Who would have guessed that remote working would become such a popular strategy among companies, businesses, organizations, and corporate? A recent study suggests that as companies strive to take shape during this post-Covid economy, working around one day per week is more likely to boost productivity by approximately 4.8%.
The truth is that companies are now starting to believe in the model as more and more employees are working from home.
People use different terms to refer to remote working. The most common terms that also refer to remote working are telecommuting, telework, remote work, remote job, hybrid work, and working from home.
It is generally a work agreement whereby employees do not commute to a central workplace. Read on to know if remote working will become the norm.
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There is less office space with remote working.
It is the target of every business or company to cut costs and increase productivity. Leasing offices for employees’ working stations and investing in internet services is one of the high costs that companies have to incur.
However, the good news is that companies will not need to rent large physical offices with remote working. It is more likely that physical offices will now be a thing of the past.
With time, completely virtual businesses and companies will continue to establish themselves, and some will not even have physical headquarters.
For instance, Forbes Magazine reported that REI, an outdoor retailer company, had announced that it would henceforth “Lean into remote working as an engrained, supported, and normalized model” for its employees.
What about the hybrid model?
With the continued rise and popularity of remote working, many organizations consider combining remote working with the traditional workplace strategy.
So, one would wonder how the combination of the two works. This is it. The hybrid work model is the strategy most companies are now trying out. It involves employees working remotely for a specific number of days in a week and on-site working for the remaining days. Companies are targeting the on-site working days for collaborations and meetings.
Additionally, remote employees can utilize the in-person meetings to brainstorm and introduce new projects. Also, they can be essential for team-building practices for creating a uniting bond among the employees.
Remote days are for duties that do not require teamwork, and each employee can perform independently.
With remote working taking shape, does it have any benefits?
Companies that have already started engaging their employees in remote work have seen the future of remote working in a couple of decades to come. That’s the reason remote working will become the norm.
The following are ways employers and employees are benefiting from remote working.
- Employers now do not have geographical limitations to hiring new employees with remote work. So, almost zero geographical limitations mean an extensive pool of better talents.
- Employees are also primary beneficiaries of remote working mainly because they can keep their full salary and accompanying benefits.
- Working from home helps employers and employees save the time and costs of commuting to a central working station.
- Companies that have embraced remote working are now enjoying increased productivity because of the reduced office interruptions.
- Remote working came to help people with disabilities as they no longer need to hassle their way out of the house to the physical offices.
- Companies enjoy extended operational hours and fewer parking spots thanks to their employees working remotely.
Challenges of remote working
Although remote working seems to be a business strategy that will be here to stay, it also has its downfalls that may slow its implementation process.
- One fact is that remote working is not implementable for job descriptions requiring employees to use specialized equipment.
- Additionally, remote working might become the norm someday. But what about employees’ networking opportunities? With remote working, employees may experience fewer networking opportunities.
- We also cannot forget that remote working may increase the employees’ electric and heat bills.
- It is also tricky to manage a large group of remote workers, which adds to the difficulty of supervising and evaluating employees’ work.
So, are companies ready to adopt a remote-working culture into their system?
The pre-Covid-19 studies might show the benefits and challenges of telework. But are companies ready to shift into the virtual world, especially with the post-Covid-19 economic status?
According to a recent survey, it is unclear if most companies are prepared to adopt the work arrangement. It may be difficult for businesses that do not support the idea to transition into remote working fully.
Additionally, if the current managers do not know how to supervise and manage virtual employees, adopting remote working may also be tricky.
What companies and businesses need to do to make this transition smoother
Many businesses will not know the benefits of remote working unless they establish the culture, norms, and employee development strategies necessary to support telecommuting.
So, companies need to develop ways of eliminating the stigma against telework. They should also start trusting their remote employees. The companies should also organize managers’ and employees’ training on virtual communication and technology. These supports are crucial for the successful implementation of remote working.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Covid-19 pandemic taught many organizations the importance of working from home. Many freelancers, self-employed, and full-time workers are now appreciating the benefits of working from home. Researchers continue to project that telecommuting is here to stay, and companies should strategize on taking full advantage of such arrangements. In the future, you may not see lots of traffic during rush hours as people will be less commuting. Less commuting means less air pollution, which is a topic for another day.