Advanced Workplace Associates founder Andrew Mawson and Chris Hood, director of Consulting, EMEA examine how pharmaceutical leaders can maximise the performance of any virtual or hybrid teams.
The onset of the current pandemic has caused businesses to change the way they work. For many, the directive to work from home necessitated both a new mental model of going to work and some challenges with getting work done. With the aid of today’s contemporary technology platforms and more attention being paid to people management, many of these challenges have not only been met, but revealed pockets of opportunity and progress which should not be lost when the pandemic finally recedes. We broadly agree that there are some elements of work that have actually seen an improvement during lockdown:
- The ability to concentrate and focus (at home).
- Our networks have widened: anyone, anywhere in the world is now equally reachable through our virtual communication channels. This was also true prior to the pandemic but it seems that individuals have adjusted their thinking to see access in a more democratic way free from the constraints of physical proximity.
- For many the capacity to address work/life balance seems to be enhanced.
- The reduction of commuting time and the wear and tear of commuting is seen as a good thing, notwithstanding the comments made by some that commuting represents thinking time and a much-needed transition between work and home life.
In parallel, the pharma industry itself has not only been presented with many of these same challenges, but the world has applied pressure on scientists to produce life-saving vaccines. In the same way that business and people have reacted and responded to a life changing disruption, so has pharma been quick to react to the discovery, production, and distribution of bringing new vaccines to the market in record time.