The Evolution Of The Remote Worker & What Happens Next

“What happens next” has been on the minds of many this past year. If you’re a remote worker, what happens next for you?

When I first started working remotely I became part of what turned into the whole “digital nomad” phenomenon. I guess that makes me one of those cool kids who did something before it was cool; although that’s one of those things where saying it out loud instantly discredits your coolness. But now that remote work has become the norm, there are a number of questions that need to be asked and answered as the working landscape continues to change. Is this something that will continue to become ingrained in our working culture post-pandemic? Do we have the resources available — and in place — to make this happen? What impact will this have on society at large? And what exactly does it mean to be a remote worker?

In the past, I have often used the terms “digital nomad”, “remote worker”, and “working from home” in an all-encompassing way, because at the time most people who worked remotely had the freedom to work from anywhere. Although you’ll see from my last post that people have been working remotely as far back as the 70s, the resources we have available to us in the past decade have made the manner in which we conduct this work change significantly. And this way of working really does give you all kinds of freedoms that you don’t get from having to work in-house. However, since the pandemic hit, businesses who never even considered remote work as a possibility have had to get on board and remote work has become much less of a contractor/freelancer driven world as companies around the globe move completely online. In a lot of cases they weren’t really prepared, which led to a lot of employee dissatisfaction and also seems to have led to a lot of initial restrictions put in place that may or may not ease as time goes on; such as only letting employees work from a specific region thus differentiating the remote worker from the digital nomad in a significant way.

This isn’t much of an issue right now given the travel restrictions, but I do wonder how this will all play out when the pandemic has ended and employees who have the opportunity to travel whilst working seek permission to do so. Travel, of course, is just one example — there are many more opportunities available to the remote worker that companies need to make sure they embrace as perks that are supported by the business. This support is essential for employees to feel the value of working remotely. Such perks include trusting employees to successfully manage their own time and hours rather than trying to micromanage them online (it’s bad enough in an office, but micromanaging online is akin to your Mom visiting every day and leaving a sticky note on your fridge to remind you to buy more vegetables). And, even more importantly, ensuring employees are set up with the equipment they need to work from home, such as a proper working station and computer equipment. I’d lose count if I start thinking of the people I know who are still working from their kitchen table on a dated laptop because their employers thought they’d be back in the office within a few weeks and never thought about the necessity of providing home office equipment in the long-term.

Redefining Culture

One of the key things that has permeated throughout our society since remote work became the norm is the idea of a different work/life balance. One that allows families to organize their work lives in a way that significantly increases the amount of time they get to spend with their family. Rather than relying on what has proven to be a highly inefficient childcare system outside of the home, remote working provides parents with the flexibility to organize their time in a way that allows them to spend more time with their children and work, and establish a schedule that cuts down on childcare costs also. The hours that people used to spend commuting to work have also become a thing of the past and those who did so have gained a significant amount of free time each week they didn’t have before.

What Happens Next

The good news is that companies are starting to look at the long game now. A 2020 Gartner survey of 317 CFOs and finance leaders reported that 74% intend to move at least 5% of their previously on-site employees into permanent remote work positions after COVID-19. Companies like Facebook and Twitter have announced they intend to allow anyone who works from home now to continue doing so. So whilst the prospect of “when this is all over” may seem a little far away right now, it is on the horizon and the questions surrounding the continuation of the current remote work situation must be answered:

• Will remote work continue as it is now?
• When employees can actually travel will they be allowed to do so in their current positions?
• Do businesses have the processes in place to encourage employee autonomy and reduce conflict due to insufficient communication channels?
• Do employees have the resources available to allow them to take advantage of the remote work freedoms available to them rather than feeling under more pressure due to the lack of resources that have been put in place?

The resources available to remote workers now are immense and growing every day. In my case, Buckets has been around since I started working remotely and it has been a primary component in shaping how I approach my daily tasks. It is absolutely vital for both contractor/ freelancers/ employees and organizations to have an efficient task management system in place that creates a new way of working rather than trying to completely duplicate the in-office experience. This is what will give longevity to the remote workforce that has now increased so dramatically. Using a task manager allows colleagues to “meet” in one place where they can create Projects containing workflow that makes their work as efficiently as possible and easily collaborate with each other using the tools available to outline the details of each task, assign individuals, set deadlines, and push each task along the workflow until completion. These Projects give managers a clear overview of the Project status by simply logging in to check what’s progressing and what needs more attention. And it ensures that employees can remain visible and available throughout the working day.

In our previous article, we also mentioned Slack, which is a messaging platform we use in Buckets that also works very well in tandem with task management. Think of it like walking over to someone’s desk in the office to ask them a question, or having a chat in the breakroom when you need a bit of downtime. Slack is the perfect place to have a breather and a bit of chit-chat or to set up a group chat to discuss work matters that come up. Other options such as Zoom (which is actually good for a lot more than COVID-19 table quizzes!) allow for face-to-face interaction when needed and can be particularly useful for businesses who are very much used to having that weekly Monday meeting to get everyone amped up for the week ahead.

It’s worth noting that in a recent survey by Slack, 86% of respondents said they only started working remotely due to COVID-19, so this whole thing is very new to a lot of people and it’s important to address the issues that come with that. One of the main complaints about working from home during this time has been the lack of social interaction and Zoom is a great way to replicate that online. In fact, many people have experienced more communication in the workplace from working remotely as it’s become a matter of focus and regular check-ins are essential in order to do their jobs efficiently. But for this to happen, you must have the right tools in place to allow for it; because without those tools, the opposite can happen, and employees can start to struggle due to inefficient work processes, slow communication, and lack of support.

Remote Work Is Here To Stay

The people who used to wonder what the heck remote work actually involved have had a chance to experience it for themselves, and a lot of them don’t want to go back to commuting to an office every day. Who could blame them? There is no doubt that remote work was already on the rise before this whole thing hit us early last year, but now it has become a normal part of how we work and live. And it’s often changing it for the better, with many people experiencing a much better work/life balance as a result and having the chance to relocate for a more affordable cost of living.

So let’s make sure that we stay ahead of the game and keep working on developing processes and products that make remote work continue to remain a part of our normal working culture even when the pandemic has passed (and that day will come!).

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