Moving back to the office post-Covid

 The human resources department for ABC Industries saw that their employee workforce was aging and that they were not attracting younger staff. They consequently decided to become a future-proof organisation by changing the way they recruited employees and also the working conditions of the staff.

The department started recruiting millennials by targeting them on online and social-media platforms. New skills were sought in these employees. In addition, they changed the rigid nature of the work environment by allowing for flexible working hours, and having games and other recreational tools in the break rooms.

Just as they started making progress, however, disaster struck with the Covid- 19 pandemic. During this period, the company was forced to change to a work- from-home operation, as staff could no longer work from the office.

At first, there were various challenges to overcome; generally, however, it seemed that things were working well in this mode of operation.

ABC Industries adheres to the trends set by relevant industry bodies and, as the global approach was to move back to the work-from-office mode of operation after lockdowns were lifted, the company instructed staff to go back to the office.

The older employees were happy with this approach, as they felt that it was important to see people in the office environment on a daily basis, in order to collaborate well. The younger staff did not appreciate this change, however. They approached their union, and a grievance was lodged against the return to the work-from-office approach of the company.

One of the reasons the company stated for the change was that over-the- shoulder training and mentoring were far better methods of ensuring the cost- efficient upskilling of staff. In response to this, however, the younger staff claimed that web-based training is far more cost-efficient and relates better to general industry changes.