we limited our talent pool to a commuting radius around our offices, we would be at a significant disadvantage. The best people live everywhere, not concentrated in one area. And by recruiting from a diverse set of communities, we will become a more diverse company,” he explained.
The Critical Role of Job Architecture in Organisational Effectiveness
It can be difficult to know where to start with a job architecture.
When faced with a chaotic picture of multiple job titles across various business areas and regions, the response can be to put this task into the “too hard” box or delay it for another year in the hope that it sorts itself out.
However, this approach can create issues, open organisations up to compliance risk, not to mention slow down strategic people initiatives.
RoleMapper’s Guide to Job Architecture offers practical insights and recommendations for HR professionals to design and maintain an effective organisational architecture.
You will learn:
The importance of a future-proofed and dynamic job architecture
Its benefits and the key steps to creation and implementation
The need for a job architecture to support job catalogue, job families and job levelling
‘What’ more important then ‘where’
Noelle Murphy, Senior HR Practice Editor at XpertHR, previously told HR Grapevine that, in the post-presenteeism era, where work was done was far less important than the quality of the end product.
Murphy said: “HR have managed one of the biggest changes to working life since the industrial revolution with hybrid working, but it is still a work in progress. Challenges continue and HR will need to continue to address these, while ensuring this new way of working delivers for all employees – and that includes people managers and senior leaders.
“HR are clear that there is work to be done challenging the outdated view that presenteeism means productivity, and that where the work is done is less important than the quality of the work produced. While there are retention challenges facing employers right now, it is even more important that HR can continue to evolve and tweak hybrid working models to ensure they support and facilitate a culture of connection and collaboration that will deliver engaged employees and a successful business.”
