By Lyndsey Hall
In the past 10 years or so, the number of people working remotely has increased significantly. Major contributors to this shift include technology related advancements, cultural changes to work-life integration and family commitments.
In recent months, the Covid-19 lockdown has forced firms to rethink the way they do business. Most firms have rolled out new approaches to business continuity, cyber security and, of course, remote working.
Working remotely is the new normal
It will not come as a surprise that the future of work was always going to involve a shift towards remote
working. Forward thinking businesses such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Netflix were among the first businesses to adopt remote working practices. Global trends were heading that way before the lockdown.
Regardless of what happens next, it is unlikely that working practices will return to the way they were. Commuting from home to a central office where you have face-to-face interactions with colleagues could become a thing of the past.
How will remote working change the world of work?
Firms that do not have flexible or work-from-home policies will struggle to retain employees and attract the best people. Now that those working in industries such as technology, finance or service-based roles that can be performed online have shown that they can perform their role from home, they are less likely to see the need to go to the office. If businesses ask millennials and generation-Z workers to return to the office, they are likely to be asked, “Why?”
The most successful businesses will be those who encourage their people to develop their communication skills, focus on collaboration and roll out the technology that enables their people to perform their job online. However, not everyone will be able to work from home all the time, and some people may prefer to work in the office.
In addition, those working in front line public services, retail, healthcare and the hospitality industry will still have to go to their place of work.
Will remote working mean a move away from city centres?
That said, cities are likely to be much quieter places going forward and businesses will have to adapt in order to provide their services to an increasingly remote working population. It seems likely that Covid-19 will indeed accelerate remote working practices and businesses will need to become comfortable with that.
Has the coronavirus pandemic caused your business to accelerate the move to remote working? Have you embraced the change and do you intend to continue working remotely in the future, or are you hoping to return to the office full time as soon as possible? We’d love to hear your thoughts, leave a comment below or get in touch on LinkedIn.
Related articles:
Leading a remote team in uncertain times
How to apply for flexible working hours
