The future of work

[SalesServiceGuy]

companies and their employees will be reluctant to return to physical officesCramer: Commercial real estate in trouble if we continue to work from homeFacebook are considering keeping employees at home even after lockdown measures are lifted.

Will employees want to come back to tall office buildings crowded into elevators and risk getting infected with COVID-19?

It is expected that up to 20-30% of people across the world will begin to evaluate why to they have to travel to a crowded workspace.


In return employers will need to spread employees out within their current office space to maintain social distancing.

What will happen to shared water coolers. coffee urns, lunch rooms, refrigerators in lunch rooms or shared office copiers?

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The future of work

Cramer praises work from home technology like Zoom.US.

How many technicians on this forum are now using something like Zoom in their daily personal or business lives?

[tsbservice]

Re: The future of work

Working from home sucks in long terms! You know home is home not work!
I happen to work from office and in the field since day one of this crisis. Being outside active and more vulnerable actually make me way too relaxed than rest of the family sitting working/teaching at home.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The future of work

I realized today that I have only been in one elevator ride in months and I was the only person in the elevator each day.

Obviously, in normal times millions of people take packed big city elevators, public transit buses and subways every day, multiple times to get to/ from work.

The chances of infection rise multi times. People including management are going to be thinking to themselves, why am I doing this or how can I reduce doing this?

In the new normal, I think only a fool would ride a packed big city elevator without a face covering.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The future of work

Working from home sucks in long terms! You know home is home not work!
I happen to work from office and in the field since day one of this crisis. Being outside active and more vulnerable actually make me way too relaxed than rest of the family sitting working/teaching at home.

I have worked from a "home office" for more than 20 years. To me, it is a blessing and a significant personal income tax benefit.

I do have my own small room that is my office and that I can close the door on.

I would admit that working from home creates a certain 24/7 availability mindset where workdays/nights /weekends all sort of blend together.

I can remember driving 25 minutes to an office, working late and arguing with my wife about coming home late all of the time missing supper and time with the kids. I can also remember going to bars after work with co-workers and developing all kinds of bad behaviour.

[NeoMatrix]

Re: The future of work

Working for yourself from home alot, you tend to loose track of the days.
I asked the missus this morning, "what day is it"?

I'm forever babbling to myself or talking to our pet dogs and cats.

The bordem has got to me, so I when on a hunting expedition last night.
I had to track down some prey with a spot light and a deadly weapon.
< Add Jaws theme music here >......
Okay, so I had a Torch and a can of WD-40. I had to clean out a few Paper Wasps nests.
One large nest (70+ wasps) was right above the side door leading into my workshop. Ouch!
Its best to wait until night time while all the insects are at home in the nest...
Whammmo, spray the little stinging sh!ts with a WD-40 sherbet delight.
Eat that ya stinging little sods....

Back to work....

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The future of work

Working for yourself from home alot, you tend to loose track of the days.
I asked the missus this morning, "what day is it"?

I'm forever babbling to myself or talking to our pet dogs and cats.

The bordem has got to me, so I when on a hunting expedition last night.
I had to track down some prey with a spot light and a deadly weapon.
< Add Jaws theme music here >......
Okay, so I had a Torch and a can of WD-40. I had to clean out a few Paper Wasps nests.
One large nest (70+ wasps) was right above the side door leading into my workshop. Ouch!
Its best to wait until night time while all the insects are at home in the nest...
Whammmo, spray the little stinging sh!ts with a WD-40 sherbet delight.
Eat that ya stinging little sods....

Back to work....

Working from home, I never lose track of days or time or babble to myself.

I read yesterday that the hot trend in office furniture are "moveable wall" units that can be easily be reconfigured to meet changing floor plans to accommodate the future of work.

Much more expensive than fixed gyprock walls but way easier to move.

[NeoMatrix]

Re: The future of work

Working from home, I never lose track of days or time or babble to myself.

I read yesterday that the hot trend in office furniture are "moveable wall" units that can be easily be reconfigured to meet changing floor plans to accommodate the future of work.

Much more expensive than fixed gyprock walls but way easier to move.

Movable walls for the purpose of family distancing or school work learning environments?
Novel idea....

[Copier Addict]

Re: The future of work

I have talked to several people currently working from home and they can't wait to get back into the office.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The future of work

The"future of work"has tremendous implications for the the Office Products imaging channel that for many years has kept us all employed servicing mainly A3 copiers and other devices.

Storm clouds are on the horizon as businesses reassess their office equipment needs with likely fewer people working in a shared work space everyday.

Strong eCommerce players like Amazon or Staples are likely to soon challenge the office equipment space.

Xerox is currently selling select A3 copiers online via their new eCommerce site.

Customers are going to start evaluating print products based upon products that do not need service techs to show up and fix them all of the time.

These buyers are not going to evaluate your company by how good your service is every time a tech has to show up, All copier vendors claim how much better their service is relative to their competitors.

Buyers are going to select product where the technician rarely has to show up.

[NeoMatrix]

Re: The future of work

The"future of work"has tremendous implications for the the Office Products imaging channel that for many years has kept us all employed servicing mainly A3 copiers and other devices.

Storm clouds are on the horizon as businesses reassess their office equipment needs with likely fewer people working in a shared work space everyday.

Strong eCommerce players like Amazon or Staples are likely to soon challenge the office equipment space.

