How Tech Has Changed Remote Work

The office has been the place of work for many millions of people across the years. It’s a routine we get used to:

• Get up.
• Commute to the office.
• Spend the day at the desk performing your allotted tasks, then the journey home.

It’s been this way for decades, and we simply take it for granted. After all, what alternative is there?

The fact is that many millions of people have been working from home for some years now. This is largely down to developments in technology that have made it possible. The home computer, broadband, internet, wireless technology, and smartphones are among the factors that enable home working.

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For many, however, the first experience of working remotely was not voluntary. The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic threw the world into chaos. To help stem the spread of the highly infectious virus, businesses were forced to close. Where a job could be performed remotely, it was required to do so.

In the face of a crisis the likes of which most of us had no experience of, people settled uneasily into the concept of working from home. Yet, it is entirely likely that 2020 has changed how we view working practices beyond any expectations. Without the technology we have available today, this could not have happened.

In this article, we will discuss how technology has changed the face of remote work and why a new look at working methods is essential.

The Software Boom Of 2020

It may seem unusual that a crisis of this kind led to widespread changes in the way we look at and perform our jobs, but in fact, it’s far from unusual. We are prone to get stuck in our ways – the commute, the office, the desk – when things around us have changed that make certain elements redundant.

Once people began to settle into working from home, they also recognized the benefits. No commute means more time for themselves, for example. It also means no getting up absurdly early to catch the bus. The convenience of remote working is the first point that we came to appreciate.

However, one aspect of home working needs to be spot on if maximum productivity and efficiency are maintained: the right software for the right roles. For example, 2020 saw a boom in video conferencing software that allowed split screens and multiple participants. This virtual enabled meetings and one-to-one, face-to-face communication when meeting others were not permitted.

Another area of the software that was suddenly in demand in 2020 was the online calendar for business bookings packages, which made life a lot easier and helped smooth the path towards successful remote working. So, we can see that software plays a massive part in reshaping the working world for many millions of people, but what else in the tech field has boosted the effectiveness of remote working?

Video And Digital Communication

If there’s one solution that has led the drive towards remote working, it is the availability of first-class digital communication systems. For remote office workers, being able to communicate without problems is essential. This does not necessarily mean video communications, but messaging systems and similar. With access to simple and affordable messaging networks, one can keep in touch and up to date at all times.

However, we should not overlook the advantage of video tools, as they provide a more personal approach. This is useful when an agent has a meeting arranged with a client. A telephone call will do the job, yet a face-to-face chat is more personable and easier. The world of digital communication also involves headsets, which are an essential part of any telephonist’s armory or others who work with the telephone primarily.

Tech is the end game where working from home is concerned as, without much of it, the response to last year’s crisis could not have been enabled so effectively. So, why are more people not working from home, and why are businesses reluctant to bring remote working into the mainstream?

What’s The Future For Remote Working?

The 2020 crisis has led more people to recognize the benefits of working remotely, both employers and employees. However, there is a certain reluctance among many businesses to move towards remote working.

This is largely due to our standard opposition to change. The ‘we’ve always done it that way’ attitude prevails in many businesses, but it is, in fact, an obstacle that needs to be overcome. The way we work in general is changing, and our attitude needs to change with it.

Take the increasing number of businesses moving towards agile working practices, in which the traditional hierarchy is overlooked and input at all levels encouraged from everyone. This negates the need for a traditional office, is technology-led, and is ideal for remote working practices. It’s also a more efficient problem-solving method and – as with remote working – has been shown to lift productivity. If employees feel their views are being treated as important, they will perform to a higher level.

However, some companies are asking this important question: do we need this multi-million-pound city center headquarters? Even smaller businesses are questioning the need for a physical brick-and-mortar office. The cost savings in moving away from the traditional office and commute working format are – across the board – potentially colossal. It is simply that barrier of reluctance to change that is stopping it from happening.

Yet, those who have experienced the forced remote working situation from last year are keen to remain working in this way. That should sound alarm bells for businesses intending to go back to the old routine.

It’s safe to say that remote working in the future will become more commonplace. With further developments in technology for the purpose may even become the norm for smaller businesses especially.

If you are interested in even more technology-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.

IMAGE: UNSPLASH