Remote work isn’t likely to disappear anytime soon, if at all. The global pandemic has made the ability to work from home a necessity instead of a perk or an occasional accommodation. More companies are now offering their employees the ability to work from home permanently.
Earlier this month, Salesforce announced a permanent flex work schedule. The majority of their employees will return to the office between one and three days a week, while some will be fully remote. Meanwhile, other tech companies including Microsoft, Twitter, and Zillow previously announced plans to allow permanent remote work for their employees.
Flexibility to work from anywhere may not be the ideal situation for everyone – particularly for parents who are struggling to balance working from home while caring for young children. But according to a CNBC/Survey Monkey Workforce Happiness study released in November 2020, more than a third of workers in a cross-section of industries say they would like to continue working from home more than they did prior to the pandemic.
Lack of Policies a Challenge
Much of the transition to remote working last March had to be done on the fly, often with chaotic results. This was especially for businesses that didn’t have policies and procedures in place. Organizations from small businesses to global enterprises were affected. But if they haven’t done so yet, companies will have no choice but to address the pressing concerns affecting remote work.
First on the list for organizations is minimizing cyber risks and securing systems as their employees work from their own personal computers and mobile devices. A global study from Cisco, the Future of Secure Remote Work revealed that secure access is the top cybersecurity challenge of organizations that are supporting remote work. But despite going into the pandemic somewhat unprepared for remote work, by the end of last year, 96% of organizations globally reported changes in their cybersecurity policies due to remote working, the study showed.
The full impact of remote working is still to be determined. Organizations will have to create solutions that address the gap that has formed between employee, the company, and the desk.
