Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the acute vulnerability of businesses and their workers worldwide. Millions of workers have been engaged in remote work many of them lost their positions, besides, companies could not hire new employees. Consequently, many people who could not find a new job and were forced to apply for unpaid leave decided to be self-employed. Moreover, the pandemic has contributed to the transition to the remote work trend, which, however, comes with some difficulties. It includes performance monitoring, secure connection to the corporate network, inability to work due to small children, and others. Therefore, the pandemic’s long-lasting effects on the way in which one works are formulated by the growing popularity of remote work, which has a positive impact on the workflow.
Discussion
It is worth noting that for medium and small businesses, remote work is a more profitable option than classical employment. Advantages are formulated by the fact that employees working at home help to save financial resources. For example, one can avoid paying rent for office space, spending resources on providing a workplace, transporting employees, providing food, etc. For small and medium-sized businesses, saving is vital since a significant amount of resources must be allocated to business development. However, remote work formulates certain difficulties since it is more difficult for a business to get employees to work remotely with high quality, and they often do not have suitable conditions. Besides, it is more difficult for the tax service and other regulatory authorities to monitor the transparency and income of a business, the number of legally registered employees, and taxes paid.
In addition, the line between work and personal time has blurred, and because of this, many experience stress, which leads to all sorts of psychological problems. People have to be torn between work and family when everything needs attention at the same time. During the pandemic, millions of people were left without work because not all companies were able to reformat to a remote mode (Lund, et al.). However, some businesses have made unusual decisions, such as shortening the work week. At the busiest time in the middle of the day, duties were divided among several employees. Such options helped avoid layoffs and contribute to employees more harmoniously combining work responsibilities with family life. Moreover, working from home can be convenient for those who have reached retirement age but are not ready to go on vacation. Such employees often have valuable experience and can be helpful to the company, and working remotely, they get the opportunity to build their day as they see fit.
People who place a high value on autonomy and creativity are reaching a new level of productivity in a remote environment. The problem is the inflexible thinking of employers who are accustomed to certain business processes and do not want to adapt to the new environment. Many believe that remote work makes people lazy, the quality of work decreases, it becomes more challenging to control employees, and in general, it is unprofitable in the end. However, the pandemic has led to the fact that once unpopular trends such as self-distribution of working hours by an employee and “work from anywhere” become mainstream (Pazzanese). Consequently, it became easier to take vacations, working hours are often not as clearly defined, and companies are more results-oriented. Many businesses claim to reduce overall fatigue and improve productivity for remote employees.
Under remote work, one has the opportunity not to depend on a certain location and travel with other remote employees. Working from home gives one more freedom and the possibility to travel worldwide while performing working obligations. The important thing is that for some people, it is easier to communicate with colleagues remotely, and the amount of drama and office politics is reduced. With a good manager, an IT project team can even become more cohesive, although a lot here depends on how the communication channels are built. Finally, home-cooked food is often better, healthier, and cheaper, and payroll taxes are lower in some countries, so one can save even more. The dress code can be omitted, which formulates additional comfort for employees.
Remote work also articulates benefits for executives as one can hire great employees, no matter where they live. As a result, the quality of the work performed is higher, and the cost of the services of programmers and other employees is lower. Many people left big cities after the start of the pandemic, and remote work allows one to work from anywhere (Stahl). Working from home attracts motivated people who are capable of self-organization and able to take personal responsibility. It becomes easier to grow and scale one’s company quickly. There is no need to worry that one will outgrow the office, and it will be necessary to look for a suitable place. Even if the company has hundreds or thousands of employees, in terms of organization, in fact, nothing will change.
Conclusion
To conclude, the pandemic has triggered a global transition to the trend of remote work. Many have doubted the benefits of this, however, despite the few limits, remote work has significant advantages. Based on this, one can conclude that, most likely, all work where it is possible will gradually switch to remote mode. This is due to the fact that working from home has advantages for both the employee and the head of the company.
Works Cited
Lund, Susan, et al. ‘The Future of Work After COVID-19’. Mckinsey. Web.
Pazzanese, Christina. ‘How COVID Experiences will Reshape the Workplace’. The Harvard Gazette. Web.
Stahl, Ashley. ‘5 Lasting Changes To Expect In The Workplace Post-Covid’. Forbs. Web.