Remote Work – The Future?
Short answer, remote work is here to stay. During the COVID-19 pandemic, major tech companies announced permanent work from home options, for employees which preferred it. For technology focused businesses, of which many rely on constant Internet service connectivity remote working models are now ingrained in business operations. Many other businesses are now following this change. Twitter announced employees can work from home “forever” if they choose to. Google has had a long standing remote work policy. Other workplaces have operated on a remote work model since starting and have lead the way in educating other businesses in adapting to the ‘new normal’.
For those people who have jobs which rely heavily on computers or Internet based work, there was never really any reason not to work remotely. Unless of course for necessary in-person meetings, setting up or fixing physical hardware, or for social inclusion and interaction (important for many). Many employers have been hesitant in the past to let employees work with a remote arrangement. Often stating concerns that productivity levels might be affected. This has certainly been debunked by the pandemic, with further support for the saying; “a happy worker is a productive worker”.
It took the COVID-19 pandemic to make employers and executive recruiting firms, realize that not only is working remotely viable, but necessary. The technology for remote work has been available for some time, but underutilized. Even so, there were employers who were caught unprepared, when there was a sudden need to provide the necessary tools for employees to work remotely. Certainly, many employers were not prepared by the numerous changes the pandemic forced upon nearly every aspect of society.
Still, after initial adjustments were made, most employers discovered that workers could still be productive and focused, even when not working in a traditional office setup. For many employees, remote working is the way to go.
Now that many employers and remote workers have adjusted to the new normal, and kinks have been, (for the most part) ironed out, tech tools and apps for remote working have stepped up. With effective remote technical support for business, employers and employees are finding out that this setup is working and, surprisingly, becoming easier than ever.
Reasons Remote Work Is Taking Off
1. Work Anywhere
There’s a good chance that if you’re working remotely, your office is at your home. You might have a little nook set aside in a room, with a desk and a chair and your PC set up. However, your office can be anywhere you can take your used laptops and other gadgets with you. Remote working doesn’t have to mean working from home. You can be one of those people typing away at coffee shops looking super busy, if you’re into that.
You can even be on a trip, instead of being contained to an office or some claustrophobic cubicle. Anyway, with today’s tech tools and apps, you can take care of tasks or projects, attend meetings remotely and all of those other office-y things. You won’t be missing anything when it comes to what you need to do work. Sure, there are some tasks that can’t be remotely, but many can. There are even services that let you send and receive paperless faxes, like MyFax.
2. Save Money
One of the biggest benefits to remote work is the savings you’re making from not commuting to an office or workplace every single day. Whether you take your own car or use public transportation to and from work, the money and time you spend each day traveling can add up. With remote working, you can save the money you’re using for transportation, and your commute time can be spent on more productive tasks. You also won’t have to set aside money for your snacks, lunch, and beverages like coffee or tea. You can make your own food and drinks at home. You also won’t have to contend with the stress of commuting during rush hour.
3. Flexible Schedule
Flexibility, when it comes to schedule, is also one of the perks of working remotely. If you have a job as a software developer for example, you can set your own schedule. Who cares if you start work at 10? As long you put in the hours and meet your deadlines, you should be fine. There is no classic 9 – 5 in the remote working world. You can work around the time when you’re most productive. If you’re required to work at certain times or to put in a requisite number of hours, you can still set your own breaks. You can take power naps, take in an episode or two of your favorite TV show, or enjoy some playtime with your pets. All these are proven stress-killers, so you can come back and complete your hours refreshed and raring to go.
4. Learn To Work Unsupervised
You won’t have someone looking over your shoulder to check work or micromanage every minute of the working day. Working remotely, learn how to work in a way and method that best suits you. In any case, getting in touch with someone from work if you have a question is easy enough via instant messaging, email or apps. After a time, working remotely can teach you a lot about your working methods, productivity without direct supervision and your work ethic. You’ll also learn how to rely on your ability and when to ask for help.
5. More Productive Meetings
Few employees enjoy lengthy meetings in stuffy conference rooms. Especially introverts who find being around lots of people for long periods of time, exhausting. With remote meetings, you can participate in meetings from the comfort of your own home or an environment of your choosing. There are numerous apps out there, free or paid, that make remote meetings possible. You may even be given a business phone or handset for working from your home office. Even these devices, a laptop or your desktop can now integrate with collaboration apps like Microsoft Teams. As technology becomes more accessible via Internet connectivity, the evolution of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) has grown and brings remote workforces closer together.
The COVID-19 global pandemic has forced many businesses to adapt to the new reality of working remotely. Remote working was a solution to limit human contact. Wwith the help of services, apps, tools and other technology, it is now easier than ever for both employers and employees to adjust to this new way of working.
About Fastmetrics, Inc. Building & Business ISP
Since 2002, Fastmetrics is the Bay Area’s only dedicated business ISP. We provide telecommunication services in California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Reliable service – backed by better live and local support. From install to 24-7 proactive monitoring, get treated like a VIP customer. Not a number by a faceless call center. We specialize in managed business internet and phones, dedicated high speed business fiber internet, business WiFi, SIP voice solutions / UCaaS and managed network services. We are a Microsoft and Cisco Meraki Partner. Our team are Certified Cisco Specialists, Ubiquiti Enterprise Wireless Accredited and Polycom Authorized Solution Advisors. We take care of your business network, so you can focus on growth.
