Could Remote Work Save The World?

How to navigate the COVID-19 crisis successfully in the workplace.

The way we work and live has changed dramatically since the emergence of Covid-19 and remote working has become a crucial component in navigating this crisis. As the world races to contain the spread of the virus, socially distant modes of working have become the norm.

Although the number of people working partially or fully remote has been on the rise for years now, the Covid-19 pandemic has definitely pressed the fast-forward button on this trend. Less than a year ago, in 2019, the demand for more flexible working options was fiercely evident with many companies struggling to keep up with employee demand. But, to be fair, they didn’t do a bad job of that at all. By the end of the year, more than a quarter of companies surveyed by SHRM were offering full-time telecommuting options with two-thirds offering this option on an as-needed basis. The report also notes that around 57% of companies allowed employees to set their own hours as long as they fell within core hours of business.

A further study by the Centre of Economic and Business Research and commissioned by Citrix revealed a number of positive benefits of flexible working options such as increased productivity, higher employee retention, and savings for both companies and employees. Such flexible working arrangements were especially valuable for working parents trying to balance work and family life. The report surveyed over 2500 participants and found that flexible work practices would significantly impact the unemployed also, with an increase in total annual economic gains of $2 trillion if these people had the option to work remotely.

Fast-forward to the current Covid-19 situation and millions of people in the US have been introduced to a growing remote workforce. A massive 42% of those people are now working remotely on a full-time basis. Unsurprisingly, many are happier with this situation and would like it to continue to some extent when the pandemic has passed. It very much looks like the pandemic has been the final push that was needed for companies to invest in the digital transition required to fully embrace remote work. A US insurer called Nationwide is closing the majority of its offices which house over 30k people to transition 98% of its staff to a home-based workforce. And industry giants such as Twitter have told staff they can continue to work remotely on a permanent basis when the crisis is over.

It looks like the people are getting what they want. Even if it did take a near apocalypse to make it happen sooner rather than later. A 2020 Buffer study on the State of Remote Work 2020 revealed that a massive 98% of people would like to be able to work remotely for the remainder of their careers. 32% of people were swayed by the flexible scheduling whilst 21% were happy to avoid the daily work commute.

“People will change their habits, and some of these habits will stick. There’s a lot of things where people are just slowly shifting, and this will accelerate that.” Economist Susan Athey, Washington Post

Remote Work Was Cool Before COVID

Look we’re not saying we’ve been advocating for remote work for years but…. that’s exactly what we’re saying. As one of the few companies who have been operating remotely and also offering remote work solutions almost since the dawn of the internet, we’re really excited to move into this new phase of the “normality” of working. The reality is that without this adaptation of businesses to remote work, the economy would have been in shatters, and reinfection rates would be through the roof. Remote work is not only a bonus now, it’s an economic necessity.

In addition, we can look forward to a less polluted environment with less urban congestion, better opportunities on a global scale giving rise of more equality across various regions and cultures, and the emergence of an increasingly globalized workforce as “the norm”.

Of course, there have been some reported downsides to working remotely, with the biggest barrier being the initial adjustment to digital communication and collaboration. But this is something that can be 100% rectified with the right systems in place.

Collaboration Tools More Important Than Ever

17% of remote workers have cited collaboration and communication as a remote work issue. They felt their management couldn’t see their contributions and were worried about the effect this would have on future opportunities and promotions. Another 8% of people were concerned about working in a different time zone to other team members. So it’s pretty obvious that collaborative skills and tools have become more important than ever; in particular, those that are easy to follow with a seamless onboarding process.

Learning how to work optimally as part of a remote-based team will be one of the most important work skills going forward from 2020 and this is something that we have gained A LOT of experience in over the years in Buckets. We know that having the proper work set-up and system in place is crucial to the success of remote work.

One thing that companies will definitely have to get used to with this way of working is changing how they judge productivity. For example, the “bums on seats” rule doesn’t apply here. Productivity isn’t judged by office attendance, it’s judged by the successful completion of specific goals within the required timeframe.

Company Savings

The typical employer will save about 11k annually for every employee who works remotely just 50% of the time. Research has shown that remote workers are less likely to call in sick and you can also take getting stuck in traffic out of the equation. In addition, the available talent pool becomes much wider with almost two-thirds of workers saying that choice of work location is a key factor in choosing an employer.

But the savings don’t end there:

• Real estate costs are reduced when less/no workers are required on site.
• Essential office-running costs such as technical equipment, electricity, air conditioning, heating, and other amenities are significantly reduced.
• Less time commuting means more time available to work on valuable projects.
• A more diverse workforce can be created that benefits the company even further by seeking out employees in locations where it wants to have a greater presence. This extensive availability via time zones also literally provides more hours in the day, i.e. allowing the company to operate longer hours without any overtime involved.

Changing How We Live

Until recently, research has shown the average American spent 54 hours a year sitting in traffic. The reduction in commuting times has been significant since the coronavirus pandemic with the NY Times reporting a dramatic reduction in traffic and pollution across US cities. Remote workers have also reported increased mood/happiness as a result of this reduction in commute times, which isn’t surprising considering the impact this daily commute can have on psychological wellbeing — in addition to decreasing the potential of respiratory problems related to pollution. Happier workers are also historically more productive workers, with one well-recognized 2014 study finding remote workers to be 13% more productive than their office-based counterparts.

And it’s not just employees who are happier; the planet is too. Estimates from Global Workplace Analytics suggest that if everyone in the US worked remotely 50% of the time it could result in a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from driving a vehicle to work each day - a reduction of over 51 million metric tons annually. And the same study revealed potential savings of 2–6.5k each year on gasoline and child care.

A recent NY Times article showed some startling images of clearer skies in LA which is usually one of the cities most affected by high levels of smog in the US. The future of remote work is going to break up the cluster of employment in rich cities, with the prospect of a different kind of work led by an innovative, more diverse, and global workforce. Are you ready?

Get Ready

The key to making your remote business successful is to be prepared. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by change but the time for sitting on the fence is over. It’s time to take action. Putting the right tools and processes in place today will ensure your business has everything it needs to thrive in a remote work setting long-term. Using Buckets, your team can work together on projects and collaborate online with easy to use features that will help you to create a clear and efficient workflow. This is a new way of working and it can be a better way of working once you get it right. The workforce is evolving. Get ready.