Many firms will make permanent changes to the way they work because of the coronavirus crisis, it has emerged.
Almost two-thirds of 1,300 senior business leaders surveyed by recruiters Reed said they were happy with alterations their companies have put in place to keep working during the lockdown.
The introduction of video meetings, flexible hours, remote working, family involvement and widespread digitalisation were long-term solutions, the study revealed.
Just over half of respondents said new working methods had a positive effect and will become permanent following lockdown.
Ian Nicholas, global managing director of Reed Specialist Recruitment, said: “As the country slowly makes moves to return to workplaces, we will find that it’s a completely different environment and way of working.
“For the foreseeable future, we all need to get used to living and working with coronavirus around us, whereas in the long-term our work environment will be different on the other side of this pandemic.
“Many jobs that we had before will not be there, but there will be roles that replace those. There will also be new ways of working which provide for greater flexibility in how and when we work, and the relationship many have with their employers will change too.
“From our research, we know the majority of employers will be taking lessons learned from this lockdown and making them a permanent fixture in the workplace.
“The companies that do this will not only keep their talented employees in their business, but be able to attract more workers to aid their recovery from the recession that follows.”
