Remote Work Trends: How a Pandemic is changing the Way We Work Forever
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The year 2020 has turned out to be much different than what any of us expected. The Coronavirus has not only caused enormous economic disruption but has affected individual lives deeply. For the longest time this year, people were no longer allowed to roam around freely and have to stay indoors to contain the spread of the virus.
Strict lockdowns have been observed throughout the year in various parts of the world, affecting day to day activities. On the whole, the way we used to interact, shop, exercise, dine out, or even rest and relax has been altered.
People have been forced to work from home, as offices closed down to avoid infection. In this situation, remote work has become widely accepted in almost every field. Working remotely has many pros and cons, and businesses are discovering new ways to keep their employees engaged and productive every day.
Not only remote working is cost-effective but also helps in saving energy, cost of commute, and time of the employees, which can be used productively. Companies are now reconsidering the way they used to work as they adapt to the new normal. Not only is remote working cost-effective, but it also helps in saving energy, cost of commute, and time of the employees, which can be used productively.
Let’s have a look at how remote work trends are going to have an impact on our lives forever:
1. CONNECTIVITY
Scrum, stand-ups, and Meet-ups, whatever their name, daily work meetings were commonplace before the Coronavirus brought on the remote working trend. Now? Zoom, Skype, Google Meetings, and Facebook Meetings have replaced these face-to-face meeting mediums.
Coronavirus has affected communications in a way that it has become impossible for people who work together physically. Organizations are relying on technology to help them connect with team members. Zoom, an audio-conferencing tool, has gained popularity where people are using the tool for connectivity, meetings, webinars, etc.
Everything that was previously done face-to-face is now shifted virtually, mostly through audio and video calls indicating a high load and dependency on the internet Zoom has an estimated 300 million daily meetings around the globe, which indicates the dependency of people on these online connectivity tools.
As people rely more on more on these tools, they have become more sophisticated. Therefore one trend we can expect is the continued improvement in the quality, security, and performance of teleconferencing software.
2. CORPORATE FLEXIBILITY
Not that people had much of a choice over letting employees work from home, but corporate culture now has become more flexible. Now that companies have seen that it is possible to get work done virtually, it will be a challenge to take that back.
As per a survey, 54% of employees reported that they would prefer a job that would allow them to work remotely. The flexibility in corporate culture has expanded in this regard where, despite the situation, the connectivity has enabled people to stay connected virtually without having to be at the same office.
We would be expecting flexibility in this regard as there is a lot of commute time and resource consumption in being physically present at a working space. In a post-pandemic world, people are likely to have more freedom to choose between coming to work and being virtually involved in their work. Talking about future trends, employees would be able to choose to work remotely or face-to-face based on their nature of work and teams’ preferences.
Along with working remotely full-time, organizations are also offering flexible timings to their employees. Instead of following the same times, some employers are allowing employees to choose their own work hours to maximize productivity. These flexible policies will likely prompt diversity in the workplace as people will be able to work for a company without geographical restraints.
3. NEW SOPS AT YOUR WORKPLACE
Even at the places where work has resumed, it’s not the same experience anymore. Once you are getting back to work, you will have to follow the new SOPs established by the administration of your workplace. There would be temperature checks at several points, mandatory use of masks, social distancing, lesser people at a single level, minimum use of enclosed spaces, etc. There would also be frequent cleaning inside the offices.
People would have to follow a certain set of rules to stay cautious. Once the pandemic is over and the condition gets better, office spaces are likely to get back to normal; however, till then, minimum interactions would be encouraged. It is also likely that most of the office spaces will be consumed by the video conferencing studios to stay connected with remote teams.
Therefore, it is possible that remote work will change the layout of offices; perhaps, we will see more single cubicle settings then shared offices or work desks.
4. OFFICE AT HOME
Many people have realized by now that they need a dedicated space for work at home. Not everyone has space and liberty at home to have a secluded home office, but now it has become a necessity for many as you need a spot to attend your zoom meetings and take calls without any distractions.
Moreover, some people find it hard to form a routine at home or concentrate as they feel distracted by kids, pets, or other things at home, but eventually, people have adapted and are trying to keep their personal and professional lives separate – even at home.
Another prominent issue that people have to face at home is internet speed and reliability. We expect to see better and faster internet at home as it has become essential to work and stay connected while being at home.
Therefore, we are likely to see more home offices in the future. Some people are likely to choose work from home indefinitely as they might join the gig or freelance economy instead of working full-time.
5. NO MORE BUSINESS ATTIRE
Another thing that’s has been observed due to the Coronavirus and remote working is that people are getting comfortable in how they work at home. You might dress up every day, even while working from home but not exactly how you would’ve if you stepped out of the house.
The trend towards casual clothes is likely to accelerate as it is unlikely that people would wear heels or suits at Zoom conferences. For people working in the tech industry, dressing up every day wasn’t a requirement before, and now more and more people are getting familiar with the idea of working without having to dress up in business attire.
TO SUM IT UP
Now that we have had experienced how to work without going to workplaces, the work trends are changed forever. The video and audio calling apps, as well as other connectivity apps, are the modus operandi for connectivity in the workplace.
Further applications and tools would be introduced to help the workflow as well as the connectivity of people. Hybrid-work models are likely to be observed in organizations with people working on and off-site. The schedules of remote and physical staff would be coordinated to get productive results. Technology has played a vital role in changing the work trends amid the coronavirus crisis.
Author Bio:
Nouman provides ghostwriting and copywriting services. His educational background in the technical field and business studies helps him in tackling topics ranging from career and business productivity to web development and digital marketing. He occasionally writes articles for Carpetbright.
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