This time last year, the term “work from home parent” probably brought to mind an image of a frazzled
mom who ran an MLM business from her couch. Less often, it made you think of a dad who did web
design from the garage or a mom who ran an Etsy business out of a spare bedroom.
In reality, there were probably hundreds of thousands of businesses being run by parents who chose to stay at home, running the gamut from self-trained gourmet foodies who ran catering businesses from their kitchens to
college-educated women running million-dollar marketing companies from their basement. They ran their businesses using technology from Zoom, Slack, GoPro, and more. These businesses ran quietly behind the scenes.
Why Working at Home May Become the New Norm Post-COVID
In mid-March 2020, corporations worldwide began shutting down and sending employees home to work due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Within weeks, the technology that had powered small businesses was powering big business as remote employees began using it to connect real-time. Crowded interstates became barren wastelands, and laptops became scarce physical goods as companies transitioned their employees to remote workers. There were a few bumps for most companies. But overall, people made the change pretty well.
By May, companies were talking about making the changes permanent.
According to Progressive Policy, as many as two-thirds of American workers moved to work-at-home
positions thanks to COVID. While the traditional employer stance against work at home or even flex-
time employment has been worry about whether or not their employees would actually, well, work,
while they were working at home, corporations saw an improvement in employee productivity as
commute times disappeared. In-office distractions were reduced, even though most workers with
families were also trying to juggle managing distance learning for older children. Many were trying to
work while taking care of infants and toddlers because daycare was completely unavailable. And they
made it work. Parents worked odd hours, traded off computer time, and distracted preschoolers with
tablets and Netflix, but the work got done.
Twitter has made work from home the default for their employees. Progressive Insurance is keeping
most of its employees home into 2021. It wouldn’t be surprising to see moves like these become trends
in specific sectors: tech, financial services, marketing, etc. Of course, not everyone will be able to work
from home. Grocery stores will still need to be stocked, and roads will still need to be built, and
someone will still need to make sure the coffee gets made at Dunkin. But Stanford Research expects
that even after COVID finally comes to pass, around 40% of American workers will be based at home, up
from 5% before the pandemic started.
What does that mean for those of us that were at home before Corona?
It could mean better and less expensive tech. As more companies rely on technology to keep remote
workers connected, we should expect to see that technology improves and decreases in cost. Of course,
as the demand increases, there are going to be some hiccups. Much like Zoom's problems in the spring
of 2020 with hacked meetings and classes, we may see some issues creep up in software that is essential
to our work. Flexibility will be the order of the day!
Increasing the number of remote workers serves corporations in several ways. First of all, they will be
able to decrease the amount of space they take up, thus reducing their carbon footprint and the cost of doing business. Why rent one hundred office spaces spread over four floors in prime downtown office space if your workforce is just as functional with a single floor of shared space with plenty of charging ports for people to come in and use as needed and a conference room for private meetings that can’t be handled online?
Next, remote working makes most people happier.
They aren’t spending time commuting. They aren’t stuck in a room they don’t want to be in. And they often aren’t bound to a standard nine-to-five schedule. And even when they are, they get their time back right at the end of their shift, instead of having to wait for that often grueling drive home.
Finally, remote working allows for people who aren’t traditional learners or workers to function in a way
that benefits them. Some people are naturally night owls. If your company has gone remote and doesn’t
need you to be available at a specific time, then starting work at seven in the evening is perfect for you.
If you were recently in an accident and needed to attend physical therapy three days a week, you’re not
putting anyone out if you don’t start working until after lunch. If your spouse works days in a role where
she can’t be flexible, and daycare is still scarce because of COVID, then you can watch your child during
the day, and your spouse can take over in the evenings while you work.
Having more remote workers will be beneficial to us as a society. We will be better able to negotiate job
terms, end up with jobs where we are happier, and work more beneficial schedules. Corporations will
find having more remote workers valuable as well, with decreased real estate costs and more satisfied
employees, which will result in lowered retention costs.
Recent Comments