What do bosses think of remote work?
If someone had asked me this question a few years ago, I would have laughed it off and asked the person to ask something that deserves my time and attention.
“Office spaces are there for a reason. People are more productive, focused, disciplined, and engaged in offices. I don’t support remote work because it can be lonely and unorganized for professionals. There are so many distractions while working from home that their efficiency is bound to take a blow.”
This was my point of view about remote work during a discussion with a close friend of mine, who also happens to be an entrepreneur. It was in 2019.
Remote Work In 2024 – A New Normal
Fast forward to 2024. Remote work has become a new normal and millions of professionals across the globe, across various industries.
Globally, 16% of companies are fully remote according to an Owl labs study.
Before Covid burst onto the world map like a hurricane and swept normal life out of gear, I was among those entrepreneurs who did not upvote for remote work in any case.
However, leadership is more about being flexible enough to adapt to changing situations around us.
So, when the first wave of Covid-19 was causing businesses to shut down their in-office operations, I knew it was time to embrace remote work and throw my perception (about it) out of the window.
We switched to remote work and made sure that every team member had the right tools and work set up at home to continue working without any disruptions.
A couple of years have passed and we have been switching back and forth between remote work and in-office work.
Thankfully, after the second wave again disrupted normal life in the first quarter of 2021, things seem to have fallen back on track for businesses worldwide.
Regular office spaces are fully operational and buzzing with people again.
After a long haul of remote work, we are back to full-time in-office work.
However, it does not mean that all our employees are working from the office.
As a flexible and dynamic organization, we’ve embraced changing trends and remote work is no exception. It is not a stop-gap measure for us.
As my hardworking team successfully navigates the triangle of hybrid, remote, and in-office work, let me tell you what I think of remote work in 2024.
Trust ProofHub to help your team members collaborate seamlessly on work from any location, on any device. Book your demo ASAP!
What Does Remote Work Mean For Entrepreneurs?
Remote work means different things for business owners and employees. We cannot mix them. I have read so many articles revolving around the same topic. Many of them mentioned things that were more from employees’ perspectives rather than that of entrepreneurs.
So, I will not repeat the same mistake and only write what I, as a founder and CEO of ProofHub, think of remote work.
- Whether remote work or in-office work, the right people will always get the job done. I have mentioned before in the article that I was not among the advocates of remote work. I believed that people were not as efficient while working remotely as they are in the office. I am glad that this perception of mine about remote work was proved false by none other than my team members!
Yes, if you have a team of hardworking people who are committed to organizational growth then it does not matter where they’re working from. They’ll get the job done on time, without compromising on the quality of work. However, while working remotely, as a boss, you need to make sure that your employees have access to all the right tools and equipment.
- Access to a wider pool of talent. For me, this is probably the biggest plus point of embracing the remote work model. As a business owner, you have a wider pool of talent to choose from, especially when you struggle to find local people who do not have the right skills and attitude to be a great fit for your company.
Hiring talented people from different geographical locations offers businesses the opportunity to widen their talent pool as you are no longer constrained to hire local people. Organizations offering remote work opportunities attract global workers who also bring in innovative ideas, different perspectives, and attitudes to the company.
- Employees get more flexibility. For employers, a few things are as important as having a happy, engaged workforce. Remote work gives employees much-needed flexibility as they are able to schedule work at a time when they are at their productive best. Some people like to work in the morning when they are fresh, some prefer working in the evening, or at night.
Businesses benefit from this flexibility because people can work at different times as compared to following predefined office timings. This also enables some businesses to offer 24-hour customer service, which is a great advantage in today’s competitive marketplace.
ProofHub enables remote workers to manage their work even on the go with apps for iOS and Android mobile devices. Sign up NOW and get going!
- Improved productivity. Not many people, including me, expected telecommuting to increase productivity. However, While some people thrive in in-office environments, others prefer to work in isolation as it allows them to singularly focus on their work.
A study by Stanford of 16,000 workers over 9 months found that working from home increased productivity by 13%. Without chatty coworkers around, a more peaceful environment, more sleep, and better work-life balance, some remote workers have been able to deliver high productivity consistently.
The Last Word
Remote work will continue to draw contrasting views from bosses, depending on the type of business they operate. For me, remote work has helped me to be more adaptable to change in these uncertain times. It has benefited our organization in more ways than one, as discussed in the article. I firmly believe that if you have a dedicated team working for you, most of your concerns pertaining to employees’ productivity (during remote work) should no longer exist.
At the same time, as a leader of the team, I take it upon myself to ensure that my employees (both in-office and remote workers) are in their best health, both physically and mentally. That’s the only way they would be able to render the best services to our organization.
