The new normal and working remotely

They say that our professional and personal lives will be changed permanently by the Covid-19 pandemic, and remote work is always part of that conversation. After all, the ability to run our businesses from home ensured continued business and economic security during the stricter lockdown regulations.

The questions then beg, where will we be working from in the future?
Many business owners will likely keep some workers on remote work schedules; after all, international reports show higher productivity, while general savings per remote worker has been substantial.

You’ve probably already done the math in regards to office hire, furniture, utilities, stationary, printing costs, as well as the smaller but substantial cost of coffee and tea stations. On the other hand, remote workers are not complaining, as they are saving hugely on travel costs as well as the time spent to travel. Since this is a win-win situation for both the business owner and the remote worker, the only other tricky variable would be to monitor productivity and job satisfaction. Whereas workers used to spend their contractual hours on their seats at work, the new normal will force us to think according to outcomes rather than hours spent.

What about the employees who were attending to telephones or the front-office. There are cost-effective and professional alternatives to these employee functions such as online chats, instant messaging and virtual receptions.

Another possible scenario that might catch us off guard shortly is that of Nomad workers. When travel bans lift and your remote workers might start to look at a nomad lifestyle, it would be a whole new issue to navigate.