Present & Future Trends In Remote Work

Introduction

Remote workers have a distorted picture of the past. Many businesses felt that their employees would be too easily distracted at home, where their supervisors couldn't monitor their direct reports.

A decade ago, remote employment was extremely uncommon. Working from home was typically only accessible on a case-by-case basis to meet the needs of individual families. Teleconferencing and telework technology, on the other hand, has progressed to the point that certain firms can now operate with entirely remote staff. Businesses frequently permit their workers to work from home once or twice a week.

Remote employment may also assist limit the spread of sickness, saving businesses time and money while also preserving the public's health. The outbreak of COVID-19, for example, caused several businesses to switch to a remote work style for all employees to contain the coronavirus's spread.

We'll look at the history of working remotely, the present status of the workforce, and projections for the future of remote employment to see how successful communication technologies and working remotely may be.

How Remote Work Has Progressed

There was a period when remote work as we know it did not exist due to technological limitations. If your coworkers or business partners needed to contact you while you were away from the office, they couldn't do so through email, text, or direct message. To conduct a work-related chat, you would have needed to offer an alternate phone number, pager, or even fax number. Even full-time "remote" jobs were not the same as they are now.

Video conferencing is one of the most useful tools for achieving smooth remote work. Out-of-office workers can see and communicate with each other in real-time from anywhere with an internet connection, making it the next best thing to a face-to-face meeting. However, without the widespread deployment of broadband internet during the last 10 to 15 years, this capacity would not be conceivable.

Because of the rapid advancement of technology, many firms have abandoned traditional offices and now operate out of coworking spaces to suit their mostly remote workforce.

In the event of a crisis, such as a natural catastrophe or an epidemic, remote employment offers unique options. For example, when COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, spreads quickly throughout the world, the option for many people to work fully from home can help safeguard both public health and the company's long-term profitability.

The Present State Of Remote Work

Teleworking has become a common practice in many businesses across the world as a result of advancements in communication technology and internet access. This sort of work isn't always done from home; some remote workers visit coffee shops or coworking spaces, and some even travel the world while pursuing their professional objectives.

Many businesses, however, have resisted this employment trend for a variety of reasons. Some business owners may be concerned about employee productivity, while others may not have invested in teleconferencing and telework technology to assist remote workers. Many other companies have dabbled in the remote workforce by instituting a work-from-home policy for one or two days each week, or as an exception for a select few employees.

According to Buffer research on remote work, 75% of remote workers claimed their employers don't cover internet costs, and 71% said their employers don't pay for coworking spaces. These figures are slightly better than those from the previous year when 78 per cent of businesses did not cover internet fees and 76% did not pay for coworking spaces. While the desire and expectation of employees to work remotely grow year after year, organisations are only progressively adopting remote-friendly practices.

Implementing a remote working policy, on the other hand, may save businesses money by eliminating the need for costly office space (or satellite offices) while giving employees the freedom to choose their schedules and work from anywhere they want. It has the potential to be a win-win situation.

Future Trends Of Remote Work

Fast Company forecasts that remote work technologies, such as mobile work tools and virtual reality conferencing, would overtake face-to-face meetings as the preferred mode of communication. AI will almost certainly play a significant role in managing distant workers.

Companies may feel more at ease as a result of these improvements. The move to managing a remote workforce can be difficult, but with the proper technology and dedicated staff, it can be a breeze.

Fighting change may cause more harm than benefit in the long run. Many employees increasingly expect to be able to work from home.

Organizations should enhance their remote work rules and capabilities rather than opposing change. Create common key performance indicators (KPIs) for both management and employees if your firm is worried about productivity and performance difficulties as a result of a companywide capacity to work from home. Remote team members will be informed of expectations, and their performance will be monitored as a result.