Now we're almost a year into the pandemic, what are your views on remote working?
Have they changed at all? Do you prefer it? What do you like/dislike? Do you think attitudes towards remote working have changed?
I've worked remotely as a freelancer for 4 years, and I always preferred it personally because it suits my lifestyle needs, so I'm interested to know what your views are and how other people are finding it.
Replies8
- I've worked remotely in various capacities as a video editor, both shooting and editing, being sent external drives or taking them home to work part time there and part time in the office. I always enjoyed the flexibility it gave but often came up against clients or managers who felt it wasn't the best way to work.I that that the pandemic has made people realise that it's a perfectly legitimate way to do the vast majority of office and desk based jobs and I think it will be challenging to go back to the old way of doing things.However I miss human faces! And I love interacting with people in real life whether it's friends or co-workers. So I don't want to banish offices forever, but I agree it's going to have to fit into the new world order!
- I love working remotely, but the biggest change is that I now realise more and more that I miss the spark of working closely to good people in an office and all the accidental ideas or pieces of feedback you get by just bumping into each other and discussing work.I'm looking forward to see how both remote and hybrid working evolves to address that.
- I’ve found that being able to adapt quickly when working remotely has been essential to productivity and promoting a healthy work life balance. One of the major concerns I had was that the lack of human interact and face-to-face contact could impact on my wellbeing. However, at that time I started listening to Simon Sinek author and inspirational speaker who advocates the adoption an infinite mindset. The reality is we are now working through an ever changing new normal moreover, our mindsets can determine how we respond to this uncertain world. In his book 'Start with Why’ Sinek believes that businesses and professionals are in an exciting place, where they can pivot their offer to impact this world in a positive and sustainable way therefore, we are in a position to innovate and set the context for the future.For the full recording visit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8lExUWLCyYConnect: @glowconsultancy
- Hi Jodie,I wouldn't call it as remote working - not sure if you are familiar with shared economics? Long story short Uber, airbnb, freelancing, working from home etc. all based and supporting this model and it means we are heading towards in a direction where the stress of the ups and downs of business stressed on the individuals rather than on big companies. It doesn't sounds great but gives a bigger freedom as you can feel it as a freelancer for years.The pandemic I believe made things move to this direction quicker but sooner or later it would have come.Hope it helps. Feel free to check out my work on https://www.instagram.com/annadoralascsik/
- Thank you so much for your answers so far! I've been going "YEESS! exactly!" quite enthusiastically while reading through them.I agree and you've all made some good points too, particularly about the lack of trust from companies, access for disabled people and how working remotely can increase your focus. I think for me I'm definitely more efficient and less stressed when I can manage my own time and I've often faced judgement and a lack of trust in the past when applying for a role and asking if they allow flexible remote work.@Kenny Vaughan @Claire Pearce @Geoffrey Bunting
- Loving these insightful replies!One of the biggest pre-pandemic impressions I have got from larger companies that are very top heavy prior is the lack of trust they have in the staff working remotely. Turning up to work and staying late is seen as more important than doing good work.I think this year has proven that all generations are able to continue working effectively provided everyone takes their responsibilites seriously - and that turning up to work isn't enough, it's about engaging with the role and doing what you can. To simplify - I think the flexibility has made us take more responsibility for our own time and energy.A friend of mine summarised the workplace as 'A group of people just doing their best'. In all aspects of our life, as long as we are doing our best to work with our environments and have the best integrity to achieve what we set out to do - I think that is all that matters. I'm not sure making someone sit in a certain seat drastically changes their drive.Without physical restrictions, I think the term 'workplace' (which is heavily location based) will be replaced with more task-orientated focus. We will see how much we revert when everyone is vaccinated however haha. Great question!
- It's been life-changing for me. I now run all my workshops and coach people remotely and have had people from the US, Australia and other parts of Europe attending, as well as other parts of the country. I was struggling to stay focused and motivate myself prior to lockdown, which totally focused me. I'm hoping to keep hold of what I've learned going forward. I'm obviously not grateful for the virus, but I am grateful for the focus I have gained in not over-thinking what I should and could be doing. I feel for younger people though. When I was in my 20s, 30s it would have really hurt me to be so isolated. I hope they're finding ways to stay connected and have fun.
- There needs to be more of it. Disabled people have been told for years that jobs can’t be worked remotely, yet within a month of able-bodied people being affected everyone was working from home. I saw a job posting for a production company before lockdown in the UK that pointedly said the job could not be worked remotely because of its “collaborative nature.” Yet, everyone was working from home soon after with little visual difficulties.In terms of my own experience, as a designer I have not encountered a job that can’t be worked remotely and yet we see so few remote jobs outside the freelance sphere.So, my thoughts are that the level of remote work needed in the last year has really highlighted how ableist most employers are.
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