Since March last year, remote work has become an instant reality. While it was not new, employers were apprehensive of letting their employees work remotely because of what it might mean for their productivity. But because of the pandemic, companies were forced to let most of their employees work from home. We tried our best to set up a temporary workstation in the kitchen, subscribe to Zoom, and maintain some semblance of a formal working environment with kids running around in the background of a vital teleconference.
Thankfully, the technology infrastructure is ready for this kind of transition. Even the rollout of 5G connectivity, robots, automation, and augmented realities makes the advances of remote work possible. But is this kind of setup possible for the long-term? Is it sustainable? Can people depend on technology to keep up with the emerging and changing demands of industries?
Computers and Connectivity
Computers can be as miniature as something that fits in the palm of your hand. You can bring a mini computer with you to anywhere you want to work. Companies have been doing that—sending mini computers, laptops, screens, and printers to their employees in a bid to support their work-from-home setup. This has been the best thing about technology. They can go as mobile as they want to be to allow users to set up in a coffeehouse, in their kitchen countertop, or a small table in their backyard.
Noise-canceling Headphones
All those Zoom meetings must still be confidential. Unless you have a home office, it’s hard to keep everything quiet when you have kids running around. The answer to this predicament is noise-canceling headphones. These headphones are designed to filter out background noises so the meeting participants can only hear the speakers. It’s an important tool for people who need to hold meetings almost every day.
Cloud Storage
You can share documents, photos, videos, graphs, and many more through cloud storage. The ability of the cloud to hold terabytes’ worth of files has been one of the most important breakthroughs in remote work. Even something as massive as a web design project can be shared via the cloud. This means that everyone in a team can check, assess, and test a website’s elements. All employees use cloud storage to share files in an organized manner. You can even see payrolls through cloud sharing.
Messaging and Teleconferencing
Messaging and teleconferencing platforms are all the rage today. Before the pandemic, Zoom was a virtual unknown. Today, it is the most widely used teleconferencing platform. Whether it’s for business, personal, or education, Zoom is the go-to choice of many users. Many of these messaging platforms are free, while some will require you to avail of the premium subscription for more storage space and features. In general, the free versions work fine enough that you don’t need to pay for the premium version.
Project Management Tools
Of course, there is nothing more important in the world of remote work today than project management tools. You can opt not to hold meetings every day, but without a project management tool like Trello, how will you keep up with your team? These tools allow you to communicate with your team, collaborate on projects, and brainstorm ideas. There are a lot of project management tools out there, so choose carefully the ones that will fit your business.
Recruitment Platforms
You don’t need an ad for a job posting to recruit employees. All you need is to sign up for different platforms such as Upwork and Hired to see the potential candidates for job vacancies in the office. In truth, even traditional job-search websites are now being used for hiring work-from-home employees. The best thing about these platforms is that it allows employers to tap a large talent pool with specialized skills. This has not always been easy when hiring through the traditional route.
Accessibility
Remote work also makes it possible for people with disabilities to work for companies that would generally require employees to be in the office. The internet has paved the way for this, and the rise of work-from-home setups opened the doors wide for people with disabilities. In fact, even people with eyesight problems can work with a computer provided that they have the tools such as voice recognition technology.
The possibilities for remote working are continually growing. More and more solutions will be available in the coming years. This means that remote work is here to stay for the long term and workers can do this for life without missing a beat.
