Future of remote work

By Robert Mutasi

After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, almost everything was paralyzed including job loss, economic collapse. The pandemic changes everything.

The pandemic effects, which were the incentives to the shift to remote jobs. The remote jobs have sparked a serious conversation about the impact of the job.

Some question whether it will enhance flexibility and improve life-work balance or it will erode company's culture and collaboration.

But, remote work comes with a lot of benefits from social to economic.

As per a report by Harvard Business Review, remote work has boosted productivity by an increase of 47%,arguing that they are more productive while working at home than in a traditional office setting.

The flexibility of remote work prevents the expenditure of daily assignments and broadens several talents of employers yearly. It contributes to satisfaction and maintains retention rates through work-life balance.

However, remote work has its own challenges. It is in danger of disintegrating the culture of the company, a culture that often binds teams and supports collaboration.

According to the Buffer's State of Remote Work, loneliness is the biggest struggle for remote employees, with 20% admitting it as their main concern.

Interpersonal relationships among team members have been eroded by the absence of face-to-face interactions. Due to that absence, creativity and innovation among many workers are at risk.

Because remote work is already in place, the best way to solve these challenges is to introduce the hybrid working model.

This model will enhance employees to work remotely while also having opportunities for in-person collaboration. Microsoft argues that a hybrid model can promote satisfaction among employees and productivity.

From the Microsoft argument, they suggest that work-life balance should be maintained as well as maintaining interactions of the team from the company.

Enough spaces are supposed to be created both in remote work and in-person collaboration so that to enhance harmony that will secure a future that is cohesive and productive.