Amid the Coronavirus outbreak, companies and businesses are restructuring their work environment in order to function remotely. What once was not the norm is now becoming the workplace of choice by tech-sector giants, with many other companies following suit.
Several tech-sector giants, such as Facebook, Twitter, Apple and Microsoft are now considering making the changes permanent. Facebook Inc. announced plans to reconfigure operations over the next decade to enable up to half of its 45,000 employees to work from home. “Changes will not happen overnight,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a live broadcast on his Facebook page.
Other smaller companies, such as a Box Inc., a cloud company, announced a redefinition for the 21st century when it comes to remote work. Emerging trends showing remote work becoming more widely accepted has also been seen by LinkedIn Corp. executives, according to Karin Kimbrough, chief economist at the Microsoft Corp. subsidiary.
Positive Impacts of Remote Work
According to research from Harvard Business School, work-from-home policies can increase employee productivity and company revenue, while also decreasing hiring costs.
Being able to work from anywhere gives employees the opportunity to relocate to less expensive areas, which in turn can increase their earning power and strengthen local economies. The goal is to find a balance that benefits not only the employees but the businesses as well.
Industry analysts believe the demand for remote work will only continue to increase as more and more companies experience its benefits, even when COVID-19 is no longer an issue.
While some companies have expressed enormous interest in adopting a permanent remote work policy, others such as Yahoo! have publicly stated it has no desire to do so. The reason has to do with the possibility of a decrease in employee morale and lack of face-to-face interaction.
Things to Consider
In-House Training – Having employees work in-house for a period of time can help build a foundation, giving employees and the company time to collaborate and learn from one another before permanently shifting to remote work.
Technology to Assist with Remote Supervision – Nowadays there are a vast array of tools that can be used by companies to manage employees while working remotely. FMTC uses a few on a daily basis and it has contributed to its success when it comes to being able to function remotely in the market. Click here to read more.
Gradual Conversion – A steady transition might benefit employees and companies alike by allowing both to make the shift to remote work at their own pace.
What to expect in the future
One cannot predict the future with certainty, but if anything can be learned from what the business world is currently experiencing is that remote work might be the new normal. FMTC is a perfect example of a company that has been functioning remotely even before the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about our product solutions and how we can help click here!