Significant movement likely won’t happen until late spring or summer when 65% of people have been vaccinated or are immune, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. Further, the newspaper predicts that the return-to-work will evolve and take different forms, including:
- Offices redesigned for a much lower density of employees.
- Hub-and-spoke configurations, in which employees may work in a centralized main office, a small satellite office, a public co-working space, at home—or at different locations depending on the day of the week.
Affordable office space should facilitate the return as landlords with empty space seek to attract tenants. A wild card will be how smoothly the vaccine rollout goes.
The upshot is that print suppliers and businesses relying on printed communication (direct mail, signage, marketing, etc.) should prepare for a return to the office for some employees and flexible working arrangements for others.
With employees working in a wide variety of environments and locations, there are three concerns to address—all of which can be eliminated with print management software tailored to your business’ needs.
- Collaboration: Virtual meetings and email aren’t efficient ways to collaborate on print projects. You’ll need software that connects team members, coordinates workflows, automates the decision hierarchy, and facilitates communication across the marketing supply chain.
- Complexity: Print procurement and production require countless decisions and approvals at many stages. Purpose-built print management software automates tedious, manual steps; provides seamless project management; and enables access to critical information from any location.
- Control: An effective system also enables control and monitoring of projects without reducing department autonomy, and it provides transparency by tracking and reporting fiscal, operational, and compliance activities.
The challenges of collaboration, complexity, and control will be with us for the foreseeable future. For ideas on smoothing your return to the office post-COVID, contact info@elynxx.com or 717-709-0990.
Mike isn’t just the Director of Marketing at eLynxx Solutions – he’s a customer-whisperer, a growth alchemist, and a trend-spotting oracle all rolled into one. His passion lies in igniting interest in eLynxx’s innovative solutions, fueling the company’s customer base, and using client feedback to steer the industry towards a brighter future.
