The Future Is Remote!

Remote work has risen rapidly due to the pandemic, with over half of the American workforce working from home. While the shift to remote work has gone better than expected, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about what the future holds for remote work, especially since there are roles or jobs that require one to be present in the office. 

According to a survey by Upwork, 56% of hiring managers report that remote working has gone better than expected, and 35% say that the experiment has gone as expected. Only 10% feel that it has gone worse than expected. While this statistic doesn't say anything about what the future holds, it does go on to prove that hiring managers are now looking at it positively. 

While working remotely does have its challenges, the benefits far outweigh the difficulties. Therefore, more and more employees have expressed their wish to continue to work remotely post-pandemic. 

According to a study by Buffer, 99% of current remote workers would like to work remotely for the rest of their careers, at least for some of the time.  

The Global Workplace Analytics report, on the other hand, revealed that 37% of employees were willing to take pay cuts to continue working from home. 

Hybrid mode is the way to go….

Yet, not everyone can work remotely all the time. That's because there are roles or tasks that require in-person collaboration. The companies, therefore, have found a middle ground in the Hybrid model that is a compromise between the office's demands and the employees' desires. It is the best of both worlds. Employees get to work from home most of the time and can come to the office when needed. It means lower costs for businesses and keeping employees happy and motivated.

Plan in place for working remotely...

One of the biggest concerns about remote working is communication and collaboration without physical contact. While this definitely posed a challenge in the past, advances in technology have mitigated this problem to a great extent. Video conferencing is the next best thing to physical meetings. Thanks to advanced video conferencing tools and widespread broadband and internet connectivity, remote working is just as effective as working from the office. Companies need to have a plan in place for the same. Companies must ensure that employees have everything they need to work effectively, from paying for internet costs to investing in advanced communication and collaboration tools and equipment. Also, a standardized work-from-home policy that sets the proper KPIs for both management and the employees would serve well.

Cybersecurity is vital...

Cybersecurity has become a major concern now that more and more organizations are allowing people to work remotely. It's time companies start thinking about how the data is being accessed and how to secure it. With more and more employees working from decentralized locations, strategic investment in cybersecurity is vital. Companies need to think seriously about their IT infrastructure.

There is no denying the fact that remote work does have a future. However, the future will call for significant changes like investments in digital infrastructure, innovative workplaces, and re-inventing policies and processes.

Do you think a remote working job opportunity is ideal? Tell is in the comments below!

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