The waves of radical changes
It’s 2022. We have been tolerating the pandemic for two years now. Wow! Achievement indeed.
Earlier the pandemic seemed hard to bear but see, we have managed to pass through the hard times and we are striving to be happier. It is a human attribute to acclimatise to changing circumstances. Wearing a mask before stepping out has now become our habit. What about social distancing? Oh, we are following social distancing religiously by ditching all social gatherings – sheer lies! Lol. Honestly, that’s next to impossible for social beings and that’s exactly how the virus keeps spreading like anything with every wave. Thankfully, the corporate world has been actively implementing the covid appropriate behaviour over the years which has made remote working such an acceptable and normal mode of work today.
Giants have gone remote!
While several mid-size companies and small companies were still hesitant to apply the remote work model, giants like Adobe and Apple were quick to reap the benefits of remote work. Adobe has a great reputation for being a people-centric organization. The company has undergone a lot of research and interviews before switching to a hybrid work culture. The emphasis was more on giving the employees the comfort and flexibility to work from anywhere that won’t compromise their productivity. A similar approach was taken by Apple that regards their employees as their prime assets. In a recent report, Apple declared that it has kept the decision of returning to office in February on hold for an indefinite period. Moreover, it has offered every employee a sum of $1000 to set up their workspace at home for remote work. Apart from Apple and Adobe, the largest social media network Facebook has also incorporated the remote work structure within its operations since June 2021. Facebook stated that their employees can continue to work from home permanently.
Perks of remote work for companies
We are aware of the perks an employee would derive from remote work. But how beneficial is it for the companies? Well, remote work increases productivity in employees to a notable extent. Stanford University, in their two-year remote work productivity study, divided the participants into “traditional working” and “remote working” groups. The results of the study reflected positive growth in productivity for the remote working group. The productivity was certainly ascribed to the reduced commute, lesser coffee breaks, and any other kind of distractions. The study also stated that employees availed themselves fewer sick leaves during remote work. Apart from increased productivity, this style of work saves a lot of costs to the company. Renting a workplace and maintaining it would demand a substantial amount of capital from the company. Remote work is all about not paying the hefty price for infrastructure and still getting the work done. How cool is that!
Concluding thoughts
Remote work is the future of the corporate world. While some tasks require the physical presence of both the employer and the employees, the companies are learning to adapt to the idea that several works can be done and dusted online too. This means lesser travel costs, lesser infrastructure costs, and the employer won’t have to pay the annual maintenance fees for the AC, electricity, and water filter at the office. However, to make the remote work concept successful, both parties need to develop digital expertise or at least to have the minimum know-how of fixing the keyboard instead of twitching the entire system. That’s kinda challenging and time taking but not impossible. Hopefully, we’ll be ready to welcome this new normal before the next wave arrives.