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Remote work is nothing new. In fact, over the past 40 years, the number of remote work employees has increased significantly. The figure is so high today that the number of employed remote workers is larger than that of the self-employed. However, what has changed is that remote work is fast becoming an acceptable and expected aspect of long-term employment.

How Remote Working has Changed

Remote work used to mean working from home, using a computer or phone. Telemarketers are a perfect example. However, technological advancements mean the term covers a larger cross-section of broader society. The advent of the smartphone and computer proliferation means you can perform all aspects of the workplace remotely. For instance, you can hold meetings via Zoom, access bespoke company software via remote login, and collaborate with cloud apps.
The Covid-19 Situation

Before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, you probably had never heard of remote work. And if you did, you didn't know what it meant. Today, remote work is a buzzword associated with how Coronavirus has changed the workplace forever. In response to the virus, and for safety reasons, the office, in particular, was highly restricted to minimal staff. This led to an increase in the number of people working from home, but a collaborative, real-time approach was needed. Video conferencing apps and cloud computing offer the perfect solution.

A Dynamic World

Over two years of unpredictable lockdowns and restrictions propelled remote technology to the fore, and the world demanded innovation. Tech giants like Microsoft and Google are keen to answer the call. And once unknown-to-most apps like DropBox are now as common on someone's phone as social media. Apps and tools have made it easier for you to communicate, collaborate and manage the workflow from anywhere in the world. Leading to a newly coined phrase of the "Nowhere Office." For the first time, your physical presence isn't required.

Employees Expect It
The prevalence of remote work is so ingrained in the modern world that we expect it. In response, employers are also adopting this new and improved approach to work. This is highlighted by Enterprise Technology Research's polling, which predicts that the percentage of people working remotely will increase to 34.4% in 2021 in the United States alone. Another survey by GoodHires also finds that 74% of employees would require remote work for at least three days of the working week.

Future-Proofing Yourself
Given the recent data concerning remote work and employees' attitude towards it, you need to take steps to offer a suitable arrangement to shield against a poor staff retention rate. Low staff retention will cause severe cash flow issues. The average cost of replacing one skilled employee ranges between 50% and 200% of that employee's annual salary. Fortunately, modern technology and easily accessible software make remote work a viable and cost-effective solution for almost any business on the planet. Yours included.

"With cloud-based systems, such as AkkenCloud, efficiency and profitability increase exponentially. Managing millions of people worldwide, from staffing and recruiting agencies to interoffice activities, the office continues to grow outside of physical space and online." - AkkenCloud CEO, Giridhar Akkineni.

Summary
Working remotely is fast becoming a standard part of long-term employment. As smartphones and computers proliferate, you can do all kinds of work remotely. Remote work has become so common in the modern world that employees expect it. With modern technology and easy-to-use software, virtually any business can benefit from remote work.