Work from home isn’t working in South Africa, says CEO

The Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way the world views the working environment, and business CEOs don’t believe this to be a good thing, as some reckon it’s actually harming business in South Africa – with many being intimidated into maintaining remote or hybrid working conditions.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses were forced to adapt their practice overnight as most transitioned to remote working where possible. Post-pandemic, many have returned to the office while some continue working from home or take a more hybrid approach.

However, these hybrid models are causing confusion and expectations in the workplace while killing what makes businesses work so well – such as mentorship, face-to-face interaction, and a proper work ethic.

Employees in South Africa are slowly changing their approach to work life, with many opting to return to the office – but only if it is worth their time, says Linda Trim, director of workplace design company Giant Leap.

“Due to the rapid shifts in expectations and practices over the last few years, there are now many needs and different work styles that businesses have to cater to,” she said, making it difficult for businesses to make in-office work attractive for all employees.

This was noted by research conducted by professional services firm PwC, which showed that when it comes to retaining employees, money remains the top factor (71% of employees list it as their top reason for changing jobs).

Yet, money isn’t enough by itself to keep workers, who’ve been almost as likely to cite non-monetary factors – such as job fulfilment, the opportunity to be their true selves at work, wellbeing, choosing when and where they work – as their reason/s for wanting to leave a company.

“We believe that the traditional purpose of total reward — to attract, retain and motivate employees — still holds true, but employees have come to value (and demand) more than just money,” said PwC.

Although Aurik Business Accelerator CEO Pavlo Phitidis admits that the remote working battle is a hard one to fight because many employees have become accustomed to flexibility, he noted that new recruits also expect it to be the norm, or almost a right.

Speaking with Bruce Whitfield on the MoneyShow about the issue, Phitidis added South Africa’s skill shortage also does not help, and these things are strongly harming businesses into a working model that many don’t believe in.

“There is a very strong reason why business owners are intimidated into accepting it, despite the fact that they fundamentally and profoundly don’t believe in it,” said Phitidis.

He further believes young people are doing themselves and their employers a disservice by thinking that “remote working is cool”.

He noted that the habits and good practice of being professional and building a proper solid work ethic have fallen by the wayside, while young professionals are missing key learning opportunities as “most learning is done in person and through observation and in-person engagement,” said Phitidis.

“I don’t think it [remote working] works… we need to go back to normal because that normal worked exceptionally well – far better than how it works now,” he added.

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