How Remote Working Will Change the Way We Do Business
The Work from Home (WFH) revolution shows no signs of reversal and for many businesses, hybrid and telecommuting models are here to stay. That’s because employees - and their bosses - have noticed numerous benefits that come with a more flexible approach to office life. But it isn’t just the physical location of work that is changing. How we do business is also changing because of the teleworking boom.
There are 10 major trends that we’ve identified that we think will shape the way working from home is perceived and implemented going forward.
Constant and Consistent Availability
Many people who work from home have noticed that expectations about when you are available or “online” have completely changed.
Chalk this up in part to the now asynchronous mode of management many companies are employing but also don’t forget to consider the Internet and smartphones while you’re at it. In other words, this change was coming before the pandemic, which only accelerated the pace at which we’ve seen work trends shift. Think of the number of Zoom and Teams conference calls you’ve had over the last month. It’s almost certainly a significant amount more than pre-pandemic levels. Are you staying online later in the day? Starting earlier? Skipping lunch and working from your desk?
The Office As a Hub
Gone are the days of a physical office being the place you’re required to appear every day and here to stay is the traditional office as a resource center and hub for employees and their management team, vendors, suppliers, and partners. Expect that some meetings will still have to happen face-to-face and, for those moments, a slimmed-down office makes perfect sense. The rest of the time, the office of tomorrow will see fewer daily attendees and more remote connectivity from home.
Artificial Intelligence
Where and when possible, look for more companies to pursue artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions for things such as customer service, accounting, and supply replenishment, while the need for human involvement or input to be reduced.
AI can not only perform most basic functions related to customer service but also it is increasingly attuned to the specific needs of a company when it comes to productivity metrics. This means that some roles in the office may not be as necessary as they used to be. You might already see early signs of this trend developing in your workplace.
Automation
Again, when and where possible, companies will pursue automated solutions to help drive productivity, increase profitability, and focus human resources on the tasks that are specifically intended to involve human judgement, oversight, and decision making. Automation will allow managers and companies to maximize their talent pool utilization more fully while still getting the grunt work that keeps the wheels greased and the factory running accomplished. Automation is actually a major concern for many workers right now who worry that it will replace their job.
Yet, contrary to this popular belief, automation in the near term promises vast productivity gains that will make workers’ lives easier and companies more efficient.
Freelancers
More traditional employees could be replaced by freelancers, contractors, and other ad-hoc solutions to staffing. Why? For one, the modern workplace often requires more competencies than can be maintained on the payroll.
Ponder this: You’ve got marketing experts, social media gurus, web design teams, content marketers, influencers, programmers, app developers, bookkeepers, operations teams, office managers, and security specialists, just to name a few.
Keeping a full fleet of these employees on payroll is a task that even the richest companies struggle justifying, and it is no longer necessary as the infrastructure for hiring the best and the brightest no matter their field who can work remotely is more possible now than ever before. That also tends to reduce overhead expenses of many offices, which won’t need to maintain as much space, won’t utilize the same amount of utilities, or require the same on-site staff and personnel.
Asynchronous Communication
Communication in the office will become more disconnected from timelines. Hopefully, this means it will become more meaningful in the process but one challenge that managers will face is keeping teams on the same page and aligned when they aren’t in the same place.
Honing communications policies and establishing rules when it comes to timely response will go a long way towards making sure that the teleworking transition doesn’t result in things falling through the cracks along the way. How have you seen this develop in your own office already? Likely, an increased dependence on chat and messaging services like Slack, Teams, or Messenger for instant communications, and a heavier reliance on project management platforms like Basecamp, Asana, or Monday.com where communication is threaded by topic.
Productivity Metrics Will Become Even More Important
Few people outside of those professionally trained for it enjoy analytics and data, but you’d be wise to become more familiar with it because teleworking will require a whole new range of data points to monitor its effectiveness and efficiency.
Of course, having some amount of say in developing these metrics will help but employees that were more accustomed to a hands-off, autonomous approach to getting things done in the past might be more than a little surprised at how much “checking in” they’re going to have to do and most likely with an automated, AI-driven productivity management program. Much of this will depend on department managers to instate, as some teams can continue to operate autonomously, while others may need more direct involvement more often.
Company Culture Could Change
Whether this is a good or a bad thing probably depends on how much stock you put into the concept of company culture. While people will associate their identity less with where they work and what they do, this doesn’t mean that they won’t care about the quality of their work.
What this challenge presents to management is expanding company culture and emphasizing its purpose. In other words, what were once semi-hollow platitudes might have to become concrete realities as disconnected workforces seek something that ties them all together. What is your company doing to keep its culture alive today?
Productivity Will Increase
Interestingly, most experts predict that productivity will increase due to the implementation of a range of meaningful solutions and metrics that make teleworking efficient and productive. Gone are the numerous bathroom breaks, coffee hours, desk-side chats, trips out for lunch, and birthday celebrations in the break room, only to be replaced with pure, hard numbers and production. This gets back to the above point about specific efforts needed to ensure culture is able to be maintained.
Naturally, along with financial incentives, productivity gains will be the tale of the tape for working from home and, if these gains do not materialize, we are unlikely to see eager and enthusiastic companies embracing this change. So far, quite the opposite is occurring and is expected to continue into the foreseeable future.
Financial Efficiencies Will Lead to Some Companies Expanding Core Services
Contrary to what most people fear, working from home will likely lead to more jobs becoming available as companies shift from spending money on real estate, office maintenance and overhead, and the expenses associated with that to investing in core infrastructure, new products and services, or lines of business.
This includes human resources and expanding a company’s portfolio of products and services. Far from being a hindrance to growth, the financial efficiencies coupled with the productivity gains teleworking offers promise a continued revolution in work and the availability of employment.
https://www.vox.com/recode/22331447/10-ways-office-work-pandemic-future-remote-work
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8156-future-of-remote-work.html
https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-new-rules-for-remote-work-pandemic-edition