The demand for flexible work isn’t a novel trend. Even prior to the more recent and accelerated global shift toward remote work, employees across many industries and sectors were already beginning to expect flexible work policies from their employers. We have experienced this trend firsthand as many of our customers have embraced cloud-based communications and collaboration to better enable flexible work and maintain productivity among distributed workers.
In 2018, we conducted a global survey of more than 6,600 knowledge workers that affirmed the growing trend toward flexible work. We found that 83% of those surveyed do not believe they need to be in a physical office to be productive. Fifty-four percent reported that they would even consider changing their jobs to gain a greater sense of flexibility, and 18% said they would be willing to take a pay cut or demotion at their current job to gain more flexibility.
Last year, Gartner predicted that the demand for remote work will increase by 30% by 2030. That was the prediction prior to the pandemic — imagine how much demand for remote work has already grown since then.
As businesses around the globe were forced to shutter their physical offices and order their employees to work remotely, many decision makers who were initially opposed to the idea of flexible work seem to have changed their position. It appears that these business leaders have witnessed firsthand the various benefits of remote work, from increased productivity and employee satisfaction to reduced overhead costs and improved worker retention. According to Salesforce Research, "86% of remote workers rate their productivity as excellent or good" since the COVID-19 outbreak began.
While there remains much uncertainty around when businesses will be able to resume normal operations, I believe the past few months have demonstrated an important new reality: Mobility is now the cornerstone of an effective flexible work strategy, and there may be no turning back.
Mobility First
The rise of mobility and cloud solutions have long been prominent trends in the unified communications (UC) space. Over the past several years, workers have increasingly relied on the ability to communicate using mobile devices from any location at any given time.
The recent surge in remote work has demonstrated the critical importance of mobility in enabling connectivity and productivity among remote workers. At our company, following the COVID-19 outbreak, we saw a 339% increase in calls from our mobile app on our UC and collaboration platform and a 755% increase in calls from our web app. As the global business community adapts to this new reality of flexible work, employers must equip their workers with tools that enable them to work from anywhere and on any device to safeguard their businesses from future challenges similar to the one we are facing now.
If your organization is seeking to embrace workforce mobility, invest in the proper infrastructure to make it a reality. This includes mobile communication tools that enable workers to feel connected and engaged regardless of where they are working. However, technology alone is not enough. You also should embrace a culture of openness, adaptability and trust toward remote work to create an effective flexible work environment.
Mobility And Flexibility Go Hand In Hand
True workplace mobility is not confined to devices and apps; it is also inclusive of different working preferences, including when and where employees choose to work. To retain and compete for talent in the increasingly mobile economy, businesses may need to rethink both the traditional office setting and the typical work schedule.
We recently analyzed user data from more than 5 million workers across the globe, revealing employee preferences around flexible work and best practices for distributed teams. The report verified that workers do not function in a one-size-fits-all work environment; rather, workers have unique preferences based on different factors ranging from geography to generational differences. For example, we found that East Coast and West Coast teams share different ideal meeting times and they adjust their meeting schedules to accommodate the other coast’s working hours.
Looking beyond the traditional nine-to-five work schedule is an important component of flexible work. Giving workers the freedom to define their own schedules within the expectations and demands of their position empowers employees to work when they feel most productive. Especially during these times, flexible hours also enable workers to balance their personal commitments — such as homeschooling their kids, going for a walk or going to appointments — throughout the day. Work-life balance is trickier to navigate than ever before, which is why flexible hours are so critical.
If employers have learned anything over the past few months, it is that employees can be just as, if not more, effective while working remotely as they can be in-person. As remote work is becoming increasingly common, the remote work stigma is decreasing, and fewer business leaders are equating only in-office work with employee drive and productivity. Embracing flexible work and enabling greater worker mobility means letting go of these preconceived stereotypes.
Adapting To The New Normal
While it has yet to be precisely determined what the new normal will look like for businesses once the COVID-19 pandemic ends, prepare yourselves for a new mode of work that welcomes greater flexibility and fosters increased mobility across the workforce. Anticipate a larger number of workers expecting more remote work privileges throughout the workweek. Also, be prepared to invest in technology and tools that enable work across multiple devices more fluidly and help bridge the divide between those who return to the office and those who remain remote. Businesses that embrace these changes and empower their workers with flexible policies and the right technology will find themselves better equipped to compete and differentiate in the global economy.
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June 04, 2020 at 06:26PM
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Embracing Mobility As The New Normal For Flexible Work - Forbes
"work" - Google News
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