Sometimes, it takes an external influence to force us to have new ways of thinking, and try out new ideas. Think of the Coronavirus and the impact it is having on remote working. Working from home already is a great idea that many take advantage of, yet it has taken a pandemic for more businesses to even consider it as an option!
Remote work is an entirely new way of living and working for those who have never known anything but the normal 9-5. It sounds like an easy way of working, though for us who remote work we know it is anything but! Managers may worry that staff will slack off or not put the same effort in as they might do if they can 'keep an eye on them' in a traditional work environment. And if we don't have good self-motivation and discipline, then we might be concerned as individuals that we will be tempted to do any other task in our home but work. While both of these things are issues to consider when working remotely, to protect ourselves from this virus they are hurdles we should work on to overcome. Perhaps if we can look for a silver lining of this current pandemic, then, it is the possible beginning of a transition to a whole new way of approaching how we get our jobs done.
To protect their staff from the spread of the Coronavirus, companies around the world are either sending people home or advising them not to come to work in the first place. The internet and access to a computer are really all many people need to go about their usual workdays. And through using platforms and systems like Slack and Trello to collaborate on projects, colleagues can still be in regular communication and meet their deadlines! The working world will continue; even if we are doing it from the comfort of our armchairs!
Remote working, while we deal globally with the Coronavirus, might only be a temporary solution. But if businesses see how successful and beneficial it is, will the change become a more permanent one?
