By Kevin Piccione, President, Sealed Air Asia Pacific

Flexible working is here to stay, and it doesn’t discriminate by industry. In fact, recent research by Microsoft estimates that, across a range of industries in APAC, 73 percent of workers want flexible remote work options to continue, while  67 percent are craving more in-person time with their teams.

A flexible set-up is all well and good for those of us tethered to laptops, but not necessarily an option for those in industries like manufacturing, right? Not quite.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced non-location dependent peoples across Asia Pacific and the world into their homes for months. This created a need for all businesses, including those that provide essential goods and services, to swiftly adopt a new way of work where adaptability – and sometimes ingenuity – has been a means to survive and provide business continuity.

Re-thinking factory work

The pandemic has caused businesses at large, including manufacturing companies, to rethink location-dependent work versus non-location dependent work.

The contract between employer and employee has fundamentally changed and companies that fail to rethink the workplace risk being left behind by employees in pursuit of a more flexible arrangement.

From the office to the shop floor, businesses are experimenting with new operating models that do not require everyone to be physically present.

Many companies eased into the transition by implementing temporary flexible work options, with long-term arrangements that prioritised and normalised flexibility. This requires a shift away from the time and attendance tradition toward more performance-based work.

Where and how the agreed upon output is delivered is now open to discussion. Employees are more empowered to meet set workplace expectations and adjust schedules to better manage their own work and personal lives.

For some companies, that decision is a bit more nuanced. At Sealed Air, for example, we have employees in a wide variety of roles from manufacturing and lab operations to sales and marketing.   In determining the future of our workplace and company culture, we recognised the need for an integrated and inclusive approach to flexible work – one that ensured every employee’s voice was heard and their wellbeing considered.

Over the past year, we have learned a great deal from working remotely during the pandemic. We have listened to our employees and consulted with experts and even our customers and suppliers on the future of work.

In January 2021, we started a targeted transition to flexible way of work because we believe it will allow our employees more choice, flexibility and help support their overall wellbeing.

For traditional office workers, it’s easier to make the transition to a remote or flexible approach. For those in manufacturing roles, we’ve considered making it available where possible for certain positions.

For example, encouraging plant engineers to work with their managers to determine work that can be performed off-site and prompting operations managers to identify responsibilities that can be completed remotely, including planning, project management, data analysis and scheduling.

For on-site production teams, it is about ensuring they get the necessary support to do their work effectively and provide the services for which they are employed in a safe and efficient manner.

What we’ve realised through this experience is that flexible work is possible for more roles than previously considered, and that some of the off-site work can be completed while still maintaining the same level of quality and output. It also provides perspectives on the future of office space and real estate.

The ability to remain innovative and adaptable to the new ways of working will determine long-term success. With more people working remotely, assessing the impacts from reduced face-to-face interactions and socialisation will necessitate the need to track and monitor morale, wellbeing and retention.

This is alongside the need to ensure a safe and ergonomic work environment, wherever the employee may be.

Flexibility with predictability

With the stricter health and safety protocols at the workplace, the new normal actually provides clearer delineation of roles and responsibilities, leading to a more structured and safer way of operating.

On the factory floor, well-defined rules of who needs to be on the floor – and who does not –leads to fewer distractions.

Because flexible work isn’t a one-size-fits all solution, it’s important to provide education and training for employees and managers alike on how to work in a more digitally connected environment.

For those in manufacturing roles, it could mean equipping and broadening skillsets to enable greater independence to tackle and anticipate issues. 

It could mean empowering them with digital skills to collaborate with global colleagues or knowledge that is transferable across different sites.

For managers, there is a greater imperative to lead with empathy, creating spaces for open communication and continuously checking in with employees to gauge sentiment and wellbeing.

Technology for smart manufacturing

Implementing the right technology is critical to the success of all flexible working initiatives. The pandemic acted as a catalyst for technology to be used within manufacturing facilities, such as greater automation and robotics on the shop floor to optimise processes and provide touchless opportunities to promote employee safety and improve productivity.

This is a good time to consider how technology can improve existing operations. From remote troubleshooting and monitoring of machines to tracking compliance and understanding workforce health, smart factory solutions can help to mitigate business and safety risks in the new normal.

At Sealed Air, we are already embarking on our digital transformation journey and the future of work. We envision the future workplace to be a blend of activities in the physical and digital space, where there can be even greater collaboration, inclusivity, and shared learning opportunities.

We’ve witnessed a monumental change to the way we do business. The pandemic is pushing us to innovate, adapt and make decisions in the best interests of a safe and productive workforce.

By applying what we already know from working remotely over the last year and continuing to keep our employees’ needs and safety top of mind, we can strengthen performance and culture in a way we have never seen before.