Is the future remote?

The date is the 22nd of June 2021, the pandemic in countries who have not had a successful vaccination program are beginning to see cases rise again, lockdowns coming back into effect and travel restrictions are continuing to keep us less mobile than before the pandemic.

This has spurred a wave of remote working initiatives which have not only saved companies money but have enabled more people to spend time with their families at home by avoiding the lengthy and somewhat expensive commute to work. Of course, this is just one angle we are looking at today and as most posts focus on the negative affects brought about by the pandemic, but like the phoenix that rises from the ashes, it’s also important to find the positives which come from human endeavor.

The positives for office workers are that they have been able to work from home, this isn’t a one cap fits all solution, but it has enabled businesses to survive and thrive. I have covered this briefly before in a previous blog and now that we are further into the year, with the Pandemic not looking like it’s going anywhere this year, we should be asking the question as to whether it makes sense post pandemic to push for a more flexible, work from home approach.

We have seen new business startup during the pandemic and that are now valued at over £1m, people have changed jobs and reskilled, and others have embraced change and adopted a more fluid way of working to meet the needs of today.

There are some immediate environmental benefits which include, reducing the amount of traffic on the roads which equals less pollution. Public transport would be less crowded allowing for a less stressful journey to work for people who work in customer facing roles.

Reduced travel expenses allowing for more disposable income.

Although businesses are still reluctant to embrace ‘remote working’ as a post pandemic norm, the reason for this resilience is becoming less and less clear as people have already proven that the world (in several industry sectors and job roles) can work from home or remotely without any issues.