One bright side of the pandemic is that employees now have a lot of flexibility in where they call their office. Yes, many were rushed into quickly turning a corner of their bedroom or living room into a home office but a year later, many have taken advantage of the remote concept and have brought the office to varying destinations, both domestic and international.
William Li is no stranger to working remotely. He had a stint in 2016 when he lived in Peru and worked for Datonics. Will enjoys the experience of being able to work remotely as he did not have the funds nor the opportunities to do so when he was younger.
During the pandemic, Will temporarily relocated to Cartagena, Colombia working remotely and found that he was able to have a more active work life rather than being deskbound. He found that he was able to better his Spanish speaking skills, which goes to show that allowing employees to work remotely offers personal development opportunities. This could be in terms of lifestyle, developing hobbies, and more. Remote work also allows employees to have more flexibility in their schedule, which have been shown to positively impact mental health and productivity.
In addition to the benefits for employees, employers also derive value from remote work, and many are factoring these in when considering a continuation post-pandemic. Two of the biggest benefits are cost savings from reduced office space and the ability to hire talent nationally and globally.
With the pandemic thrusting most businesses into a remote work environment, management processes have adopted to this new normal. Previously, many would have questioned how they can collaborate, manage and motivate employees under such circumstances. This unknown prohibited businesses from giving employees the ability to work from anywhere. Now, with new management processes in place, the transition to permanent flexible working is possible.
Trust remains a critical factor for both employees and employers to create an optimal, mutually beneficial relationship.