Telecommuting is Part of the New Normal
远程办公正在成为新常态
By Rose Salas
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered many companies to start using telecommuting to continue their business and push through during the lockdown, since allowing employees to work from home helped these companies to continue to operate and survive.
Nevertheless, it became a huge struggle for most traditional businesses, especially in industries whose nature is not suited to online operations. The office workforce, on the other hand, has mixed emotions about telecommuting. While most of them are happy about it, some find that it becomes more difficult over time. Aside from the need for a basic workstation, stable internet and reliable computers, distraction is the biggest challenge to telecommuting.
2020年,新型冠状病毒疫情爆发,中国政府坚决落实“内防扩散、外防输出”,要求各地严格控制、审慎举办各类涉及人群聚集性的活动。在这种情况下,大部分企业都推出了远程办公、居家办公的临时解决方案。经过此次疫情,远程办公模式正在蓬勃兴起,很有可能成为新常态。
What is Telecommuting?
Telecommuting or Teleworking is a kind of work arrangement where people work from home with the aid of technology. An employee can do his or her work efficiently by basically setting up an office at home. It is not only due to the pandemic that this work set up has developed. In fact, telecommuting has been around for quite a while. The new industry sector known as online freelancing has been growing fast over the past few years. The effective output of tasks providing substantial income to an overseas workforce testifies to the success of the telecommuting industry.
Many companies are now transitioning to being virtual companies because they have found a lot of benefits to this. Here are few advantages:
1.Cutting the cost of overhead expenses for a physical office and operating expenses
2.Lowering labour rates by hiring virtual employees overseas who can produce the same output of work
3.Mitigating the effect of absences at work when weather-related issues are present
什么是远程办公?
远程办公是人们可以借助技术在家中工作。现在,许多公司正在过渡为虚拟公司,这有一些优点:
1.削减实体办公室的成本和运营支出
2.通过在海外雇用可以产生相同工作成果的虚拟员工来降低劳动力成本
3.当存在与天气有关的问题时,减轻了缺勤带来的影响
Will Telecommuting Be The New Norm?
With technology becoming more efficient and advanced these days, working from home can be a viable option for many companies. If the majority of the tasks can be done online, this new approach will be efficient for some, although not for all types of jobs.
Employees are becoming more open to and cooperative in this kind of work set up because they can get plenty of benefits from it.
Traffic is the number one problem in a highly-populated country, so working from home means a lot less stress for employees, especially regular commuters. When an employee suffers from the daily stress of commuting, many factors are at stake, such as work productivity, health and wellness, and life and work balance. Thanks to technology, people who are working from home can now avoid long hours of commuting. They have more time to spend with their family because of flexible work hours, and if they have a stable high-speed internet connection and an efficient work device, they can be more productive in their work.
Also, with teleworking, the rate of daily commuters will be reduced and thus help eradicate traffic and street pollution.
Teleworking in E-Business
Online business owners can attest that teleworking is a success. Nowadays, renting or leasing an office space can be burdensome and difficult, especially for start-ups, because real estate costs are rising every year. This financial concern can leave them with little to no profit, so setting up their offices at home and hiring employees who could do the same will allow the employers to earn more revenue.
Even if you run a business from home, your workforce can be easily managed and handled. Provided you have the best team working for you, smooth business operation can be achieved through your agreements and policies.
During this pandemic, when so much has been restricted, relevant information and updates have become easier because of technology. With emailing, social media messaging, video conferencing, and work management and productivity apps that are available, you can plan, forecast, and foresee the next steps in your business.
电子商务中的远程办公
对初创企业而言,办公成本的减少可使雇主利润增加,在线企业所有者可以证明远程办公是成功的。即使您在家办公,也可以轻松管理您的团队。
Limitations and Drawbacks
Like any other business or work set up, there are two sides of the coin. Depending on the needs of the business, telecommuting can also have disadvantages. If you are a career-oriented person wanting to move up a company’s ladder, some companies who have this set up may have little to no opportunity for promotion. Also, If you do not have a proper home office, and distractions are everywhere, your productivity will be compromised. In places where an internet connection is a major problem, working will also be extremely difficult and discouraging.
In the case of employers, when their employees suffer from the factors mentioned above, management of a telecommuter workforce will be a growing challenge. Trust is essential to maintain a beneficial working relationship, and quality control measures must be established to ensure deliverables and deadlines. Since supervision is limited, planning, and hiring of only the most reliable and best talents, will be required.
If you are wondering if telecommuting is a perfect business strategy for your existing business, you need to weigh the different factors that are critical for your business needs. There are sure to be tasks that can be performed online and that can be arranged with either your employees or a freelance worker.
Today could be the time for a change!
局限性和缺点
如果您是一个看中职业发展的人,远程办公可能晋升机会较少
另外如果您没有合适的家庭办公室,家中到处都有干扰,您的效率将受到损害。
在互联网连接困难的地方,远程工作也将非常困难。
对于雇主而言,远程办公员工的管理将成为日益严峻的挑战。