Companies draft hybrid work models for post-pandemic
Brazilian companies are drafting plans to receive a higher number of employees at their offices in 2021. The return is being considered necessary to preserve the mental health of workers and the corporate culture. Yet more flexible work models will prevail when measures to combat the pandemic are eliminated.
At the headquarters of conglomerate Votorantim, in São Paulo, where some 80 people work, about 40% are back at the office. With some flexibility, says CFO Sérgio Malacrida, because they can work part of the day and go home or even stay home on one day of the week. But the plan is to have all back at the office when the vaccine is available and everybody is safe. "The productivity and quality gains are huge, it allows us more interaction and to keep the company's culture in the discussions," Mr. Malacrida says.
Unipar, the largest producer of chlorine and second-largest producer of PVC in South America, working from home full time is likely to be a reality in 2021 only for customer service. In the administration, CEO Mauricio Russomanno says the experience of remote work in the pandemic has shown this system works adequately, but has expiration date. "If the company already has established processes, a consolidated culture, things happen by inertia at a first moment. But after a certain point there is loss of quality," he says.
"The decision of returning to office shows a concern of companies of being losing what is subjective, which is not possible to achieve remotely and that makes difference," says consultant Betania Tanure, with BTA.
Antonio Salvador, executive director at Mercer, considers there are many co-creation aspects that are working well remotely, such as data analysis, development squads and preparation for meetings. "But the in-person work is crucial for connections, for the debate of ideas and new strategies. And changing a culture remotely is much more difficult," he says.
The issue of culture, where in-person work helps in the co-creation and engagement, also weighs for construction company MRV. Co-CEO Rafael Menin plans to keep a work model after the pandemic in which more than 85% of the administrative staff works at the office.
Evoltz, a power-transmission company, says work at the office is an "inductor of growth" and is more efficient for the business. For the safe return of 95% of the 100 or so employees, since September, it invested R$2 million. This was spent on adapting offices in Rio de Janeiro and Brasília...
Para continuar a ler
PEÇA SUA AVALIAÇÃO