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Will remote work and decentralized work places go away after the world goes back to ‘normal’? 

The pandemic of 2020 has pushed the world into the future, maybe not in the most pleasant way but there is no denying that the way that we all see the work place has changed. With so many losing jobs around the world, and companies reassessing the way they do business, there is no denying that our world looks different and the ‘new normal’ is something we all have to get used to and adapt to.

Due to the pandemic, companies have realised that they don’t need the overheads of office space and in-house staff, remote work has become normal and the only things needed are reliable internet and a home computer. The question is, will this last after vaccines are rolled out and the world is no longer in some form of ‘lockdown’?

According to McKinsey, this remote way of working is here to stay for a portion of the world’s population, specifically for highly skilled, highly educated workers in specific industries, occupations and geographies. To quote McKinsey – More than 20 percent of the workforce could work remotely three to five days a week as effectively as they could if working from an office. If remote work took hold at that level, that would mean three to four times as many people working from home than before the pandemic and would have a profound impact on urban economies, transportation, and consumer spending, among other things.

Stanford economist Paul Romer once stated “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste” – and this is what companies have had to really take in to account in this period. Opportunities and growth can come out of crisis as much as pain and suffering can. In industries where remote work is possible, companies are seeing that they can cut down on expenditure and be more effective and profitable with a portion of the staff compliment working remotely.

Of course, remote work poses it’s own challenges such as staff staying motivated, finding a home-work balance and being self motivated. For some, this is no easy feat but this is the way of the future and is possible for most people to do if they find the balance and put practises in place that make for a successful work-from-home lifestyle. Practices like:

1. Implementing set ‘office hours’

Just like an office environment, when you work from home, you must ensure to create a balanced lifestyle with set hours you work from and until, this forces a person to be productive in those times and also gives a cut off point to have a family/personal life.

1. Dress for work

Working in pajamas may sound appealing but there is a phycological benefit to dressing for work, routine is key.

1. Have a ‘to do’ list

Writing your to do list for the day, week and month keeps you motivated and productive and ensures that you have a schedule for the day. Prioritise in order of importance and cross tasks off as you complete them. At the end of the day, look at what you have accomplished and make a list for the following day.

You can read more tips on working from home in our other articles found on https://www.hiringantz.com