How COVID-19 Will Affect the Future of Work

Education

Well, it’s remote work’s time to shine, friends.

When thinking of the global pandemic we’re all experiencing currently, it’s not likely that the first thing you’ll do is rattle off a list of how wonderfully things have panned out. It has been extremely rough for an unimaginable number of people. But, among it all, the workforce has taken the hit in considerably graceful strides. It’s certainly a silver lining to celebrate!

Working remotely has so many benefits that some of them can even be difficult to put into words. From a broader range of employment options to the elimination of ever having to choose between staying home with a sick child and your job, the perks are many. Naturally, employees are screaming yes, please.

The Future of Remote Working

The overall workforce tides have shifted in favor of remote working, and we see businesses embrace it worldwide every day. Twitter and Square quite famously offered all current and future employees a “work from home forever” option about a month ago. Yeah, that caught headlines. They’re accused of changing the office game forever, and that’s probably true — but it’s a good thing!

More than a handful of studies have found that people who work from home (or wherever they choose) are happier — 22 % happier — overall and stay at the job for longer. They report a much more human-like work/life balance, less stress, and more focus. Not bad!

More Remote Work Opportunities

The most common concern employers had in the past about working remotely was productivity. Many employers were unshakably convinced that productivity would drop with the increase of remote work. Well, we now know that that is entirely untrue. It’s the opposite.

An overwhelming majority of employees report longer hours, more efficiency, and productivity than in-office workers. Not all employers were willing to accept those facts until COVID-19 when they were forced to, but it’s catching on quickly, to put it mildly. Regardless of why previously stubborn employers gave remote work a try recently, the results are overwhelmingly positive for both sides.

More Monitoring by Employers

It’s no secret that employers have been able to track your technological movements for a while now. They have access to your work emails, phone records, and even the amount of keys you hit. That’s pretty fair; you’re representing their business after all. But some employees are concerned. The concern exists whether they’ve never experienced that type of helicopter-monitoring before or they fear an increase in such.

Unfortunately, it comes down to how much your boss chooses to micromanage. On the other hand, it’s possible to and highly recommended that you use this monitoring data to your advantage.

Using these monitoring tools to better your performance can be empowering, especially if management’s monitoring bothers you.

Office Work Won’t Disappear

Don’t worry. The business world is changing, but one thing that’s certain is that brick and mortar offices are here to stay. There’s no doubt about it. In what form and what exactly that will look like in the future is up for grabs.

If you are someone who is not excited about the large shift employers are taking towards operating remote offices, you’re safe for now. There are even specific industries and businesses that require a physical workspace.

For example, just look at factories or retail flooring companies. Sure, the potential for automation in the future is real and probable. But, as it stands now, those jobs most likely will not become remote in the near future.

More Safety Measures and Testing

In order to ensure the safety of everyone in the workplace, certain safety measures need to be implemented. For one, the structure of any seating area, furniture, and any other work stations will have to comply with the 6 feet apart protocol.

In some cases where this is not possible, having transparent shields and barriers between people will be the new norm. Conducting weekly, if not daily, health checks will be crucial to making sure every single employee is safe from the virus . This can consist of doing questionnaires on daily symptoms as well as constant temperature checks before entering the workspace

More Focus on Happiness

It’s no secret that people who work remotely are far happier in their work than those who have to endure the “grind” every day.

Most people who have to commute to their work on a daily basis are spending anywhere between half an hour to two hours on average on their commute alone. And sometimes that’s just one way! No matter how much someone loves singing karaoke in the car or enjoys reading a novel on the bus while on the way into work, there’s no question people would rather be spending that time with their friends and family or, who knows, enjoying a cup of coffee and a shower without feeling like the superhero Flash.

More Changes to Shifts and Scheduling

Shifts and schedules in the workplace is another area where we’ll be seeing drastic changes. For the most part, companies are trying to uphold health and safety guidelines like the six-foot-rule when possible. That can make it a little challenging to get work done! Those with jobs that can be done remotely won’t experience as much disruption as others who can’t.

Rotating office shifts (essentially skeleton crews) won’t be that big of a deal. But, for people who work at places like factories where the job requires the employee to be there or the job simply can’t get done—they may see reductions in their hours. Employers will also have to find ways to facilitate breaks for employees while upholding the current health and safety guidelines.

Using Technology to Work Remotely

Office work generally entails things like emails, phone calls, printing, copying, etc. Every one of those can easily be done remotely. As far as meetings and large conferences, technology has got you covered there as well. It’s even easy to send notes and graphed data to colleagues these days. The root of success with using these tools is taking the time to deeply understand them from the jump. There’s no point in having a premium service if you can’t use it!

Another fantastic feature of the tools used to work remotely is that, compared to in-office expenses, they’re relatively cheap. Emails, phone calls, messaging, and video calling are all fairly common in any business, so it’s not as if there’s any of the ordering-a-big-machine-and-waiting-to-have-it-set-up-and-hopefully-work to worry about. Those days are over! Isn’t technology great?

The Future of Remote Working with MeetingPulse

MeetingPulse is essentially a one-stop-shop for remote working outside of the basics. Hands down, it does more than many of its competitors combined. Beyond meetings, conferences, broadcasts, and lectures, Meeting Pulse has features that give any business the edge that it needs to thrive.

‍MeetingPulse is a live audience platform — essentially a cloud platform. It takes remote conferencing ten steps further with:

Live surveys and polls
Life raffles and quizzes
Live Q&A sessions
Live audience feedback

The software is secure, encrypted, and extra user-friendly. Reaching tens of thousands of people has literally never been easier. Meeting Pulse also has a spectacular team that helps with event planning and setup, offers live support during sessions, and can offer you an analysis of your meeting results over time. The Wix of luxury live audience platforms, if you will, but better. You can even try it for free.

‍Having a robust remote operation is absolutely vital if you want to be and stay relevant in the business world. Any other cloud platform will eventually disappoint. Let Meeting Pulse pave the way for your post-COVID business and honestly never worry about work-connectivity again.

‍Want to find out which package is best for your business? Contact a Meeting Pulse representative today!