Why you should REALLY consider keeping your remote work arrangements in place

Peter du ToitI'm the founder of FutureWork IQ where I spend my time assisting businesses to design digital workplaces or “offices in the cloud.” These environments enable companies to allow flexible and remote working for their teams. I also teach the digital literacy, fluency, communication and collaboration skills needed to work in these modern technology-rich workplaces.

Data is accumulating rapidly as to how the Covid-19 virus spreads in workplaces. This study looked at the spread of the virus in a Call Centre in Seoul.

“A single infected employee came to work the 11th floor of the building. The floor had 216 employees. Over the period of a week, 94 of those people became infected (43.5%: the blue chairs). 92 of those 94 people became sick (only 2 remained asymptomatic)”

Workplace infection risk is REALLY high. If you look at South Africa’s new Covid-19 Occupational Health and Safety Measures Act you will quickly understand that meeting these requirements is going to require ongoing absolute attention to detail. One business owner described their journey to compliance this way:

“We have started. And realised it’s a minefield. Most staff are doing fine working from home. This exercise is made us realise we should think about keeping it like that.”

Given the risk associated with physical workplaces continuing remote work will be WAY less disruptive than dealing with a workplace infection!