Remote Work: Potentialities and The Future
In the early 90s’, the thought of working remotely would’ve been as impossible as living in mars. With the invention and development of technology, it became a possibility and the percentage of people working remotely increased as time went by. A whopping 44% increase was recorded by FlexJobs in the last five years. This is one of the added advantages that technology has added to the business world. Before we move any further, what does remote work mean?
Remote work is what some people may refer to as “working from home”. They are right but you necessarily don’t have to be at home to be a remote worker. Some people find it easier to work in a coffee shop desk all day than to work from home. Wherever a person may be, as long as they do not have the need to report to a company’s office every day, they are remote workers. Some people obviously don’t get the idea behind working remotely. Why can’t they just report to work every day? Would they turn up as much work as those who work under the influence of office managers? What they fail to realize is that there are advantages attached to being a remote worker and hiring a remote worker. Let’s check out some of the benefits.
Benefits of Remote Work
While many people don’t see it as sensible to be a remote worker and attach a certain stigma to it, it actually is quite beneficial. Contrary to popular beliefs that remote workers do less work, they are actually as valuable to the company as you are and, they do just as much work as (if not more than) you. So, here are some reasons why companies find it great to have some remote workers.
Remote work makes life easier for company managers. It is one less employee to worry about. They can connect with their work from wherever, and even stage meetings with them through conference calls. Looking from the perspective of cost, some companies cover lunch expenses for their employees and when you deduct that from what they would’ve been paying had the remote workers been present, it saves cost. More importantly, you may not realize it but companies may be hiring remote workers because there is no physical space to fit in another much-needed worker.
Sometimes they are specialists who prefer to offer their services from a distance. Yes, people choose to render their services from wherever they choose and the only way to get them to work with a company is by letting them work remotely. Remote workers are freelancers, thereby reducing the need for a company to sign any legal agreement with them. A remote worker is more satisfied with their work: Working remotely means they don’t feel the pressure to come in early every day to work, look their best and ensure that they behave in the right way for the boss. Remote workers are more relaxed because they work in their comfort zones. Relaxation basically means that they have the chance to be arguably more productive than office workers.
So, the next time you think about a remote worker as unimportant, think again. Companies value them just as much as non-remote workers.
These are probably the reasons why the rate of remote work is on a continuous increase. On that note, why don’t we critically analyze its place in the business world as of 2019.
Where Does Remote Work Stand Today
As much as it is evident that remote work has been making progress in the corporate world, has it been making as much increase as it should? With the advent of video conferencing software and even social media, working remotely has been made easier and more profitable so it is quite surprising to find out that only 40% of companies in the United States of America offer remote jobs. The merits of remote work are known for a fact so why aren’t other companies jumping on the bandwagon? Does it mean that over 50% of US-based companies are still suffering from the ‘pajamas syndrome’ or they still feel like remote workers make it harder to manage employees’ input?
If there are more reports on the benefits of remote work, maybe brands would feel safer to create an opportunity for remote work. There was a report from Washington DC in 2014 in which the US taxpayer saved the sum of $32million from federal workers being snowed in for four days. If that doesn’t make a statement what will. To look at the case critically, every worker had no choice but to be a remote worker because of the natural occurrence. The snow obviously didn’t stop their work but just limited their movement to the office. This meant that the government got to save some expenses they would’ve and still got the work done.
As it stands, some US-based companies like Dell and Yahoo plan to create more remote jobs. Dell announced that by 2020, 50% of its work positions would be strictly remote. While some haven’t made that push yet, they have shown much improvement in accepting communication technologies. This makes the future of remote work possible in their companies.
There has also been an argument about types of work suited for remote purposes. It may not make a lot of sense to hear a doctor or a nurse working from home. While it is true that some work form needs physical presence to accomplish, it is not entirely uncommon to find a doctor working from home.
The Future of Remote Work
As long as technology advances in telecommuting, there is a sure increase in the remote work percentage. With an increase of 15.4% on online course enrollments in 2017, there is no denying that remote working would eventually increase too. There is a perceived future where remote working becomes the norm. More companies may start giving that option and people would take it without hesitation.
Originally published at https://nextplane.net on November 1, 2019.
