In downtown San Jose, Google moves forward with plans for building a large campus that will ultimately serve as tech offices integrated with transit, public space, and housing. Although looming concerns of gentrification and overcrowding continue to spread, Google continues to embrace this new model of development in and beyond Silicon Valley, the technology capital of the world.

Despite big tech names like Google, Facebook, and Tesla doubling down on brick and mortar construction, remote work continues to grow exponentially, which has completely changed business operations.

Remote Working is Becoming Acceptable

The idea of remote work is something that businesses across the world have been opening their minds to. Employees who work from home often either match at-office productivity, or even produce at a higher rate not having to contend with early morning and late afternoon traffic jams. At-home workers, once acclimated to working online from home, often seek out and incorporate new technological methods that boost productivity at tangible rates.

Principal and Interior Design Director at architecture and design firm Perkins and Will in Los Angeles Meena Krenek stresses the human element that remote work incorporates into each and every business that utilizes work from home tools like video conferencing. “The landscape of… virtual calls [provide new and] unique experiences from coworkers’ children participating in our conversations, [employee] cats walking across keyboards… to getting a virtual tour of [employee] workspace[s] at home. . . [essentially, workers and employers] sharing different sides of [themselves].”

Employee Fulfillment

Employment satisfaction experts report a tremendous increase in employee fulfillment that working remotely from home provides. Benefits include saving money on gas expenses as well as vehicle maintenance from wear and tear from daily commutes to work, more personalized office spaces, more enjoyable and effective business meetings, disintegration of office politics, as well as increased employee (and employer) focus and productivity.

A recent Gartner survey found that 80% of employers surveyed have plans for employee remote work in 2021 and moving forward while 47% plan to give the option for employees to work remotely on a full-time basis. 

One PwC survey forecasts that, out of 669 CEOs, nearly 80% foresee that remote work and remote collaboration will be incorporated into many businesses on something of a long-term basis.

Remote Work is HIghly Desirable for Employees

From an employee perspective, working from home and working on some sort of remote basis is highly desirable. From an employer point of view, remote work is beneficial due to the undeniable fact that when an employee is happy with their job circumstances, they generally perform more inspired work. 

However, remote work does present a unique set of challenges for businesses trying to track employee productivity. New employee tracking software helps businesses ensure that they’re getting their money’s worth from existing and prospective employees, rather than leaving it up to some sort of honor code. Other business technologies that make remote work easier on employers and employees include team management software, video conferencing technology, as well as digital payment solutions that ensure employees get paid promptly and efficiently. 

As remote work continues to expand in nearly every industry vertical, more technological solutions will ensure that both employers and employees are satisfied and increasingly productive.