Page 27 - BusinessWest February 6, 2023

“It can be a hurdle to get over that perspective that
‘I can’t see you, so are you working?’ Part of the communication piece is doing
a better job as organizations to define productivity and what needs to happen on the job.”
might say, ‘I really need to get X done, and doing this particular work is best done when I’m home, so I can focus more.’”
Roberts said many companies are starting to pull everyone back into the office — especially businesses that stress a collaborative culture or require plenty of face-to-face work with customers — but not all. “I do think the hybrid model is here to stay, though I don’t think it works for everyone.”
Seth Stratton, managing shareholder with Fitzgerald Law in East Longmeadow, noted that, like many small businesses, his firm never fully left the office during the pandemic, and these days, everyone has been back for some time. But they have continued to use communication tools, like Zoom, that became popular when employees at most companies were at home.
“We were forced to embrace some technology and ways of work- ing that carried over and make work more flexible, even though we’re back in the office.”
Stratton understands the value of remote work in some situa- tions, drawing on examples from his own career.
“During the peak of the workday in the office, there are a lot of interruptions, and a lot of times, when I’m focused on revising a lengthy contract or drafting a legal brief to submit to court, I need time to focus mentally on what I’m doing, so historically, a lot of that will be done early in the morning or later in the evening, after the phone stops ringing,” he said, noting that working from home can create more time and space for such work.
On the other hand, someone in a home office can’t just walk into the next room to tap someone else’s expertise.
“You can do that remotely, but it’s harder to get on the cell or set up a Zoom meeting; it’s not as seamless as walking 10 feet away. That affects you from a collaborative standpoint.”
And collaboration happens outside the office, too.
“In Western Mass., probably moreso than other markets, when it comes to business generation, marketing, and client development, this is a parochial business community; a lot of business is conduct- ed through personal relationships, personal connections,” Strat-
ton explained. “I might be having lunch at the Fort or at Nadim’s and see someone I know — ‘oh, I’ve been meaning to call you; let’s schedule a call. Or do you have a minute now?’
Seth Stratton says remote work can reduce distractions, but also hinder communication and collaboration.
“It’s harder
to make those connections when you’re fully remote,” he went on. “Being available, I think, is a hallmark of business development in Western Mass., at least in my experience.”
Successful Experiment
While it may have eventually surprised employers how effective their teams could be at home, Wise recalled the challenge of those first few weeks in March 2020.
“When it first started, nobody really had the computer setups or the communication tools to be able to work remotely from home,” she said. “Now, people are more able to work at home and be productive.”
These days, “while we have found some companies saying, ‘we want all employees in the office Monday through Friday,’ those are few and far between. Instead, what a lot of employers are saying is, ‘you know what your job requires; work with your manager on
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