Quantifiable Data<\/a><\/p>\n Permanently Adopt Remote Work<\/a><\/p>\n People<\/a><\/p>\n Culture<\/a><\/p>\n Process<\/a><\/p>\n Technology<\/a><\/p>\n Conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n Since the pandemic, we have helped many companies implement remote communication tools and train their workforce on how to work remotely, giving us a front-row seat to how well organizations are adapting to the change.<\/p>\n Here is what we are seeing and hearing from our clients:<\/p>\n Before the pandemic, most executives I spoke with dismissed the idea of remote work for many reasons.<\/p>\n They worried they couldn’t trust their employees to do the same amount of work. They worried about professionalism. They worried about security. They worried meetings would be ineffective. And the list goes on and on.<\/p>\n But companies we’ve worked have called their experience a success.<\/strong> Even the executive leaders of the most conservative organizations have become reluctant believers.<\/li>\n We saw teams quickly adapt to virtual working. We quickly witnessed workers finding new ways to manage their time, learn to stay connected virtually and find ways to be more productive. No one missed a long commute.<\/p>\n Many organizations that had not allowed any or limited remote work because of IT, HR, or security concerns have said they are going to have a hard time justifying not having a remote working policy going forward.<\/p>\n Now, workers are demanding the ability to work remotely, and it has become easier to find jobs that offer it as an option.<\/li>\n Many companies were unprepared to become fully digital organizations<\/a>. They needed to have a seamless “no-touch” digital experience with their customers and their teams needed access to their applications and data in the cloud and their processes digitized. All their workers had to function remotely with the flip of a switch.<\/p>\n Companies will need to transform their organization into a digital-first company to survive and thrive. The pandemic acted as a wake-up call for many organizations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n Whether it is because their experience has been positive or they’re worried about thriving in the new normal, every client we’ve worked with has said they plan to adopt remote work as a permanent part of their business operations.<\/p>\n During the pandemic, Microsoft collected quantifiable data that showed companies will continue adopting remote work going forward.<\/p>\n Microsoft<\/a> has seen its Teams collaboration product skyrocket, with usage exceeding 2.7 billion meeting minutes in one day<\/a>.<\/p>\n With all this usage, Microsoft has been able to collect data and analyze trends around adoption. In China, where employees have mostly returned to a normal work environment, we are seeing data that supports the benefits of working from home:<\/strong><\/p>\n Since going back to “normalcy,” China still sees more than two times the number of new Teams users each day compared to the end of January.<\/p>\n Also, the number of active Teams users each day continues to grow week over week in China post-quarantine.<\/p>\n The average time between someone’s first use of Teams and the last use of Teams each day increased by more than an hour. At first, this looks like people are working more, but what that data really shows is that remote workers are taking advantage of the flexibility of working from home and breaking up their day to be more productive.<\/p>\n On March 30, 2020, Gartner, Inc. surveyed<\/a> 317 CFOs and Finance leaders concerning remote work. It revealed that 74 percent of leaders are moving about 5 percent of their typically on-site workforce to remote positions permanently post-quarantine. And almost one-fourth of respondents said they will transition at least 20 percent of their on-site employees to permanent remote positions.<\/p>\n Companies have also realized their fear that remote workers would be less productive is not true at all. For example, 90 percent of CFOs previously stated they had few disruptions to their accounting close process, and most of the activities were able to be completed off-site.<\/strong> CFOs see the opportunity to reduce spending in real estate and on-premise deferred technology spend.<\/p>\n *Disclaimer: This was written in May 2020. For more updated statistics, check out the article: Going Hybrid Isn\u2019t Simple, But It Is Necessary: Here\u2019s How to Get Started<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Having been a remote organization for 20 years, we know these tips just scratch the surface of what you really need to make remote work a cohesive strategy for your business.<\/p>\n If you want to become a permanent, high-capability remote organization, you must develop an integrated approach across your people, processes and technology. Below, we highlight a few critical strategies for each area.<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/a>The Results Are in: Remote Is a Success<\/h2>\n
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Leaders are becoming believers, not skeptics.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Teams prefer working virtual.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Companies must transform to digital.<\/strong>
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\n<\/a>Quantifiable Data: Don’t Take Our Word for It<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/a>Permanently Adopt Remote Work<\/h2>\n