The pandemic left many side effects in the world and since 2020 when it all started, everyone faced huge changes in all aspects of their lives, and work was not left behind, given the social distancing protocols working from an office became practically impossible. So what other option was left? To work remotely or the so-called “Home Office”.  

But this option of working remotely has quite some history and it’s not just a starting trend, according to Harvard Business Review, remote work started all the way back in 1970, as the gasoline prices skyrocketed caused by the 1973 OPEC oil embargo made commuting more expensive. Also in the United States, this trend was accelerated by the need to comply with, for example, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and mandates of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

And in the years to come, many companies launched studies and trials to test the productivity of their employees and the viability of taking this trend and making it a reality if it proved to be successful, which it did. A 2015 study by Nicholas Bloom and coauthors presented incredible results, increasing 13% of productivity from the employees who opted to try the “working from home” method. Nine months later these same employees were given a choice: to come back to the office or keep working remotely, those who decided option b increased their productivity to 22% compared to their time working at the office.

These actual facts bring up some doubts about how necessary is to return to the office, the answer is this: It should be up to the employee. Everyone has different working methods and for some people doing it from home presents many benefits that give them a higher motivation to perform better at their job.  

How about working from Anywhere?

This is an opportunity not just for people looking to get a job, it also means that companies can grow exponentially and internationally. After all talented people are all over the world.

For the millennial generation and the ones to come, this is actually a benefit when it comes to deciding where to work, the opportunity to travel, and being able to keep a job. Nowadays as long as you have a laptop and a cellphone you can work from basically anywhere.

Now, let’s talk about the actual benefits of being able to work from anywhere:

Firstly for employees:

• Cost savings. From lunches to the cost of transportation, employees end up saving a considerable amount of money.
  
• Flexibility and freedom to choose work hours
  
• Getting more work done in less time. Being able to choose their space can make them more productive and organized with their time.
• A better work/life balance.
  

For companies: One of the biggest things is that allows them to hire remote employees. Since geographic or demographic barriers no longer apply, companies are allowed to hire remote employees meaning they can hire new talent from any part of the world. But aside from this, there are some other benefits:

• Improved productivity. There are actual studies and trials to prove that.
  
• Higher job satisfaction. Employees will appreciate the fact that they have the choice to select their workspace.
  
• Saving money on operational costs. Daily upkeep and maintenance costs, repairs, services, electricity, phone, and internet bills will reduce exponentially.
  
• Shorter and more effective meetings.

Maybe not every company in the world is suited to adopt this new form of working, but the reality is that this trend of working from anywhere is here to stay.