Work from home arrangements beyond the pandemic

Many IT companies in India established a work from home arrangement after the lockdown was ordered. They were successful in their approach to the change with little to no negative impact on quality or productivity. Many businesses have drastically reduced operating costs by nearly 50-70%, with a considerable reduction in the need for transport and real estate investment.  

“Moving work from an office environment to telecommuting is an important step in reducing the impact of a potential pandemic.” – Jeff Corder, Vice President of Loss Control at Amtrust  

The work from home arrangement has proved to be an ideal setup during the ongoing pandemic, especially for industries that can smoothly operate remotely. It not only takes care of social distancing regulations but also ensures that you are at lesser risk of getting infected thanks to limited exposure and contact with other individuals.  

With social distancing establishing itself as the new normal, work from home is swiftly becoming the ‘future of work’. Along with allowing for a more flexible schedule, it also eliminates commute time. Over time, several managers have reported an ‘overall increase in productivity’ from their remote employees. To add to this, working from home has been recognized as a significant contributing factor to physical and mental health of the individual and a better environment by reducing the carbon footprint.  

“This is our new operating model and represents the future of work. It helps our employees enjoy a better quality of life, and it helps organizations become more resilient because the fully distributed nature of this model is inherently less risky and better suited for business continuity and agility.” – Rajesh Gopinathan, CEO & Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services  

In a survey by Willis Towers Watson on UAE businesses, 22% of employees felt that the work from home arrangements boosted their productivity. An example of the productivity being maintained or increased is Willis Towers Watson itself. Despite the UAE’s restrictions being relaxed, the company is in no hurry to suspend work from home. The same applies to Young Living Essential Oils, a Leni, Utah based company that has allowed approximately 1,200 of its 2,460 employees to work from home through 2020. 

Many companies have gone out of their way to ease the process of telecommuting and working from home through the pandemic. Work from home is the future of work. Robust communication systems, flexible working, and improved benefits packages have seen to that. The epidemic has exposed a majority of companies to experiment with the idea of working from home, and for a significant number, it has come through as successful.