companies worldwide made significant changes to keep businesses running. Enter remote work.">
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Is Remote Work Here to Stay?
March 23, 2021
It is hard to believe that the world began to shut down just over a year ago in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When it became apparent that the initial two-week shutdown would extend indefinitely, companies worldwide made significant changes to keep businesses running. Enter remote work. The unilateral global shift to remote work in response to health and safety concerns is a trend that will persist even after the threat of COVID-19 subsides. Now that the infrastructure of remote work is established and the concept is proven, employers and employees alike support the reality that the future of work is remote.
After a year of testing the remote work model, employers are increasingly adopting extended work-from-home policies. Some top employers, specifically in the tech industry supporting remote work, include Microsoft, Twitter, Square, Spotify, Shopify, and Amazon. Companies and employees acknowledge the benefits of remote work and recognize its validity as a model for the future of work, not just a necessary response to the current crisis.
During the pandemic, nearly 70% of full-time employees are working from home [1]. After the pandemic ends, “92% of people surveyed expect to work from home at least one day per week and 80% expected to work at least three days from home per week” [2]. Employers expect nearly 40% of employees will still be working entirely remotely at the end of 2021 [3]. In a Pew Research Center study of workers who reported that their job could be done from home, only 25% reported working from home all or most of the time pre-pandemic. Now, “71% of those workers are doing their job from home all or most of the time” and 54% say, “given a choice, they would want to keep working from home even after the pandemic” [4].
Remote work provides excellent benefits which cannot be ignored:
Boosted performance
No commute
Elevated satisfaction
Increased savings
Remote work has proven to boost performance. A study by Stanford found that “performance was boosted by 22% when employees were able to work from home” [5]. A survey of 800 employers showed that 94% of these employers stated the work productivity was the same or higher since employees started working from home [6]. Remote work breeds improved performance because it supports a work-life balance. There is no commute to eat up recreational time. There are fewer distractions with the proper home office setup, and employees appreciate the flexibility that remote work provides, allowing them to work when they are most productive. Employees that work remotely also work more. Surveyed workers reported that they “worked over 40 hours a week 43% more compared to workers that never worked remotely” [7]. Workers are more productive when working, and they are also working more than before simply because they can work from home.
The absence of a commute is a huge benefit to workers as well as the planet. Remote workers “save an average of 40 minutes daily from commuting” [8]. Owl Labs “calculated that commuting time was reduced by 62.4 million hours per day with aggregate time savings of over 9 billion hours starting from the middle of March 2020 to the middle of September 2020” [9]. Having that extra time to spend with family or relaxing makes a big difference to employees and is a great benefit of remote work.
Additionally, less commuting means fewer cars are on the road. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that pre-pandemic, “86% of commuters [drove] a private vehicle to work” [10]. According to the EPA, “transportation accounts for 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States” [11]. So, with fewer workers driving to work every day, greenhouse gas emissions will lower significantly. The personal significance of not commuting is excellent, and the benefit extends well beyond the individual worker to provide an even more significant benefit to the environment.
Remote work increases job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is an essential benefit of remote work to employees and employers because it is a critical aspect of keeping “productivity high and lowering employee turnover” [12]. A survey suggests “remote workers are happier and stay in their jobs longer” and “that workers who were working at home reported being happy 22% more than workers who always work in an onsite office environment” [13]. Additionally, “remote workers reported having less stress, more focus, and a better work-life balance” [14]. Employees value the opportunity to work remotely. 59% reported that “they would be more likely to choose an employer who offered remote work compared to those who didn’t” [15]. Job satisfaction is a massive benefit of remote work. It improves employee and employer outcomes by creating a happier workforce that is loyal, wants to see the company succeed, and provides increased production and revenue.
Remote work provides savings for both employers and employees. “Global Workplace Analytics estimates that employers can save over $11,000 per year per employee. The savings are from the lower cost of office space, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, and less turnover” [16]. Many companies are moving fully remote and opting not to renew the leases on their offices. This will save an immense amount of money over time and provide capital that can be reinvested. The company is saving money, but so are the employees. Employees “are saving on average close to $500 per month being at home during COVID-19. Resulting in savings close to $6000per year…This is due to lowered food costs, fuel costs, parking, and car maintenance” [17]. Companies that have opted to go completely remote include many tech companies like Amesite.
It is clear the remote work is being heavily adopted, and for good reasons. It benefits employers and employees in the most essential ways: increased productivity and increased satisfaction. Resistance is futile. It’s time to adapt.
How Can Your Company Launch a Remote Working Curriculum to Support the Future of Work Quickly and Easily?
