Welcome to ‘The New Normal’ - or TNN as it has been referred to (IT loves a good acronym).

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The old normal seems a distant blur. Our commute time has significantly reduced, our morning coffee from our fave barista has been replaced with a subpar homemade version and we are more dependent on our devices for work and social interaction than ever before.

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Things have changed. We have been forced to adapt. But the IT industry expects this of us already.

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So what does this New Normal look like in terms of Working From Home (WFH)?

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We have all faced challenges over the past few weeks, ranging from VPN capacity issues and overloaded mobile networks, to how to onboard new staff. Even a poor internet connection can affect your ability to do your role successfully… (oh the joys of apartment living!).

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Daily stand-ups, phone calls and meetings continue. Some of us miss the people interaction that comes with working in an office - and with it the ability to have a quick chat. Some of us love not having to interact (an instant message or an email is a lot easier to ignore than someone speaking directly to us).

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And some of us feel more productive. With the lack of ‘noise’ we feel like we have somehow accumulated extra hours in the day.

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WFH does not come without distractions of course - under lockdown some of us have had to adjust working hours to accommodate childcare or family commitments. The concept of work/life balance is no longer limited to the physical distance of the office vs home.

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As we prove WFH can be efficient and effective, our perception of WFH will change and pose some important questions. Will commercial office spaces be a thing of the past? Will a percentage of our workforce adopt WFH permanently? What does this mean for retail or small businesses that depend on daily foot traffic?

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As we continue through these uncertain times one thing is certain: we will transition from TNN and become simply ‘normal’ again.

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But what will that look like?

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I would love to hear about your TNN - drop me an email at: nathan.masters@taska.co.nz.