The last couple of months has taught businesses and employees alike that people in different professions can work from anywhere. So, how the companies conduct businesses — whether in a remote setting or office environment — really matter anymore?
Yes, it does. And in a lot of ways, it matters more than ever as employees get back to work and the work ecosystem evolves.
What’s the Story of Remote Work So Far?
If we can move beyond the 9-to-5 dogma, there’s a huge opportunity to uphold the best parts of office culture. This way, you could eliminate the bad habits and long working hours, from unproductive meetings to pointless bureaucracy. All entrepreneurs want the best for their businesses and employees. They’re always pushing themselves so they can do better. Now that things are changing, this is their chance to be disruptive.
From the employee perspective, this change is transformational and very consequential. People are deciding for themselves about different aspects: where they want to live, how they can increase productivity in the limited work hours and derive value, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. According to a study involving 4,700 participants, the majority claimed they never wanted to return to the old way of working; however, 12% of them said they wanted to return to the orthodoxy 9-to-5 hours, and 72% wanted a hybrid work model in the future.
However, one thing that is certain is that we can finish our tasks remotely without significantly affecting the productivity or quality of work. The majority of employees want flexibility in their work, particularly those who have to commute long distances to reach the workplace. At equal intervals, face-to-face interaction will be required to assist collaboration, meet new clients, brainstorm new ideas and strategies, and solve complex problems.
Now that the world is well accustomed to video communications, the way entrepreneurs manage businesses and connect with clients will be forever changed.
Over the coming months, the majority of companies will adopt a hybrid model, with most days remote and some days in the workplace. This might balance employees’ work and remote schedules to create equity. Both work models will experience greater productivity and collaboration and will attract people from different walks of work.
The Future of Remote Work Will Be Even More Disruptive
As most businesses rush to adopt remote work standards, many find themselves behind the curve.
But what if you could predict the future? What if you could know the remote work model will change the world over the next ten years?
Life First. Work Second.
More and more professionals will prefer the remote working model as it will help them re-prioritize what is more significant to them. People will understand that they have a life other than their job, which will lead to building purpose in other aspects of life.
Remember that there’s nothing like being more in control of your work, and not the other way round. If you manage to stick to this rule, your life will be forever changed.
Look for Greater Results.
Companies and businesses will rate your performance based on your productivity and results instead of your overall work hours. If you become more result-oriented, your company will automatically make people count time. This kind of trust and self-responsibility will actually make employees more productive.
Tasks with Clear Goals and Objectives
The need to cover 8 working hours in a day aimlessly will evaporate and get replaced by tasks with clear goals and objectives. Employees will have proper responsibilities and do what needs to be accomplished rather than wasting their time pretending to be busy with the rest of the office.
Have Flexible Working Hours
Nowadays, a lot of companies are granting flexible work hours as many employees claim that synchronous work makes it difficult to get the job done.
Businesses will adopt tools that support asynchronous work as it’s what companies who operate remotely need.
Burnouts
The changes that come from this model will not always be rosy. While the majority of businesses are concerned that their employees are taking advantage of this flexibility, the real problem is the opposite.
Employees are putting in too much effort and working overtime. This has become an enormous problem that begs acknowledgment. Entrepreneurs are now working on a solution to eliminating burnout.
More Priority on Physical and Mental Health
With the growing adoption of remote work by companies lately, employees will get 25 extra days to pursue things they like.
Reading books, meditation, running a marathon, taking time in the morning to go hiking, or merely spending time with family- these are just a couple of things that people do more to take care of both physical and mental health.
The Rise of Automation and Robots
Companies that will adopt robotic process automation (RPA) will win. Low-code/no-code platforms that allow employees to software that automate the tedious parts of their jobs will be transformational. We’ve already seen immense growth in robotics and automation in the last few years. But as more and more businesses become tech-oriented, this shift will pick up the pace.