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Flexible working has been on the rise for a long time. More people are choosing to work from locations other than the contemporary office and they are finding a better work and life balance as a result.
Do you work from home? Or, do you work from somewhere else entirely?
Of course, many people are currently working from home without having chosen that for themselves. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to work from makeshift home offices in order to continue earning a living and for businesses to keep ticking by. When the pandemic abates, will you choose to continue working from home, or will you rush back to your regular office desk?
Whilst some people no doubt find working remotely a little difficult, many other really enjoy it. Remote working jobs have boomed over the last few years, even before the pandemic took hold, and many people choose to work from locations all over the globe. Can you imagine working from an idyllic beach somewhere in South East Asia? It’s entirely possible, although sand and your laptop really don’t mix!
The first step to going remote is usually to try working from home, if you haven’t already. Check out this infographic which talks about some of the main reasons why people choose to work from home or completely remotely.
Source - https://www.cashfloat.co.uk/blog/money-borrowing/hiring-remote-workers/
Despite the many reasons why remote work is ideal for many people, it’s not something that is probably going to completely overtake working in a regular office environment. There will still be bricks and mortar offices, because not everyone wants to work from home or somewhere else. There will always be chats around the modern boardroom tables, but it might be that a few employees are connected via Zoom at the same time.
The future doesn’t look completely remote, at least not 100%, but it does look like we’re going to have a split of employees who work in the regular way, i.e. from their office chair in their standard open plan or individual office, and those who work from home or from another location, and check in via the Internet. Some people might choose to work half and half, e.g. work from the office for one or two days per week and from home or somewhere else for the rest. It’s about being flexible and finding the working solution that suits you and the business.
Of course, a business isn’t duty bound to agree to a flexible working request but they do have to consider it and they do have to come up with a solid business reason why the request has been denied. If you can think outside of the box and come up with solutions to any problems as part of your application, you’re more likely to find your request accepted.
So, what does the future look like for you? Remote or otherwise?