The coronavirus epidemic has altered how people work and how businesses recruit. The need for great profits is however, the one thing that hasn’t changed all this while. Employers want profits they can access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they expect employees to deliver. Which is why, numerous firms have embraced remote work as an urgent response to the pandemic, and have so far been pleasantly surprised by its effectiveness.

As you may have probably learned, there are, in fact, many benefits to working remotely, including higher productivity and a better work-life balance. Most organizations, however, have had to make considerable adjustments in their workplace before they could reap the benefits, including investing in new technologies that would allow the bulk of their employees to work successfully and efficiently from home.

Are you still not sure why you should speed up technology innovation to achieve continuous success in business operations through remote work? Continue reading to learn more! But first, let us look at some statistics to understand the future of this new world of working!

Some statistics on remote work

Remote work is one of the fastest-growing trends in modern business, and it’s rapidly transforming everything from how we approach work-life balance to how we interact and even how we assess productivity. In 2020, Growmotely commissioned a poll in which working professionals and entrepreneurs were asked to share their thoughts on the new work-from-home paradigm. What were the results? Remote work is expected to continue after the pandemic, according to statistics.

Let us take a look at three of the survey’s most interesting findings:

Remote employment is expected to become the norm in the foreseeable future, according to 74% of experts. When questioned about the future of work, 74% of professionals believe that working from home will become the norm. 76% of entrepreneurs agree with this statement, demonstrating that traditional office facilities, as well as co-working spaces, encounter challenges. Large companies such as Twitter and Slack have already indicated that all employees would be able to work from home on a permanent basis, while Salesforce has just announced its hybrid work strategy. Because of the precedent these companies are setting, as well as employee expectations, a company’s capacity to go forward will be harmed by not providing a remote work option.

97% of employees do no longer want to work full-time from the office anymore. Even when companies are able to safely return after Covid-19, just 3% of employees and entrepreneurs polled stated they wish to work full time in a physical office. The remaining 97% want some degree of flexibility in their work schedules, whether they are working remotely or in an office.

For organizations, this means that in the near future, adopting a hybrid work paradigm will be important in acquiring and maintaining talented staff. Employees will analyze employment offers and choose their place of work based on the flexibility of work schedules and the fact that they are not required to spend 100% of their time in the office.

61% of employees prefer to work entirely from home. Some employees will need access to an office space, while others may not. As a result, the role of a real office space in the future of work will need to be reconsidered.

This is an important number to keep track of since it may alter as the pandemic progresses. It is also something that should be polled among your employees to get a true sense of how they prefer to work. As schools reopen and students return to full-time learning in classrooms, employees’ attitudes toward entirely remote employment may shift.

How is technology enabling remote employees?

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers around the world are now working remotely. Some people have found the shift to be seamless — perhaps they were already working from home part- or full-time and enjoy not having to commute into the office every day. Others may find it more difficult to make the transition. For one thing, they lacked the technological capabilities to convert their homes into offices. Businesses may assist their staff embrace and prosper in a remote job from anywhere in the world by successfully utilizing technology.

Below are four ways through which technology is helping to ensure that businesses can continue to operate as usual in a remote area with minimal disruption to their critical services and data:

The internet

This is very important because, just as an office needs good internet service to support in-house staff, remote employees want outstanding service with adequate capacity to accommodate streaming connections for tasks like video conferencing. Employers can do the following to guarantee that their employees have a strong bond:

Consider providing or supplementing remote employees’ home or office internet to ensure they have high-speed connections and can stay connected.

Include a dependable mobile service so that employees can connect using their mobile devices.

Determine which Wi-Fi hotspots are safe and secure for on-the-go employees: Using hotspots is a terrific method for a company to save money on data and avoid overage fees. A virtual private network (VPN) can also be set up by businesses to ensure a steady and secure connection.

Cloud Data Management for On-the-Go Accessibility

The basic premise of remote working is that information is readily available and to have the same information and tools virtually accessible just as they would have in a real office. The cloud is the solution here, as it stores files, data, and apps on a centralized server and makes them accessible from any device with internet connection. Employees can work from anywhere using either company-issued or personal mobile devices. Remember that remote employees require virtual access to all applications and files, not just a handful. Businesses that implement a cloud strategy must give employees means to securely communicate information, sync schedules, process key papers, and back everything up in real time.

Software tools for a better collaboration

In today’s world, collaboration entails much more than simply sharing files and taking notes. Individuals and teams may take charge, adopt responsibility, embrace collective views and ideas, and come up with solutions to get the work done. Because of the availability of robust technology solutions in the form of cloud-based collaborative tools, software development outsourcing has become a common practice. Employees can use superior collaboration software products while working from remote places to keep the team focused on their common goal. Without a physical manager to supervise them, the team can go about their job as usual.

The phone

It is easy to overlook the phone, yet it is still an important business tool both inside and outside the workplace which is powered by technology.

Look for a phone system that allows employees to use a single phone number that effortlessly converts from a desk phone to a mobile device, allowing them to stay connected no matter where they are.

Embrace technology to reap the benefits of a remote workforce for your company

With more businesses moving towards an all or partial remote structure, if you have not seriously considered investing in remote working, we encourage you to do so now! Because even after the pandemic is over, remote working is highly likely to become the new normal. This is why leveraging technology is a critical step in realizing the benefits of a remote workforce. Get on the bus before it’s too late!

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