Remote work has become a global phenomenon in recent years, especially from the era of Covid-19. Advancement in technology has further helped to make remote work the new normal. This has got us asking: what does the future hold for remote work? So here in this article, we shall be discussing extensively on the subject matter.
Hybrid Work Models Will Prevail
Remote work has further given rise to hybrid work model where both remote and physical coming to the office is the condition of work. This is because many employers have realised that fully remote or fully office based doesn’t suit their business needs and employees. Hybrid is a way to have a blend of both remote work and office based. This trend is expected to continue as companies seek to balance collaboration and flexibility.
A Wider Pool of Global Talent
Remote working has broken down geographical barriers in recruitment. Employers can now recruit from the global pool of talents. Although it is increase the competition, it has also increased amount of opportunities in the global space.
Emphasis on Mental Health and Well-being
Remote working can sometimes lead to burnout as there may not be clear time to stop working. Employees tends to keep on working till they are burnt out. This has also raised the awareness for mental health and general well-being. Employers are expected to put measures and programs in place to check-mate against possibilities of mental health breakdown by remote workers.
Technology Will Drive Collaboration
In the first place, remote work is made possible by technology. It won’t be out of place to predict for technological advancement to improve remote working especially in the aspect of video conferencing solutions, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) tools for virtual meetings for seamless collaboration.
A Focus on Results Over Hours
There is already more emphasis on results rather than the numbers of hours. The traditionally 9-to-5 work day model is gradually fading away. As companies shift focus away from numbers of hours to result, employees will have more controls towards their time. There will be development of more effective systems to measure results.
Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures
Remote work has given rise to lots of other careers such as cybersecurity. As important data are now being shared and transferred via online instead of physical locations or in the office. Other improvements we should expect are in the area of stricter data protection policies, security training and authentication methods.
Booming Co-working Spaces Businesses
Many remote workers will still register with a co-working space nearer to their homes to work from. This is due to the need to still use professional working environment outside their offices. Co-working spaces offers both the flexibility of a remote work and a professional office environment.
A Reduction in Traffic Congestion
Like in the case of Lagos city, working professionals struggle to beat serious traffic every day both in the morning and in the evening since everyone is trying to get to the office on time and also closes about the same time to start returning back home. Remote work has taken a lot of professional off the road which will continue to increase in number.
Increase in Freelancing
There are more contract and part time jobs that are remote. Professionals in tech can easily take up more freelancing jobs while still working full time for a company. A lot of remote workers prefers freelancing over a full time employment since it affords them the flexibility of time control.
There is no doubt that the future of remote work is filled up with lots of exciting possibilities. It has downplayed the importance placed on location and time, but rather increased importance placed on performance. High performance love the idea of remote working because they can deliver whenever they want and have control of the rest of their time. So, whether you are already a remote worker or considering to be, feel free to embrace it.
