Dr. Anne Lee is one of the youngest Raytheon Engineering Fellows and United States Air Force Association Schriever Fellows working at Raytheon Intelligence and Space. Anne shares her workplace experiences and how she quickly adapted to the “new normal” using digital transformation.
The first photo (Figure 1.) was taken at the Raytheon workplace in Massachusetts only a few months before the global pandemic in March 2020. I was asked by my department manager to attend the Raytheon training and agile development project. After the COVID-19 outbreak in United States, the workplace had a dramatic change with strict safety rules, including: temperature checks, medical questionnaires, face coverings, sanitizer sprays, social distancing, non-essential business travel was cancelled and only essential employees or employees who work in classified areas were allowed to come into the office. Many of our employees were working from home during this period.
So, what does the workplace look like now? Raytheon Technologies has provided the best digital technology to us so that we can seamlessly access work assignments. Now, most of our day-to-day meetings and work collaborations are done digitally via Government Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, WebEx and a variety of other digital tools to help bridge the gap.
The post-COVID office of the future is something I’m looking forward to. Depending on our job responsibilities, we will have the opportunity to be fully-remote, hybrid or fully-onsite. For us, workplace flexibility means more than just remote work — it’s adapting to the needs of our employees and business while optimizing how, when and where the work is done.
Raytheon Technologies even created a tool that allows employees to reserve hybrid work spaces in office buildings from our phones; allowing flexibility and a safe environment for employees to work in.
Once the office space is scheduled for a specific date and time, I can come into the office and work at my selected spot. Raytheon Technologies’ office of the future will continue to upgrade its digital services and IT services to maintain 24/7 work access.
For now, we still must wear face coverings and maintain social distancing because the Delta variant outbreak continues to rise in many areas across the world. In addition, we are encouraged to voluntarily disclose and verify our vaccination status. There are several process options to choose from based on our comfort level and preferences. Raytheon Technologies’ office of the future focuses on employee health, safety and well-being.
