With more and more companies going remote since the start of COVID-19, and many permanently altering their ways of working and communication, many people are wondering if this technological advancement brought on by the pandemic is something that is here to stay.
The short answer? Yes. The long answer? Yes, and here’s why:
To start, numerous companies have realized that whether their employees being are in their office or at home, the same work has been getting done. In fact, according to a recent study done by the University of Cardiff, 73% of remote workers say they put in more effort than required for their job, compared to just 63% of workers who are in the office. In addition to more work being done, those working from home report feeling more motivated, active, and having a better level of job satisfaction than their at-work counterparts.
These workers are not only getting more done, in many cases, but they also allow those who are still working from the office or their other peers at home to get more done as well. Twenty years ago, when a meeting was scheduled, this meant a conference room had to be reserved, time had to be blocked off, and a limited amount of workers were able to sit in on meetings, meaning that these meetings had to either be conducted multiple times, or some employees were left out of the loop because they weren’t deemed vital enough to have a place at the table.
Now, however, with the introduction of videoconferencing, whether it be Zoom, Google Hangouts, GoRemote, or one of the many other video software programs, unlimited people can be added to virtual meetings and can chat and discuss solutions all from the comfort of their own homes. No longer do managers have to worry about a meeting running ten minutes behind or starting a few minutes late- when all employees have to do is put on a headset and join the conversation, it makes thing a lot less stressful and gives the meeting a more informal and laid-back approach, which many workers are grateful for.
With these changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, automation, in general, has become much more advanced than it was even two years ago, making tasks that may have previously required employees to come into the office now easily accessible right at home, meaning, once again, employees can actually get more done at home!
While there may still be a few reasons why working in-person is better- for many parents, working from home provides numerous distractions and extra responsibilities, and for those working with clients, not having the face-to-face interactions may be difficult- overall, most employees and employers alike are happy with this new setup and see no reason to change it. So next time your boss mentions people coming back into the office, be sure to give them a couple reasons why getting to stay home from work may actually be better!
