Remote working has been around for decades, as companies explore better ways to manage employees’ productivity level and output. However, it hasn’t become mainstream yet due to various challenges and concerns, and rightly so as remote work has its pros & cons that on a larger scale will be harder to manage.
We often look at the advantages of implementing remote work, where technologists, employees and unions have been advocating for it. It’s undeniable that there are some advantages to remote work if the right culture and guidance are in place. 1)Time saved on commuting can definitely contribute towards higher productivity level or better quality of life, 2) access to global talent with geographical/logistical restriction, 3) fewer office expenses required and the list could go on. However, the challenges remain for remote work, as working culture is so accustomed to onsite work, long leases of office rentals, team bonding over projects, and many more.
My view is that white-collar jobs will be the first to experience a convergence of remote and onsite work, where day-to-day work can be done remotely, while onsite work acts as the glue to piece every part of the organization together. This requires a huge cultural shift in every aspect of white-collar jobs, from being accustomed to communicating via instant messaging instead of physical meetings/collaborations. Pitching business deals over video conference instead of physical meetings, and the need for business people to build effective relationships over the internet. The technologies are available to bring remote work mainstream, however, the majority of the white-collar workforce culture isn’t ready yet. Its more of a waiting game currently, as we await the necessary catalyst to push the general consensus to choose remote work over onsite work. Catalyst event such as epidemics, skyrocketing office rental, or other unforeseen circumstances will push more corporations to adopt some form of remote work.
However, prior to implementing remote work, culture and policies need to be in place for corporations to fully embrace remote work. Getting accustomed to more virtual communication and less physical facetime, being aware of the good practices to adopt while remote working, etc. This is lacking, as most corporations do not see this as a top priority in their work processes. In addition, the initial change or trial on remote working will witness a drop in productivity level, as corporations require time to transit from onsite to remote work and allowing employees time to adapt to new work practices. This could be a deterrence to corporations operating at large scale, where a dip in productivity is very costly for them. While the true benefits of remote work have yet to be documented holistically yet, and thus remains somewhat unjustified for the switch.
Newer companies(started in the last decade or so) are in a better position to embrace remote working effectively, without the existing inertia of change, and putting in place the necessary culture and work practices to make employees work more productively remotely.
Should remote work has gone mainstream, we’ll witness a shift in businesses which relies on office workers for commerce, the food providers, professional services, transportation, and many more would be impacted. As business environment changes, companies need to have a certain level of market awareness and agility to change their business model inorder to remain relevant in today’s dynamic environment. In addition, it is a concentration of risk if a business relies too heavily on one sector for revenue, therefore the constant need to diversify your revenue streams and have the vision and discipline to see it through is crucial for a business’s survivability.