Remote work was a foreign concept to many individuals prior to 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic quickly disrupted the traditional workday routine many non-essential workers were familiar with – strolling into the office, exchanging cheerful greetings with the team, and sitting down at a designated desk. Yet even today, with the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declared over, the conventional in-office nine-to-five work world remains a distant memory for many. With the capabilities of modern technology, workers can take advantage of the flexible lifestyle remote work offers, seamlessly navigating the demands of personal life while maintaining professional excellence. For those of us in industries where work can be performed from anywhere, the shift to remote work has become a welcome new normal.
The concept of the nine-to-five, forty-hour work week has been engrained in the minds of workers for generations. Of course, personal lives have never fit neatly into the hours outside of nine to five. Doctors’ appointments need to be attended to, pets need to be walked, and children need to be picked up from school. Remote working has shattered the confines of the nine-to-five workday, allowing people to establish their own work patterns to meet the needs of their lifestyles. Whether it’s a parent looking to work around school schedules, a globe-trotting traveler navigating new time zones every few weeks, or an employee looking to relocate to a lower cost-of-living city outside of commuting distance from their employer, the possibilities are endless. With the ability to work from anywhere, employees can capitalize on their most ideal schedule.
For many people, me included, the absence of a daily commute has been a game-changer. Beyond the liberating feeling of not navigating traffic, the newfound time translates into doing more activities that enhance quality of life. For me, it means more hours in my garage gym and leisurely walks with my dogs. Eliminating my commute has also constituted major financial savings, as the cost of gas has more than doubled since early 2020. Whether you drove or took public transit to the office, minimizing or eliminating your commute saves both money and time – both of which can be devoted instead to activities that enhance quality of life and heighten well-being.
In an era where technology is indispensable, it makes sense to take advantage of its advancements to improve the way we work. Luckily, many companies are embracing innovative technology that provides an array of platforms, apps and programs which can be accessed from every corner of the world. Gone are the days of dial-up and hard wiring! Virtual tools such as Salesforce, QuickBooks, Odoo, HubSpot, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams now provide businesses with a platform to cultivate and maintain client relationships, plan, and manage budgets, understand the ebbs and flows of inventory, meet consumer needs, and market products and services.
Work looks a little different these days, and people are running with it. Next time you’re walking through your local grocery store and see someone walk by chatting into their AirPods, just know that they may be negotiating a major deal, troubleshooting a client problem, or talking strategy for the upcoming year. Remote work isn’t just a trend, it’s a dynamic, functional reality that is here to stay. And I, for one, am grateful.
