Due to the pandemic and lockdown, most people are now aware of the term "work from home". While you may think that work from home is only for time being, it isn't. The trend of working remotely is in all its glory and is certainly here to stay. More and more companies are considering updating their work-from-home policies.
Working remotely had a bad reputation until the pandemic happened and those who opted for it due to any reason were paid below minimum wage, nothing close to what an average freelancer makes these days. Traditionally employers used to believe that their workforce would be more likely to get distracted in the absence of a manager, but this conservative thought has now changed.
Does Work from Home get any work done at all?
Let's gauge the effectiveness of work from home. A few years back, most employers would have chuckled at the very idea of working from home. While it's convenient for the employers as they do not have to spend money on things like infrastructure and utility bills, their major concern is loss of productivity, in the remote work setting.
It is common for employees to become sluggish in their tasks when there is no one around to keep an eye on their level of activity and direct reports. To track down the efficiency of their workers, some companies have applications installed on their machines. These applications usually come with a timer that stops working if the employer doesn't get back to operating his system for too long. Most companies with these kinds of applications demand that at least 6-8 hours of activity should be recorded each day, from the employee's end. Failing to do so would mostly result in marking them absent.
What does the future hold in store?
Remote work wasn't even a possibility a few years back, but technology has advanced to the point wherein employers can not only get the work done from their employees remotely but also share the screen with them to work simultaneously on the same project. Various surveys have been conducted around the work from home culture and how it has impacted both the parties involved, employers and employees.
Predictions indicate that there is likely to be a boom in remote work software and applications in the coming years. We've already seen an example of ZOOM Cloud Meetings - a real-time video conferencing app that gained much popularity during the lockdown.
Many companies have even wrapped up their traditional office setup and have begun to run their business out of coworking spaces. As the name suggests, a coworking space is a shared office space where a workforce from different industries can gather and carry on their work. These coworking spaces are now available in most major cities, which goes on to show how rapidly and widely the work from home culture is booming. Fast internet access and a hoard of communication tools have made remote working an accepted practice across the globe.
While employers do not have to worry about paying utility bills and managing a whole lot of expenses that come along with running a physical business, employees also enjoy their fair share of the benefits. Remote employees can turn to coworking spaces or coffee shops to finish their daily work goals, or even travel the world while doing so.
