Virus accelerating pre-COVID work trends in tech sphere
BOULDER — For several years prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, technology companies had been shifting toward more flexible work options for employees, had embraced remote collaboration platforms such as Slack and Zoom and had decentralized operations and workforces for the Bay Area.
The virus has accelerated these two trends and others, Boulder tech industry leaders said Wednesday during a virtual panel discussion hosted by the University of Colorado and moderated by Boulder Chamber CEO John Tayer.
“Not everyone was a tech company pre-COVID,” former Google site manager Scott Green said. “But COVID has driven tech adoption among all companies.”
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The virus has forced tech firms to be more nimble and adaptive than ever before, which is an area where smaller startups excel but can represent a challenge for larger, more established companies or institutions such as universities, according to Techstars managing director Taylor McLemore.
In addition to temporarily pausing in-person learning at CU, the virus has reduced travel opportunities for professors, researchers and out-of-town (or country) students, disrupted internships and caused some students and staffers to fear going back to campus, CU computer science professor Bruce Montgomery said.
These factors “could drive traditional enrollment down further” in the long term, he said.
Virtual learning presents its own unique challenges, particularly when it comes to equity of access. Montgomery said a surprising number of college students don’t have access to stable wi-fi, a must for anyone taking online classes.
“We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “This is not going to be easy.”
COVID-19 represents a transition not only for employers, but also for their landlords.
Dean Callan and Co. president Becky Gamble said her commercial real estate firm recently surveyed tenants and learned that between 10 and 20% of companies expect to reduce office space going forward. The same percentage of respondents expect to increase their office footprint to allow for more private offices and larger meeting areas. Another 10 to 20% of tenants plan to never return to the office.
The uncertainty in the marketplace could present some opportunities for companies that do decide to return to in-person working as landlords are open to shorter term deals and space can be rented at a discounted rate, she said.
One such company not planning to abandon office is Twitter, which is expanding its presence in Boulder.
“We’re still investing in physical offices,” Twitter engineering manager Jenny Hylbert said, but those offices will look a bit different.
For example, they’ll feature moving walls that can be reconfigured to encourage adaptability and collaboration.
While the current crisis has ushered in a “highly dynamic phase that’s pushing us to experiment in many ways,” McLemore said, companies will eventually have to pick a lane: Is the firm an in-person work environment, a remote workplace or some kind of hybrid. No company can be all three at once.
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