In 2020, the year began with major uncertainties. Due to the pandemic, remote working popularity skyrocketed globally. The shift to remote working happened overnight with some challenges and hurdles for many organizations. But remote working was a blessing in disguise during the pandemic. As now things are finally returning back to normal globally, what is the future of remote working? Is it here to stay or will it completely vanish from the work culture?.
Demand for remote working is still soaring. The economies have rebounded, lockdowns have ended and yet the remote job posts have not decreased. This is because people liked the idea of flexible working and remote working is still prevailing globally. This has become a popular work arrangement and companies are now changing their work culture with this new adaptation. People are also reevaluating their professional career and looking for a job where they get perks and flexibility of work. The priorities of people and companies both have changed during this time. In addition, a hybrid work approach is now adopted by many companies.
Remote work doesn’t mean that companies are permanently closing their offices. Companies have adopted a middle ground: a hybrid work approach. This gives the freedom to employees to choose whether they want to work from the office or home. They can work at both spaces alternately depending on the work requirement. People can also decide a workplace which best suits them. This work approach doesn’t put any pressure on people as it’s not rigid and allows flexible working. Companies still prefer to have on-site meetings for building strategies, brainstorming on projects and for team building exercises. While on other days, employees can work from home on their projects as per their comfort.
Pandemic has proven that work can be done remotely and efficiently with the same level of productivity. This shows that remote working is here to stay. However, it does require new policies, improved digital infrastructure, and freeing office space. Most importantly, strict cyber security policies must be implemented to make remote work more secure and eliminate the risks permanently. Companies should consider giving training for remote working and facilitating remote workers with the right tools. Now, we will have to wait and see what new remote work developments will happen in 2022.
