We have looked at remote working from a workers point of view and from a companies point of view…the impacts of it won’t stop there though.
What will society look like in 5/10 years time I wonder? However it looks, I’m sure the advanced process of remote working will have had a baring on it. From the environment to relationships and from city life to health, we could see changes in how we interact with certain things from here on.
Some of these changes may be good, others not so much, but it’s worth taking a look at them now to get an idea of what lies ahead…
Environmental impact
Less people working in our cities and towns should mean less cars clogging up our streets during the morning and evening rush. This will lead to less pollution of our air, which can only be a good thing (check out Medium.com talking about the positive environmental effects too).
If some of us don’t need to drive as often, this can mean less need for fuel, which is also great for the environment.
What about those business trips that some workers make regularly? As an example, it’s not uncommon for some to fly from Dublin to the UK almost weekly just for meetings…surely organisations realise now that this can be seen as a waste of time and money?
Less need to fly for work can mean less planes in the sky, which would be hugely important for the environment. Of course, connectivity is key, but remote working may just have speeded up aviation change that governments will be trying to enforce in the not so distant future anyway, which could be vital to future generations.
What will our cities look like?
This is going to be a really important point in the future I think. There is no doubt that companies have invested heavily in commercial spaces in our cities, particularly Dublin, in the last number of decades. Companies like:
- Accenture
- Airbnb
- Indeed
- Squarespace
and many more have chosen Ireland as one of their bases. That’s something great for our towns and cities, and the knock on effect of this is huge.
Think of the following businesses in our cites:
- coffee shops and cafes.
- restaurants and pubs.
- B&Bs and hotels.
- high street retailers.
- local shops and delis.
All of these amenities benefit greatly by having workers in office settings. Will remote working impact negatively on these areas, or will we adjust the times we use them? Only time will really tell.
Another point to make, if companies don’t intend to invest in big commercial spaces to the same level they do now, what will that mean for the buildings? Will they be reconstructed into apartments and flats, which can take away some of the pressure that we see on housing right now? You would certainly hope so. Forbes.com wrote an interesting article discussing how suburbs and cities will change after remote working.
How major towns and cities will be used in 10 years from now could be very different to how we use them at the minute, and remote working will have played a big part in it.
Widening of the talent pool.
This can be both a good thing and a bad thing for individuals. On the plus side, if your line of work allows you to do your job from any location the majority of the time, you may not need to follow the work, the work can follow you.
Pre pandemic, anyone who wanted to work in the tech industry would have to move to Dublin to have a chance at a job they really wanted. If this isn’t the case post pandemic, lots of benefits can come from it:
- You can choose where to live.
- Pay less rent/mortgage.
- Save on fuel and parking.
- Spend the savings on things you want.
- Flexible working arrangements.
- Ability to strike a great work/life balance.
All of the above should help in widening a companies choice of hiring the right people.
There is a negative to this though and it’s something we need to be careful of. As much as companies say their employees are very important to them, the most important thing is profit. If organisations are finding remote working suits their business plan really well, what’s to stop them from hiring staff in countries where the rate of pay is much lower?
We have all seen manufacturing plants close down in Ireland to move to cheaper locations elsewhere in the world. Remote working can allow the same to be done to access cheaper labour.
If workers here demand the right to work from home, there is a certain element of “be careful what you wish for” I think. If I was a remote worker for a multi-national, I would be doing my best every day to impress, just in case companies decide to look further afield for talent in the future.
Social connections and activities.
Working in an office setting can be great for someone’s social life, as well as their work life. Things like:
- dinner and drinks after work.
- sports clubs and societies through work.
- opportunity to meet life long friends and partners.
- networking for future career prospects.
can make a positive impact on our lives, especially if you are starting a new chapter in yours.
Working remotely will make the above that bit harder. It won’t necessarily eliminate social interactions with like minded colleagues, but it will make them more difficult.
It’s easy to go for drinks after work on a Friday when you leave the office…doing it after a day of work from home means you will have to make a bit more effort. These social get togethers are important for us, those who remote work will need to make sure they keep happening for them.
Peoples health and well being
In terms of physical health, remote workers should find some extra time in their days thanks to less commuting, so you would think that time can be used for more exercise, which is a fantastic benefit.
If people were used to exercising straight after working in their office, like going to the gym, then a new structure will need to be put in place. Will remote workers be willing to change up their daily routine to factor in new ways of exercising? It will be important that they do.
Some could also get into a habit of snacking more and moving around less if they are at home. Don’t underestimate how much walking around you can do working in an office. Little things like this will be important in the long run, and it’s something we need to be aware of.
As for mental health, humans by nature are social creatures (even introverts), it will be vital remote workers find that human connection in other ways. If you are working at home alone all week as opposed to a full office, it can get pretty lonely. Getting that social connection from somewhere will be key to a healthy mindset.
To conclude
Remote working…it’s not going to be that straight forward is it?! We know it will be a big change for workers and employers alike, but looking at the above, there are wider implications on society too.
The novelty of remote working is still there because it is in its infancy and no clear structures have been put in place around it yet…one thing is for sure though, the societal impact will be seen in years to come. Whether that’s a positive impact or a negative one, well, that’s up to us.