Remote Working and The Future

Ever since the beginning of society, working in person (in an office or other physical setting) has always been the norm. However, working remotely has recently been on the rise. But why has it been on the rise, and, more importantly, is it the future? 

Working remotely has been around for a long time, but only began gaining traction when the internet was mainstreamed. However, even with the internet’s rise, the number of jobs you could do remotely was very limited and didn’t have as much flexibility.

This was until all jobs needed to be done remotely.

In March of 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown went into effect. This lockdown ordered everyone to stay inside their homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, this meant that many people would lose access to almost all of their day-to-day activities, including being able to work in person.

Luckily (or unluckily for some), there was a solution to this problem: working remotely.

People would now have to work all their jobs remotely, from office jobs to teaching, all online from the comfort (or discomfort!) of their very own homes. The overall performance of the workspace was mixed, with some finding working remotely easier, while some found it much more difficult.

In fact, Facebook (Meta) creator Mark Zuckerberg commented on this concept in the Chicago Booth Review, saying: “Working remotely has given me more space for long-term thinking and helped me spend more time with my family, which has made me happier and more productive at work.”

However, it wasn’t as simple and convenient as Zuckerberg believes. There were fields in which the pandemic’s lockdown hurt more than helped.

“Working from home was a real struggle,” says Riley HS English teacher, Mr. Schulte.

After a time filled with stress-filled lockdown and anxiousness to get back to the “real world,” COVID-19 slowed down just enough for people to be allowed to go back to working in person again. However, the people that have found success from remote working have argued that remote working should be normalized, and integrated into the post-COVID workspace.

But, with all this said, is there any reason remote working should be a new expectation for working in the post-COVID workspace?

First off, remote working decreases stress substantially for over 75% of people, according to the Mental Health America organization. Giving employees a quieter workspace without interruptions from co-workers has proven to relieve them of stress.

In addition to a decrease in stress, a little bit under half of those who worked remotely were more productive while working at home. This shows that remote working works for a large number of people, but still, not for everyone.

So, with all said and done, is remote working the future?

I believe that remote working should be an option for those who feel more productive and stress-free while working from home, but working in person should be the main focus. 

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email me!