In just a few days in March 2020, working remotely became a reality for tens of millions of employees around the world. Companies that had been debating whether to allow employees to work from home suddenly had little choice due to Coronavirus. Nearly overnight, 62% of employed workers were remote, doubling the remote workforce almost instantly.
Now that working remotely is a larger part of the employment landscape, how will it impact the future of work? Below we preview some likely possibilities:
More Companies Will Hire Remote Workers
Once hesitant about performance management, productivity, and the viability of remote work, companies are now suddenly realizing great benefits. Leaders are quickly gaining experience using technology to meet, strategize, collaborate, manage projects, and evaluate performance. The results are extremely positive, as some companies already knew. Working remotely largely enhances overall productivity and decreases cost, with studies showing that it can save companies thousands of dollars per employee, per year.
What does this mean for the future of work? More jobs will become remote and physical location will not be as much of an obstacle. Competition for jobs will increase as they become available to a much wider geography. Productivity will rise as technology makes performance and project management more efficient. Worker satisfaction will rise as they shed grueling commutes, work more comfortably, and are blessed with less distractions.
Part-Time Remote Work
Pre-COVID-19, roughly 40% of businesses offered at least some type of remote work opportunity. Now that managers have seen what a remote workforce looks like, you can expect that number to go up. Office jobs will not be instantly eliminated, but as more work is performed and managed remotely, it is likely office management and other clerical jobs will follow.
What does this mean for the future of work? Less emphasis on a commute, more emphasis on skills, performance, technological aptitude, and consistency. The increase in remote work means the skills, capacity, dependability, and technical savvy needed to work remotely is paramount.
Business Will Reduce Office Space
As more jobs go remote, the need for large office spaces will decline. Companies save money by reducing office space, but also by not having to provide expense resources like copy machines, break rooms, and furniture.
What does this mean for the future or work? Workers need to be able to perform tasks without traditional office equipment. That means learning new technologies and adopting new methodologies. The days of protecting food in the break room refrigerator, and desk decorating competitions are largely a thing of the past.
If you’re looking for the latest in remote work opportunities, make sure you check out the ActOne Connection Center at https://actoneconnectioncenter.com/.
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