How Remote Work Is Changing Today’s Business Landscape
The traditional way of working demands employees to be present in either an office or a location where the business is conducted. Telecommuting, on the other hand, allows employees to work from the comforts of their own homes without even having to step inside the office.
According to recent work from home statistics, in the last five years, the number of people who were working remotely has increased by 40%. Although this may sound look a huge boom, in reality, merely a few million Americans were allowed to work remotely in the first place (just 7% of the 157 million workers, to be precise).
COVID-19 Forced Employers to Allow Remote Working
When the pandemic struck, the government hastily issued a quarantine, and companies were forced to close their offices and manufacturing facilities. Everyone who was able to do their work from home was sent off. Those who had to work on-site were either fired or ordered to use protective gear (masks, gloves, and special suits) to shield both themselves and customers from the deadly disease.
Moreover, upon doing this, companies soon realized that remote work was not, in fact, impossible and that their profits remained intact. People working from home finished their obligations as usual, and business kept on going as if nothing happened.
According to the research company Gartner, 74% of companies are considering using this working method even after COVID-19 — and for good reason, too!
Let’s elaborate on this in the following section.
Things Remote Work Brings to the Table
Remote work benefits both employers and employees. Employers effectively cut their expenses in half (fewer utility bills, rentals, office supplies, etc.), whereas workers get to enjoy more time with their families and a much better work-life balance; not to mention that they no longer have to wait in traffic to get to and from work every day.
In fact, as much as 32% of people cite a “flexible schedule” as the top reason for working remotely. Yet, the main perk of remote work is not making employees happier, but more diligent overall — 2/3 of companies take their remote workforce to be more productive.
Technology on the Side of Remote Workers
Today, we have a whole plethora of tech apps that allow teleworkers to do their jobs from anywhere on the planet without sacrificing the communication aspect of it. One thing, in particular, being video conferences via apps such as Zoom, Slack, Skype, you name it!
Thanks to the growing popularity of said apps, white-board conference rooms are now becoming a thing of the past (and it was about time).
Moreover, new tech trends are also on the rise including Augmented and Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, RPA, and many others. All of which will make remote work that much easier.
Conclusion
All in all, working from home was here long before the COVID-19 pandemic; the crisis has merely put it into the spotlight, highlighting its true potential to the rest of the world. Remote workers are more productive, have a better work-life balance, and are generally happier.
In other words, remote work is changing the business world for the better, and we can all expect to do at least a fraction of our jobs from home in the very near future.
