Working life to continue to look different post-pandemic, say accountants

KUALA LUMPUR: Working life will continue to look different after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a poll of chartered accountants who attended an Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) webinar recently.

More than nine out of 10 respondents in the post-webinar poll believed that working life would continue to look different, the institute said.

The top three factors that affected the respondents' work life were acceleration in digital transformation (87 per cent), flexible working hours (74 per cent), and an increase in remote working (66 per cent), it said.

"Respondents also highlighted significant challenges in coping with new work arrangements, such as difficulties in engaging new clients and building relationships (61 per cent), maintaining staff morale (57 per cent) and maintaining existing clients and relationships (54 per cent)," ICAEW said in a statement today.

The respondents attended the ICAEW-ASEAN Federation of Accountants (AFA) Bitesize Webinar on the Future of Work on Feb 22, which attracted participants from Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as Hong Kong.

During the session, ICAEW shared findings from its survey of chartered accountants from over 50 countries, which found almost all businesses expected working life to be different in the future compared with pre-pandemic times.

ICAEW regional director for Greater China and Southeast Asia, Mark Billington, said while there were certain positive impacts from remote working, businesses would need to consider the benefits together with the challenges to be faced in the long term, especially where face-to-face interaction remained crucial.

"At the end of the day, it is important to remember that organisations are all about people, and the success and well-being of both are very closely intertwined," he said.

-- BERNAMA