Remote work is here to stay. Plain and simple. The pandemic accelerated an inevitability in a world that is seemingly getting smaller by the day. When top talent is halfway across the globe or even a few hours away, and just out of reach, your company was at a disadvantage. Remote work opens up the possibility to employ top talent no matter where your company is located. It is time to embrace the opportunity to level up your workforce. This can be done by recruiting top talent or upskilling current loyal employees who are willing to learn and grow with your company, both of which are valid and advantageous options.
It is time to prepare for the future of work. How can your company best leverage the benefits of a remote workforce? Launch a remote work curriculum where you can onboard and upskill employees and create a connected, knowledgeable, satisfied, and productive workforce.
Launching a remote work curriculum can be done with ease by partnering with an online learning platform that is skilled in creating custom-branded learning environments and courses that meet your company’s unique needs. Implementing a turnkey remote work curriculum can provide a substantial competitive advantage for your company. Upskilling employees on the newest technologies and skills required to perform will increase ROI and set your company up for success.
Here are key elements that online learning platforms need to provide value to your company and employees:
Custom platform branded to your company. When a company invests in the career development opportunities of its employees, it increases loyalty and retention. When the upskilling platform is branded to your company by using its name, colors, logos, stylized features (like fonts), etc., the appreciation for your company by employees is reinforced, further driving loyalty, satisfaction, and retention.
Customized content that is relevant to your workforce. Upskill your team with the exact skills they need without bogging them down with information that does not further their knowledge. This will drive engagement, investment, and value for the courses provided.
Engaging delivery methods that keep employees actively learning. Use an engaging platform to foster community and build bonds between employees and management. This will build better interpersonal relationships and create a workforce that communicates to achieve better systems and productivity.
Positive user experience and high retention rates. Having a platform with an industry-leading user experience and high retention rates will drive retention and satisfaction and is an important factor to consider when choosing which partnership will work best for your company.
Turnkey systems capable of immediate implementation with no learning curve. With a turnkey system, growth is enabled without the need for expansion.
Choosing an online learning platform that can support your remote work education needs is a significant first step in preparing for the remote future of work. The sooner your company embraces the change and adapts, the sooner you can capitalize on the advantages provided by remote work and the subsequent upskilling of your workforce online.
Amesite Offers a Single, Easy to Use, Scalable Solution
Launch an online learning platform to support remote work onboarding and upskilling to foster a sense of community and drive retention, satisfaction, and productivity among your employees.
Amesite is a high-tech AI-powered online learning platform. We specialized in scalable, custom branded online learning environments and content curation to meet employer’s unique needs to support the transition to remote work with an unparalleled upskilling platform.
Amesite’s online learning platform is the key to upskilling your workforces and providing professional development and career advancement opportunities that your employees desire.
Amesite’s online learning environment is custom branded to each specific company to build brand loyalty and meet the unique needs of the employer and their employees. We have subject matter experts who design innovative and custom content for courses that provide excellent value to your employees. Your custom branded learning platform can launch in as little as 24 hours, and a host of turnkey, self-paced, highly engaging, and intuitive courses can be ready for your company in as little as 30 days.
Attract and keep employees engaged with social media-inspired interface design and the most up-to-date content. Build employee networks that improve your organization’s success.
Deploy a fully managed enterprise learning platform plus customized courses that enable you to deliver job-specific certifications quickly and efficiently for your staff. With Amesite, you just hit the easy button, and you can scale an entire remote work curriculum in just 30 days.
Use A.I. and machine learning to identify trends and make informed decisions while upskilling your teams with comprehensive data analytics and customizable dashboards.
Amesite creates outstanding learning experiences delivered on its advanced platform, providing an excellent user experience for employees. Using A.I. and advanced analytics to provide fresh content creates an important context for learning. Coupled with outstanding services, these experiences deepen professionals’ interest in subjects important to their company’s goals. Amesite’s unprecedented retention rate in the enterprise sector is 100%.
Our company works with many businesses that are currently leveraging the advantages of remote work and upskilling. For example, Amesite provided Ford Motor Company’s employees with an online environment to upskill. “Our successful pilot with a diverse, global cohort of full-time professionals at Ford showed that the online learning delivered on our A.I.-driven platform was convenient and beneficial,” said Amesite Founder and CEO, Dr. Ann Marie Sastry. “A survey of participants showed that their interest in subject matter deepened, that the fresh content delivered via Amesite’s A.I. helped them relate the course material to real-world events and that the quality of customer service and instruction were high.”
Let Amesite help your company prepare for the future of work today! Request a Demo!
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