Remote working the trend of the future

In 2020, as a result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we started working from home en masse. Until now it has been the privilege of some companies, now it is estimated that by 2025 70% of employees will work remotely a minimum of 5 days a month. This is just the beginning of online work as a trend.

According to Enterprise Technology Research (ETR), the percentage of people working permanently from home is expected to double in 2021. This is not without reason – according to a Capgemini report, based on surveys of 500 organizations and 5,000 employees worldwide, as well as interviews with academics and managers, remote working increased productivity and brought cost savings of 24% in the third quarter of 2020. In contrast, a Gartner survey asking CFOs about remote work showed that 74% of them plan to permanently move employees to remote work once the Covid-19 crisis is over.

Remote working and productivity

According to the Capgemini report, it was found that employee productivity increased in 63% of organizations in 2020. This was driven by the reduction of commuting to offices, the introduction of flexible work and the use of virtual collaboration tools. Productivity in business reality contributed:

• IT-related and digital-based activities (68%),
• customer service (60%),
• Sales and marketing (59%),
• Digitization and use of technology.

Online and hybrid work: no big offices needed

The need for large offices is gradually going away. Large companies and corporations will remodel offices to accommodate space for hybrid teams. This involves a new type of work: a combination of remote and in-person, giving rise to a hybrid work model. One strategy in such an environment might be to designate certain days for in-person meetings and brainstorming, and set others for remote work. Offices can be redesigned, creating more shared meeting spaces.

Remote working: challenges

A positive attitude and strong relationships in the office are a driving force for work. One of the disadvantages of working remotely is that it is harder to highlight professional achievements. In 2021, employees will have to put in extra effort to virtually increase their engagement to ensure they have access to new opportunities and keep them engaged. By attending virtual events, being active in online meetings and maintaining a high level of enthusiasm, employees will be able to become more engaged while working from home.

Online work vs. productivity

Remote work has significantly changed performance management. Organizations will increasingly focus on work done instead of hours worked – making tools and applications that facilitate remote employee performance management more important. To maximize employee productivity, employers will need insight into what employees are doing.

Remote working and cyber security

A key issue in this kind of work is cyber security. Organizations need to think more strategically about investments in cyber security and how best to protect employees, data and equipment.

The emergence of pandemics and the shift to remote work has not reduced productivity, but improved it. The future of remote work will require many changes, including investments in digital infrastructure and changes in office space management. For most companies, hiring employees outside the office will require reinventing many processes and policies.