[I] A decade ago, most employers would have balked at the idea of employees regularly working from home. [II] But the pandemic showed that employees could work on their own. [III] Prodoscore, for example, reported that remote workers’ productivity increased 47 percent during the lockdown in March and April 2020, finding that communication activities such as emailing, telephoning and chat messaging all climbed. [IV]
Other recent studies indicate that remote work options increase job satisfaction. Buffer’s 2023 State of Remote Work report found that 91 percent of survey respondents enjoyed working remotely, with flexibility listed as the biggest benefit. Additionally, in 2022, McKinsey surveyed 25,000 workers across a range of industries about their remote work experience. According to the study, seeking out flexible work environments is the third reason why people search for new jobs (better pay/hours and career opportunities are the others). Remote work is such a large priority for workers that 87 percent of the respondents said that when offered the chance to work remotely, they would take it.
There was a time when remote work as we know it wasn’t even a possibility, because the technology didn’t exist. If your colleagues and business partners wanted to get in touch with you when you were out of the office, they couldn’t email, text or direct message to you. You would’ve needed to provide an alternative phone number or email to have a work-related conversation. “Ten years ago, remote employment basically meant a telemarketing or customer service position at below minimum wage,” said Samantha Lambert, director of human resources at Centific. “It was rarely connected with a full-time career. Now, technology affords us the ability to get the same job done, no matter where in the world we are.”
“The modern workforce is increasingly mobile, collaborative and dynamic, and comprises multi generations, all with different communication preferences,” said Stacey Epstein, chief marketing officer at Freshworks. “These workers span multiple industries ... all of whom represent unique challenges when it comes to staying connected while on the job.”
However, many companies continue to resist this work trend for various reasons. Some business owners may fear a lack of productivity in their employees, while others haven’t invested in teleconferencing and telework tech to support remote workers. Still, some businesses are making the necessary investments to support remote work.
(Adapted from THiNK)