Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes that working from home as a result of the coronavirus can have negative long-term ramifications, despite the increased productivity of employees.
Speaking to the New York Times, Nadella believes that working from home significantly reduces missed meetings, but a lack of important social aspects also accompanies the move to videoconferencing.
“You talk to the person next to you, and you have the time to socialise before and after a meeting. You swap one dogma for another as soon as you switch from the office to working completely from home. What does a burnout or mental state look like? Maybe we’re now using up some of the social capital we’ve built up in this homeworking phase, but what is it measured in?”, Nadella says.
While in the early days of the corona crisis companies had to switch to working from home abruptly, many teams were able to find a way to maintain a large part of their productivity. With new tools that make it easier to work from home, it would be enticing to regard working from home as the new norm; after all, the evidence shows it is entirely possible.
Nadella calls this option part of the second and third phase of the corona crisis. During the first phase, there is an immediate response to the outbreak, through lay-offs, closing offices and saving costs. The second phase is all about recovery. To get a grip on what works and what doesn’t work in the new society. Lastly, phase three will see innovations being rolled out as a result of the first two phases.
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