What will the post-COVID-19 work environment look like?
What does a greater flexibility, better work-life balance and increased productivity have to do with COVID-19? They are just some of the reported benefits introduced into the current working environment with remote work. When COVID first disrupted the work environment, it created a new series of challenges that required unique solutions. Never before had social distancing measures been enforced and so widespread. And never had everything seemingly come to a halt in a matter of days. Remote working surfaced as an effective solution to the challenges created by COVID and is likely to remain as we venture into a new normal. What was once considered as a privilege, has now become a necessity.
Whilst remote work itself is not new, never has it been experienced on such a large global scale. Before the first industrial revolution, working from home was common. Blacksmiths, carpenters and potters all produced and sold goods from their homes. It wasn’t until the first industrial revolution that the traditional office and factory working environments took shape, as workers migrated and commuted into on-site locations. The more traditional eight-hour working day was then later introduced after the second World War.
Now that remote work is reshaping the work environment yet again, it begs the question. What will the post-COVID work environment look like?