Remote work is the future
Working from home during the pandemic has become the norm for many of us. It is likely that even with a vaccine, there will be less people going into offices every day.
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The Argument
Even before the start of the pandemic, we were beginning to see a trend toward remote working. COVID-19 merely sped up the transition.
It may have started in the middle of a global pandemic, but for months, many employers have been weighing out the option of keeping remote working as a permanent change in working conditions. Many employees are reporting higher job satisfaction and productivity working from home. This in turn increases profitability for employers[1].
Even back in April, a survey conducted by Gartner CFO found 74% of CFO and Finance leaders intended to permanently increase the amount of work done remotely. Just under a quarter of those surveyed said they intended to more at least 20% of their workforce to remote roles permanently. The reasons given were mainly to reduce costs[2]. More people remote working will require less office space and will cut commuting time for workers. The pandemic has not had many silver linings, but it has presented the perfect test for telework and human adaptability.
Counter arguments
Not all work can be done from home. To those who work on a laptop all day, perhaps it is possible, simple even to continue their daily job without leaving the house. For many others, it simply isn’t possible. For anyone who needs specialised equipment, facilities or resources, going in to work will be the only option.