Xerox is currently selling select A3 copiers online via their new eCommerce site.

Customers are going to start evaluating print products based upon products that do not need service techs to show up and fix them all of the time.

These buyers are not going to evaluate your company by how good your service is every time a tech has to show up, All copier vendors claim how much better their service is relative to their competitors.

Buyers are going to select product where the technician rarely has to show up.

You write very concise with proper grammar. It makes comprehension a f#$@ing pleasure to read.

I wish a few others on CTN mastered the art of expressing themselves clearly without their base instincts drifting into the text.When people fail to communicate their intent properly, they backfoot on the defensive an blame others for not understanding them. When that happens, it was the original author who was lazy and failed to communicate effectively and properly..
Its easy for an author to drop into the "I don't give a sh!t whether people understand me or not"syndrome, any orangutan can do that....

Good to read...

[KenB]

Re: The future of work

You write very concise with proper grammar. It makes comprehension a f#$@ing pleasure to read.

I wish a few others on CTN mastered the art of expressing themselves clearly without their base instincts drifting into the text.When people fail to communicate their intent properly, they backfoot on the defensive an blame others for not understanding them. When that happens, it was the original author who was lazy and failed to communicate effectively and properly..
Its easy for an author to drop into the "I don't give a sh!t whether people understand me or not"syndrome, any orangutan can do that....

Good to read...

I totally agree.

Sometimes all it takes is some simple proofreading to make a post more intelligent; it's not hard to do.

Run-on sentences and total lack of capitalization and punctuation make me crazy. Don't forget that this site uses a spellcheck engine, too.

All of this is much more forgivable if there is a language barrier.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The future of work

The future of work is also going to force more copier dealers to turn towards selling software solutions to support what is predicted to be both falling hardware sales and meter clicks.

Customers forced to disperse their workforce to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are going to be looking at where their documents are located and how they can be accessed by secure, remote and mobile methods.

Most dealers and manufacturers will gravitate towards solutions supported by their A3 hardware suppliers that can be remotely installed by skilled installers elsewhere in the country.

Copier technicians who cannot or will not improve their skills past hardware break/ fix will see their career opportunities and incomes decrease.

Most of us has developed a good familiarity of Microsoft Office. Today with over 600,000 business in North America using Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) cloud based subscription services all technicians need to educate themselves on this rapidly growing product. Free six month trial versions are available during Covid-19 and low cost personal subscription can be had for approx $12.00 a month.

Similarly, copier sales people have to pick up their skills with these new products if they want to maintain their income.

Personally, I use MS365 now all of the time and a currently taking an online course on how to sell Document Management Systems. Selltowin

I even created my own YouTube channel to help me sell products.

[20 year tech]

Re: The future of work

The future of work is also going to force more copier dealers to turn towards selling software solutions to support what is predicted to be both falling hardware sales and meter clicks.

Customers forced to disperse their workforce to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are going to be looking at where their documents are located and how they can be accessed by secure, remote and mobile methods.

Most dealers and manufacturers will gravitate towards solutions supported by their A3 hardware suppliers that can be remotely installed by skilled installers elsewhere in the country.

Copier technicians who cannot or will not improve their skills past hardware break/ fix will see their career opportunities and incomes decrease.

Most of us has developed a good familiarity of Microsoft Office. Today with over 600,000 business in North America using Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) cloud based subscription services all technicians need to educate themselves on this rapidly growing product. Free six month trial versions are available during Covid-19 and low cost personal subscription can be had for approx $12.00 a month.

Similarly, copier sales people have to pick up their skills with these new products if they want to maintain their income.

Personally, I use MS365 now all of the time and a currently taking an online course on how to sell Document Management Systems. Selltowin

I even created my own YouTube channel to help me sell products.

I agree that the office copier market will and has already changed. I am currently furloughed but still in touch with my company. I am production print oriented, the industry is not dead by any means, wide format printers are running like mad. where do you think all of the restaurants are getting those open for pick up signs are coming from ? also when the restaurants come back online they will be using one time use disposable paper menu's, its already happening. things are and will be different but I will remain optimistic. We will also be working on more small home office MFPs as well, not so much for prints but scanning applications. Stay positive folks.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: The future of work

I agree that the office copier market will and has already changed. I am currently furloughed but still in touch with my company. I am production print oriented, the industry is not dead by any means, wide format printers are running like mad. where do you think all of the restaurants are getting those open for pick up signs are coming from ? also when the restaurants come back online they will be using one time use disposable paper menu's, its already happening. things are and will be different but I will remain optimistic. We will also be working on more small home office MFPs as well, not so much for prints but scanning applications. Stay positive folks.

Restaurants are going to be different for sure. With fewer tables available due to social distancing restaurants will be forced to get people in and out quicker and serve longer hours.

They can do this via new apps that are activated when a user sits down at a table and touches a small tabletop device with their mobile phone..

You will be able to order food from the app. The food will be brought to you and you will be able to pay by the app so that there will be no waiting to pay for your food.

I would not expect leisurely dining experiences with friends, family and business associates.

Menus will likely have to be simplified with fewer offerings.

I have no idea how bars will work as they traditionally encourage people to sit and mingle longer for many hours.

A lot of home office installs have very rudimentary network setups and lots of freeware to manage security. People will be cheap and try and string something together plus you have to deal with whatever security the ISPs have on their routers.