This post originally appeared on my Forbes on October 24, 2020.
For many, this is their first time experiencing remote work. Under the conditions of a pandemic, however, it is no surprise that many have had a negative experience. Taking calls from your bedroom or kitchen table instead of a home office; spouses and children underfoot; and blurred boundaries between when the workday starts and ends are hallmarks of pandemic home working. These point-in-time conditions, however, are unique to Covid-19 — and are not truly representative of remote working.
Remote working means the ability to do the job from any location. It does not mean working from home. Many "remote" employees not located near a main campus or site still go into a coworking space such as a WeWork or Spaces or some other designated collaboration space. In this ideal remote environment, numerous studies have shown that remote workers are more productive than their office-bound counterparts.
Recognizing that Covid-19 has opened up our eyes to the fact that remote working works en masse, and also recognizing that the pandemic won't last forever, what advantages could there be to transitioning to a policy that assumes the workforce will all be remote where possible, versus office-based? The answers may surprise you. Read the rest on Forbes.