What do you think is a virtual work environment? Some would say you need a desk, comfortable chairs, and everything to be kept ergonomically to glue us in our seats. But the millennial shift has brought about a change in this as well, a bed and a laptop which is what a primary workstation looks like today.
With an increase in the variety of jobs and a higher need for professionals at a flexible cost, work has shifted from traditional office environments to our homes. But working from home or telecommuting has had significant negative connotations, the foremost being that it reduces productivity.
By definition, productivity means measuring the output rate; in modern times, it is considered to produce more output in less time. But before we comment on what is better, let's look at how productivity as a concept was developed. This term was first introduced in the agriculture sector in the late 1700s. Productivity was a measure of the production and consumption of crops; this was important as the rural population outnumbered urban areas in those days. As time progressed, the term took a new meaning.
The Industrial Revolution needed more and more development, and people started to find better practices to increase production rapidly. In 1913, Ford unveiled his revolutionary assembly line, which improved production drastically and helped produce more in less time.
As the world war was around the corner, countries such as the US majorly benefitted from increasing productivity; their GDP improved in 1939 amidst the great depression and a recession. Now let's fast forward to 1970, the year that witnessed the arrival of the internet.
It soon became imperative to utilize technology to make work more convenient— this, in turn, helped reduce work efforts and improve overall results. In 1990 Microsoft unveiled the first set of management solutions; this gave rise to the productivity solution industry. Over the years, we have seen many improvements and innovations, including Google, which optimized search, calendar links, phones, virtual reminders, software, and AI.
With so many tools, why must we work in a fixed position? One primary reason is oversight; in a traditional workplace, they try to get the maximum out of the employees. But this need not mean that they are working for the entirety of their 8 -9-hour shift. Research shows a person is productive in an 8 hr shift for 2 hours and 53 mins. So this means that companies pay for the building, workstations, amenities, and other utilities for 18 hours of productivity on an average six-day workweek.
Now let us look at how telecommuting has become a trend and has its unique sector. The onset of the 2008 recession saw millions of skilled professionals lose their jobs. With markets down, companies wanted to find cost-effective ways to get work done; people started taking freelance work to sustain and improve their financial position— this was the beginning of the Gig Economy. More skilled professionals began taking up jobs based on temporary contracted work. The gig economy was always there, but it was only perceptible recently. The idea of working with more clients and being able to select who you can work with encouraged them to follow the practice even more. This trend coerced companies to start telecommuting; research shows that people willingly worked 40 hours a week instead of on-site workers.
Sure, there are pros and cons to both sides, but the modern millennial way seems far better than past methods in terms of productivity.
This is where companies like Yovza come in; construction industries run on time-bound targets; these practices would save the companies up to 70% of their time and money. They provide approval workflow management tools that solve the challenges of a traditional human-made chain of command and human errors. As a company culture, they encourage remote working and believe in getting the job done at all costs. The tools could simplify the industry's complex challenges and improve work-life balance, which we all strive for today.
Work culture will shift to telecommuting; the choice is ours to move ahead or regress and stick to our old ways.
