The practices and approach to remote working environments, which have become prevalent in many sectors owing to the need to protect people during the global Covid-19 pandemic, are important not only to derive the expected productivity from employees but also to focus their efforts on the core objectives of the business and continue to serve customers' needs.

A virtual roundtable hosted by news channel CNBC Africa and featuring leaders in financial services and technology firms in South Africa, on August 23, looked at the trends, changes and implications of the shift in the work environment on companies, their employees and customers.

Beyond the challenge of ensuring employees have the necessary devices, peripherals and connectivity to effectively perform their work, there is a general expectation that employees will expect companies to offer them the ability to work at least partly from home, dependent on the rigours and requirements of their functions and their ability to perform in line with customers' expectations.

"While the pandemic did disrupt even us as a technology company, some of the key insights the pandemic unearthed is that we were able to do much more remotely than we had thought possible and there are advantages that are yet to be tapped and more we can do," says information technology multinational Microsoft South Africa human resources director Sameera Mohamed.

Additionally, working remotely will not be absolute and, while employees love the flexibility it provides, they crave interpersonal social interactions and collaboration, and the nuances of human engagement.

"A balance is needed going forward, including how we must navigate the new work environment and make the best decisions for our teams and organisations. This will require new skills to bridge the digital and physical, with some people in the office and some online, to create seamless collaboration that is a necessary part of the innovative culture that we want," she says.

The nuances of personal life and work-life balance in remote work environments are important to ensure employees remain productive and are not exhausted.

There has been a shift from a place of work to a place of purpose and this is fundamental to driving corporate culture that is output-based and in which trust is key, says financial services firm Nedbank relationship banking channel divisional executive Craig Evans.

A blended approach is necessary, including interpersonal meetings when desired and if they can safely take place, but the purpose of corporate culture is to ensure everyone is marching in the same direction.

The approach Nedbank adopted is to use different touch points, including live events, fun events and engaging using a variety of means, to ensure employees were engaged and were part of the corporate culture, he says.

"For us as a big corporate, it was a step-change in how we see our culture. It starts with employees as people, and our humanness needs to shine through as we work in our country, communities and families.

"We are all in different boats in the same storm; some of us have dedicated spaces to work at home, while others have to share space. How do we balance and support them is a key question," he illustrates.

Nedbank allowed its workers to take home office chairs, monitors and enterprise-grade headsets to enable their employees to work effectively and to reduce the stress of adopting new technologies, he adds.

"Remote working has humanised work, which was sorely lacking. 'You're on mute' is the current catchphrase.

"It showed all it is to be human and there was a need for flexibility, for example, to allow employees some time when their children arrive home or if there is a disruption of a meeting owing to an event at a person's home," says workflow solutions multinational LexisNexis South Africa CEO and chairperson Videsha Proothveerajh.

Technology can help, but the human touch and connectedness are fundamental. The current situation is a challenge and an opportunity for companies. It provides space to redefine the company's culture and use input from employees on what works and what does not.

"There is a need to keep employees engaged. There will be a need to ensure employees are invested in the brand and culture, as well as to monitor employees who are over-invested and risk becoming fatigued. There is a lot of work still to be done and no company has all the answers, but the attention of employees must be engaged," she stresses.

Workplace culture has increasingly become the most important business imperative in what employees are seeking from organisations. This requires companies and leaders to think more strategically in terms of employees, says Mohamed.

"Companies' digital experience will be their employees' experiences, and if this is not addressed, it can lead to employees being unproductive, uninspired or unaligned with the purpose of the team or company.

"Therefore, we have to think about culture holistically in terms of practices, policies and norms. New habits, new norms and new behaviours are needed. Culture is the glue in organisations and people hold the culture together," she says.

People create a company's culture and, to create a culture that an employee loves, they must feel that what they do is valued, says Evans.

"This [remote work environment] is a game-changer opportunity for our staff and for our clients. The relationship banking channel needs human connection and we also had to ensure that we were in touch with our clients at all times to provide the support and services they need while they also navigate the uncertain times," he adds.

Leaders and managers must have the ability to create spaces for everyone to seamlessly engage, and engage effectively by providing the right conditions for innovation and creativity. Leaders play a critical role in balancing, navigating and supporting the required changes in the business, says Mohamed.