Bay Path University

Bay Pathway Spring/Summer 2021 4 " Y O U D O N ' T K N O W H O W W E A R I S O M E I T I S T O B R E A T H E T H E A I R O F F O U R P E N T [ U P ] W A L L S W I T H O U T R E L I E F D A Y A F T E R D A Y . " This sentiment of monotony might be from a modern office worker. Quite the opposite: They are the words of the eighteenth century English poet and essayist Charles Lamb, a clerk in the East India Company. Through the centuries, early versions of the office centered around government, law, trading, or religious organizations—anyplace where documentation was needed to record or do business. It wasn't until the 1900s that the office environment as we know it gathered steam as rows of desks gave way to the open office to, finally, cube farms. More important, there was a line of distinction between home and work, with many employees finding they spent more time at work than they did at home. W O R K I N G R E M O T E L Y H A S B E E N A R O U N D F O R D E C A D E S In 1973, NASA engineer Jack Nilles proposed a new model for work with his book, The Telecommunications-Transportation Tradeoff. It was called telecommuting. Nilles researched and developed a case that showed how telecommuting could offset traffic congestion, help with resource conservation, and lower stress for workers. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, the idea never caught on—the nine-to-five mindset was firmly embedded in businesses and organizations and only a small percentage of people could take advantage of this concept. Fast-forward thirty years, when the emergence of the internet and the personal computers transformed the workplace, as well as how we conduct our lives and communicate. Nilles' team predicted this, noting that new technologies "have the potential for act- ing as catalysts that could radically change the structure of American society in much the same way that the automobile acted as a catalyst on our way of life during the first half of this century." T H E P A N D E M I C H A S L E T T H E P R O V E R B I A L C A T O U T O F T H E B A G It happened quickly. Management was uncertain it was feasible. Suddenly, humans were asked to trust one another when it came to the process of work. Overnight, the pandemic made companies and organizations change the way they did business. COVID-19 sparked an incredible exodus of office employees, often with just laptops and cell phones, to work from home. Remarkably and unexpectedly, most Americans embraced their new environment. The fears of decreased productivity and absenteeism were unfounded. More important, employers and employees both embraced the advantages of remote work, including lower office costs, increased productivity as cited in a KPMG survey, greater flexibility, enhanced work-life balance, and less stress. There is no turning back, and as Americans return to a post-pandemic world, hybrid remote working will most likely win out as indicated in a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. As we look to the future, what should we expect? How do we prepare for this new work climate? What are some best practices to keep us fresh and connected? Bay Path faculty, community members, and alumni offer their perspectives on how to navigate the remote work world—the new norm.

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