Due to COVID-19, the government encouraged non-essential businesses to close their offices and have people work from home. Since then, many people have worked remotely; however, this isn’t necessarily a good thing.
In recent months, more businesses have encouraged employees to work in the office instead of at home. Some companies offer pay increases to entice employees to start working in the office. Yes, those businesses have become that desperate because they want to know what people are getting up to.
Can We Finally Wave Goodbye to Remote Working?
There are many businesses in favor of companies that prefer remote work because they see it as a modern way to work. With old-school companies that have been around for numerous decades, they will likely disagree with that.
Some businesses say that productivity is lower when working from home. That is why fewer companies are offering remote work to their employees. Nevertheless, employees are still looking to work in a flexible environment where they can spend some days in the office and, on other days, work from home.
I can understand why employees are favouring applying for remote roles. It cuts all the rush hour travel time and gives them more flexibility with where they work. When it comes to working in an office, you feel like you have to get up at stupid o’clock to get anything healthy and productive done and by the time you get home, you have no energy. It can be great for a short period of time and then eventually get boring for some.
Some Employees Have Not Worked At Home
Although there are a lot of businesses that have offered remote work, there are other companies that haven’t allowed their employees to work at home at all. The reason is that some companies require their staff to work in a physical location so therefore, it isn’t possible. A good example of this would be those who work for a law or finance company. Work culture must be embraced in these work environments, including face-to-face interaction. This is what helps build a strong and successful team.
The Tech Industry Isn’t Accepting Remote Work Anymore
The tech industry was one of the first to work from home during lockdown. The government made a public announcement saying that if you can work from home, you should. That included those offering digital services to other businesses in the UK. Essential workers were told they could still work as well but in their case, they could not do this at home.
When tech companies started working from home, they started hiring new staff members to work from home, so it was to be expected. It saw an increase in Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, Skype and other video communication methods. That is, companies can communicate with other staff members to ensure work is being completed or they could have company meetings using these platforms.
Work became very flexible for some people at this stage. People were working in the office on some days of the week and then at home on other days. Other people were working in co-working spaces, as they saw this as less of a distraction in the office.
Reasons Why Remote Work Is Slowing
Now, it is recognised by tech companies that working from home isn’t working. That is understandable for some companies, as they have seen a drop in productivity. Instead, they want to see what people do during work hours, as too many people embrace flexible work when working from home. Additionally, they are worried about the development of fresh starters for the company. That includes junior workers who are new to the role. Their progression can be unknown when working from home, which is why businesses want their employees in the office.
It isn’t just work productivity that is a worry with staff working from home. Employers are also unable to see whether employees are happy at work. Additionally, employers are unable to identify any health risks for staff members. Due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, staff members don’t understand the cultural benefits of working in the office. Therefore, they are not building strong relationships with other employees.
Is A Hybrid Working Model A Modern Solution?
Now, businesses are looking for ways around remote work. One of the best solutions is hybrid work. It allows employees to work from home on some days and on other days, they will have to come into the office. Employees can work in the office every day of the week if they wish to do so; however, they cannot work from home all week.
Hybrid working is something that many companies are encouraging their employees to do. That way, employers can see that staff are making good progress in their line of work. It also promotes a work culture and allows employees to interact with one another while discussing work.
A change of scenery is always good for motivation and personally, it feels good to get out of the house and travel a couple days a week in comparison to not or 5 days in a row. This way, they can build relationships with their employees and, in turn, motivate them to work hard for the company.
What Should We Expect To See In The Future?
When it all comes down to it, there are ups and downs to everything and some of the main outstanding points are that people want to cut down on travel time and the freedom to work anywhere they want and companies always want to try to cut down costs with office spaces. While there is motivation and work efficiency to take into consideration, the bottom line is that with evolving technology such as artificial intelligence, there is a risk that a lot of these office jobs are eventually going to be obsolete.
In the future, I can see companies coming back to base but then on the other hand, I can see companies relying on the power of artificial intelligence, cutting down their costs even further and removing large amounts of staff. While this seems scary, there is no definite answer to how things are going to turn out in the future, but with the accelerated progress in technology, it could go either way. This is all dependent on companies valuing the uniqueness of their employees or if they want to get rid of offices and try alternatives.
In other words, changes within the remote model can't cause any dramatic change but over time, I think some companies will prefer hybrid models to boost motivation, encourage a change of space, and keep their staff stimulated, which is something you miss out on when returning to the same 4 walls every day.
Final Opinions: Is Remote Work Going to Continue?
There is no doubt some businesses will allow working from home for their employees. However, many companies would prefer a hybrid working model. That way, they know what productivity levels should be like when employees are working from home. Companies will now have to look at ways to counter the younger generation, who wish to work from home more and that solution is hybrid working.
If you are a business owner who has noticed productivity levels drop significantly since remote working has become a thing, you should consider hybrid working. If you want staff to work in the office more, offer better pay or other benefits. For example, you pay for their parking at a Knightsbridge parking lot or wherever they work.
