Following the occurrence of covid, most businesses shifted to work-from-home systems, and few have discovered that this works exceptionally well in terms of cost-saving and efficiency. However, one area where they suffer is in meeting deadlines; nevertheless, if we can fix that issue, it has the potential to be quite powerful. The topic of discussion would be society recognizing this as a full-time profession rather than freelancing!
For the past year, every time I've mentioned that I work remotely for a Canadian company from Bangladesh, everyone has asked me, "Do you work as a freelancer? What industry do you work in? Can you show me how to make money on the internet?" If I bother to clarify, "I actually work from home; my workplace is in Vancouver."I'd have to ask another question, "So, don't you have to go to an actual office?" This complexity would cause me to abandon the conversation most of the time. It can be challenging if the other person is elderly; if the other person is young, I respond, "You can say we are technologically advanced to have that advantage of working from home." You don't want that conversation to continue with those who refuse to accept the new reality, believe me.
The Problem
Heck! You would be surprised even my Canadian coworkers have to face questions from their friends and families, for example, "How are you earning money by just sitting in front of the computer and talking with people over the phone or zoom?" "Freelancing" is a catch-all term that refers to working from home. For more than a decade, individuals have become accustomed to the concept that when they sit in front of a computer, they are working in a marketplace, self-employed, and constrained to a precise set of hard skills to complete a portion of a project or the entire project. In contrast, if you are an employee, you will be working for a single client/company with a fixed wage. The corporation would provide benefits, taxes, contracts, a controlled environment over work and schedule, an office, etc.
The Shift in the tide
Working from home is now a breeze because there are many ways to improve your team's effectiveness. In most cases, in the technology industry, we can complete tasks from anywhere in the world. Understandably, there's a need for discipline and a lot of planning, and it certainly doesn't work for everyone.
My employer has a philosophy called "Your Work, Your Life," which revolves around the idea of working when and how you want. Flex hours are available for you if you need to work more hours. We make rules as long as the outcomes are present. As a result of the "Increased Productivity" perk, we've been getting things done better and faster than most competitors. Remote work gives you an edge to get active; when you feel good, you work better. You don't even need to be at your job; every essential topic is just a zoom call away! It gives you more time to focus on yourself and your family. Work on your hobbies and become better at what you've always wanted to be. You must still keep track of your clients' needs and present weekly/monthly reporting, handle various new projects for another department of the organization, and meet deadlines in a virtual office location. A corporation would not exist without these. And no one wants to pay their employees for nothing. It's constantly about new concepts, executions, and outcomes. According to the statement, if you do not achieve the expectations, you risk losing your work, just like any other regular position.
Making today's world accustomed to this new genre
There would always be another step, another opportunity to make humanity more efficient. People, on the other hand, are always terrified of change. This pandemic has provided us with hitherto unimagined possibilities; we now have the freedom to choose what matches our preferences. "What am I wearing to work today?" is a thing of the past. We'd instead feel at ease and be more creative. Self-discipline is everything in today's environment. Of course, we must learn to separate our professional and personal lives, develop a practice of checking email for a limited time, measure work hours, and be more productive. Tracking one's calendar, writing journals, and checking off tasks helps us get more stuff done quickly. There is software for everything! For example, I use Notion to organize my journal, a simple note-taking app; but it can be much more if you dive in-depth. Actually, it would be another post by itself if I start talking about it, a discussion for another day. You can have Calendly set up for appointments, where everyone can see the only available time. And to organize the office, we have so many options like Slack, Basecamp, Click-ups, etc.
It's only a matter of time until the concept of virtual offices becomes widely accepted. Till then, we must all be patient and keep doing what we do best. Concentrate on yourself every day and aim to be better and more efficient. Do what works best for you; it doesn't matter if you're sitting at a café; you're transforming the industry; feel good about it!