With COVID-19 still in play, remote work productivity has become a key focus as many employees continue fulfilling their responsibilities from home. Now, as we settle into this new way of doing things, the question has arisen: after all this is over, will business operations return to the way they once were? Let’s discuss.
Rethinking Remote Work Productivity
At least, this was largely the opinion of many business owners, especially those with smaller organizations to manage. On the surface, this presumption makes sense: there are far more distractions in the home for employees to deal with, without any supervision to keep them on task. From children, to pets, to television and video games, even to household chores, there are far too many ways for an employee to distract themselves and procrastinate.
Basically, work was the place that people worked hard, while at home they’d hardly work.
Of course, this wasn’t completely based on speculation. Remote work productivity depends on multiple factors, including company culture, management style, and engagement. There are always going to be certain factors that influence how effective remote work can be. The style that management takes, how well-suited the business’ operations are to remote work, and yes, how engaged employees are in what they are supposed to be doing can all make a difference in how well remote operations work for one company over another. However, many businesses and their employees have witnessed how effective remote work can be at maintaining (and in some cases, surpassing) their in-house levels of productivity.
So, as many employees and managers alike start to grow accustomed to this new kind of business-as-usual, switching back may produce as much of a culture shock.
Not All Businesses May Experience These Impacts
Of course, some businesses put telecommuting and remote work in place a long time ago, with different options available for their employees to use. While it may take a much shorter time than many experts initially expected, we may see more businesses start to follow their lead. Some might continue an exclusively remote operation from here on out, while others may simply give their employees the option to work from home as they choose.
Either way, it can lead to benefits for either party. For the employee, the opportunity to work remotely is a big perk, and may become something more sought out when looking for a job. For the business, there are some considerable cost savings that could be had.
Think of all the different things that the traditional work environment demands that you invest into:
- Real estate, either owned, rented, or leased.
- Electricity, HVAC, and other utilities.
- Hosting the technology infrastructure required to support your operations.
- Furnishings, amenities, and the equipment your employees will need.
- Snacks, of course.
…in addition to the countless other expenses that you may need to pay for, and you’re throwing a lot of money into simple maintenance. However, by switching to a cloud-based infrastructure, switching to virtual meetings or finding a shared space to use as needed, and abandoning the physical office, you may find that the potential savings to be had are worth the change.
Whichever Route You Take, We’re Here to Help
We’ve worked with businesses who have (and who haven’t) switched to remote operations long before the current health crisis forced their hand. As such, we are a great resource for the business looking to shift their processes to something more sustainable.
Whatever your choice, make sure you give Macatawa Technologies a call at 616-394-4940 to review your available options.
