During the pandemic, working from home has become a norm for workers around the world. Indeed, this new way of working has forced everyone who could to work from home, far from their colleagues. Thus, we were able to limit our contacts and, for some, be more productive. Indeed, according to a study by the Sapiens Institute, employees increased their productivity by 22% during the 2020 confinement. Teleworking has many advantages and it is with this in mind that it continues to change the world of the company.
Freed workers
For employees, working remotely is a real time saver. In fact, sleep is preserved and time spent traveling is saved. Internal information within the company reaches it more quickly and easily with the implementation of corporate communication tools, for example. According to a survey carried out by Steeple in June 2020, 58% companies declared having innovated on the way they communicate during the coronavirus crisis. The worker no longer has to worry about the part of his salary which, previously, was used for his transport subscription to get to his place of work or for childcare.
The freedom of teleworking allows for better day-to-day management. The employee can manage their schedule between private and professional life as they wish. He can organize his day according to his constraints. He is more autonomous than on site because he can manage the management of his tasks and gain more perspective on the different situations he will be confronted with. Concentration is better when the worker is able to organize himself as he sees fit. Employees are aware of the many advantages of remote working, according to a CSA study for Malakoff Humanis carried out at the end of 2019. Indeed, 88% of respondents think that it promotes the efficiency and autonomy of workers.
Thanks to teleworking, anyone can live at a greater or lesser distance from their company premises. But measures must often be taken in advance when jet lag occurs.. By choosing a job in the city center, he will no longer have to endure high real estate prices and will be able to choose, if he wishes, a place to live in the countryside or even in a different country. Their purchasing power will only be better, as will their quality of life. All of these elements lead to a higher degree of satisfaction for an employee within a company and can therefore make them more fulfilled in their work. In 2017, according to a study by Malakoff Médéric, 87% of employees already believed that teleworking improved their level of efficiency.
Gains for businesses
Concerning companies, we observe an increase in production linked to the increase in productivity and the allocation of part of the savings in transport time for the benefit of professional tasks. In addition, considerable savings are made on premises and current expenses (no transport costs for the employer, reduction in costs for fitting out premises, etc.) which can benefit other activities within the company. The Institute of Real Estate and Land Savings declared that teleworking for two and a half days generated a reduction of a third in the office needs of companies in France. This improvement in the quality of life at work for employees therefore leads to greater motivation and involvement on their part.
Companies, by implementing teleworking, observe a drop in the rate of absenteeism at work. Indeed, the daily hazards leading to the non-presence of certain employees are reduced. The fact that some employees go abroad to work remotely makes it possible to offer an international culture and an outside perspective to the company. The integration of disabled employees into companies and employees with significant family constraints is currently optimal thanks to remote working. Moving situations and transfers of activity are also better managed. Finally, meetings remain rarer within the company, due to more fluid communication. Each meeting between centers is thus more valuable and the information that will be transmitted will have much more importance unlike the traditional mode of operation.
Public authorities involved
Public authorities are the last unsuspected actors receiving benefits from the remote working experience. To begin with, as workers reduce their travel, we are seeing a clear reduction in the carbon footprint emitted around the world. In fact, one day per week of teleworking = 20% of reductions in CO2 emissions on your home-work journey at least. In addition, traffic is smoother in big cities. Indeed, we are observing a decline in automobile congestion in large cities, linked to reduced travel and neoruralism. Since January, traffic bottlenecks in Ile-de-France have been reduced by 4 following the fifth wave of COVID-19.
The territory has become more attractive. The population no longer wishes to live indefinitely in the city and is beginning to have a real attraction for a more “down to earth” way of life. Small towns are attracting more and more workers. Thus, teleworking tends to energize the territory and distribute the population of different countries more evenly. Thanks to the teleworking visa, many destinations have been able to revive their economy and gauge the attractiveness of their country.
We are also observing a trend regarding “slow tourism”. The population no longer wants to travel so much on an ad hoc basis, but is really looking to consume over a longer period of time and in a thoughtful manner. Workers are looking to shake up their lifestyle while maintaining a certain routine over a period of a few months.
Thus, the implementation of teleworking has led to major changes in the way we approach work. Workers feel better in the workplace and become more aware of their actions. Companies realize real financial gains which lead to a better distribution of investments. Finally, public authorities are observing a demographic resurgence in the countryside to the benefit of large cities which have until now been experiencing saturation.
And you, what has the arrival of teleworking brought you within your work or company?