Growing Trend of Working Remotely
If you work for a “non-life-sustaining” business, the chances of you working from home right now are probably close to 100%. You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times – this will help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The more people stay at home, the less likely they are to catch the virus, therefore the less need for them at hospitals, where masks and ventilators are in extreme shortage.
In the past, working from home, or “remote”, was not a good look. Employers believed that those employees would not get any work done and managers would not be able to keep an eye on their direct reports. It was very rare and only accommodated through special arrangements.
Working Remotely
On the other hand, working remotely can be a huge cost savings to the employer to help save on overhead costs. Today’s workforce is always on the move and all have differences in the way they communicate. New technologies have allowed more and more industries to move towards a remote model.
Given the current situation, businesses quickly had to accommodate their employees, across all departments, into a work from home solution, either by providing a laptop to take home or setting up remote desktop to a personal computer.
A number of years ago, working outside of the office was not even possible, just due to the fact that the technology couldn’t support it. With the wide spread of much faster WiFi connections, video conferencing, and even VoIP phone systems, it is much easier to get work done from your home. This is especially helpful in the face of a crisis, like COVID-19, to help protect the public health system but also ensure the continued success of the business.
There are some employers that are hesitant this work remote trend because they feel that their employees will lack productivity, or they simply haven’t invested in the technology to support remote workers. On the other hand, some employers have dabbled into creating a work from home policy or as an exception to certain employees on a special arrangement.
It is predicted that remote work software, like virtual reality conferencing and mobile tools will become the preferred way to communicate. With the current situation, organizations should improve their working remote policies and capabilities, in case this becomes a long term situation.
JENLOR has supported remote clients for a long time and we are here to help you get set up. If you have recently moved employees from the office to home and need an expert to ensure they are secure, call us today at 412-220-9330 ext. 3.