The pandemic has radically transformed working models around the world. With lockdowns, travel restrictions and social distancing measures between 2020 and mid-2023, companies from all sectors have been forced to adopt remote working as a survival measure in this challenging time.
However, as the situation has begun to stabilize in some regions of normalcy, the question arises: is this the end of remote working?
Analyzing the post-pandemic scenario by key points:
Technological adaptation:
Many companies have invested in technological infrastructure to facilitate remote working in the pandemic. Videoconferencing, online collaboration and cybersecurity tools have been implemented on a large scale. This investment will not be wasted so easily, suggesting that the benefits of remote working are here to stay.
Employee preferences:
A recent survey conducted by LinkedIn revealed that the majority of professionals want to maintain some degree of flexibility at work post-pandemic. Many value autonomy over their schedule, the elimination of commuting and a better work-life balance. This indicates that remote working will continue to be a viable and desirable option for many workers.
Corporate culture:
Even taking employee preference into account, some companies resist the idea of permanent remote working due to concerns about corporate culture, collaboration and innovation. Many companies believe that face-to-face interaction is essential for building relationships, creativity and strategic alignment. Therefore, it is likely that a partial return to the office, in what is known as the hybrid model, will tend to be a “middle ground” alternative in this scenario.
Inequalities of access:
An important issue to consider is the disparity in access to and experience of remote working. Not all workers have adequate conditions at home for an effective working environment, and some face challenges with a lack of social interaction and isolation. Therefore, flexible working policies should be implemented with these disparities in mind.
Commuting:
While for some profiles, working 100% remotely becomes a challenge, there is also the share of employees who invest valuable hours in commuting: according to recent data from Medium, in São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous capital, the average commute time comes to around 2h43 minutes. This represents a third of a person’s working day. When the journey takes place via public transport, the challenges are even greater.
And what does the professional community say about the subject?
Opinions on LinkedIn reflect a diversity of perspectives on the future of remote working. Many professionals express gratitude for the flexibility and efficiency that remote work has brought, while others express concerns about social disconnection and the loss of corporate culture. Discussions on the platform highlight the need for a balance between the benefits of remote working and companies’ needs for collaboration and innovation.
In short, the end of remote working is unlikely, although in the post-pandemic, 100% remote opportunities are becoming fewer and fewer. However, we are likely to see a shift to a hybrid model, where employees have the option of working remotely part of the time, while still maintaining important face-to-face interactions.
It’s also worth remembering that Brazil is an expressive country at territorial and cultural levels: there is a significant range of professions in which 100% remote work with hiring throughout Brazil enables a win-win scenario in the sense that companies can hire employees with cultural and professional backgrounds from end to end of the country, while for professionals, job creation becomes more accessible, since there is no need to relocate for better job opportunities.
Companies that manage to balance the flexibility of remote working with cultural and operational needs will reap the greatest benefits in this new post-pandemic scenario.
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Credits: Photo by Jan Baborák on Unsplash
