Page 71 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Spring 2021 Digital Interactive Issue

teams can occasionally convene and meet with
WHAT’S NEXT WFH IS A WIN-WIN PROPOSITION.
their clients. The imperative to house everyone
under one roof to work simultaneously is a dated
The looming question is, what comes next? What It is difficult to fathom the trickle-down effect this
will the workplace look like once life returns to concept. new work from home model will have on society
“normal”? The answer is, it will look quite different and businesses, but there are a few certainties,
than it did in January 2020. Many companies will adopt a hub and spoke the first being Broadband. There will be a new
model with outposts in the suburbs, reducing the
commutes of their employees and making it easier global Broadband imperative and push to improve
Companies are starting to realize that their for them to recruit top talent – working close to home coverage in underserved areas. Home design
employees want a hybrid model, with a balance is a big plus to potential employees. The suburban will be impacted, with his and her home offices
of work from home and in-office days. They office market is much more cost effective than become as normal as having a garage.
are also realizing that having an office with a a downtown address, so companies will see
prestigious address is not as integral to their significant operational savings. Childcare, pet care, and yes, even drycleaners
brand and corporate identity as they once thought. and clothing styles will be impacted by this
The new model will strike a balance between Providing employees with workplace options gives movement. Destination working will become
corporate and employee needs. companies the flexibility to invest their money in a thing as people without the ties of children
other areas such as expanding into new markets, choose to work from exotic locations for months
Companies will still have their downtown prestige rather than maintaining costly corporate real at a time, becoming working nomads. Interesting
locations, but they will have far less square estate assets. A new model of reducing employee times lie ahead as work from home culture and
footage and their operations will be configured commuting also contributes to the reduction of the shift it represents result in new industries being
differently. The new model will feature more the company’s carbon footprint, air quality and a born and the extinction of some of our societal
hot desking options and meeting rooms where host of other eco-positive benefits. staples. It is a gamechanger and it is here to stay.

→ SHIRAR O’CONNOR VP Marketing, AdvanceCT

Shirar heads up marketing and communications for AdvanceCT. Working in CONTACT INFORMATION
partnership with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community
Development, AdvanceCT is a private nonprofit corporation that drives job +1 646 496 7668
creation and new capital investment in Connecticut through high-impact soconnor@advancect.org
economic development including business attraction, retention, and expansion.
www.advancect.org Shirar O’Connor-Mugler

71. FDI ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL