The “new normal” is thrown around a lot, but what does it mean for the future of work? The Covid-19 pandemic has changed so many parts of society, especially when it comes to the way we work. From office vaccine mandates, to layoffs, to the great resignation, a “normal” work environment is an increasingly unclear concept.
One thing that is clear, many workers don’t want to give up remote work, even if they feel comfortable returning to the office. While 71% of workers feel comfortable returning to their offices, around 80% of workers enjoy remote work, according to Morning Consult. They find it more productive. When looking for a new job, the option to work remote is a major deciding factor.
Productivity in a remote environment
As more people work from home, productivity is actually increasing. Working from home saves employees about 70 minutes a day, according to Morning Brew. Most people gained a full hour by not commuting plus an extra 10 minutes on average by skipping grooming tasks. This time isn’t just valuable for employees, either. On average, workers will spend 30 of their extra 70 minutes working. This results in an additional two and a half hours per work week.
Even with the impressive stats coming out, many businesses remain wary of allowing remote work for a wide variety of reasons.
We’re in an employee’s market right now, which means employers who want to attract and keep the best talents need to offer the options that appeal to those workers. But employers have needs too, including ensuring productivity, efficient use of resources, and security.
Splashtop makes it possible to satisfy both employers’ and employees’ needs.
Three trends shaping our remote work environments
As we enter another year of increased remote work numbers, there are three trends that are shaping our remote work environments.
1. Security is more important than ever
SonicWall reported a 151% growth in ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021 as compared to the first half of 2020. With employees working from home on their own devices, without the traditional firewalls they’ve grown used to in an office, security in remote work takes on new levels of urgency.
You need a solution that will protect your network, regardless of whether an employee is in your office building or at a coffee shop.
Additionally, remote work must remain compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and other industry compliances. Don’t get caught thinking your business is too small to worry, either. In the first year of CCPA enforcement, fined businesses included pet adoption agencies, grocery store chains, and car dealerships.
Splashtop offers compliant solutions for remote work to any business, keeping your security up to date and protecting your data.
2. Hybrid work is here to stay
There has been an explosion in the numbers of devices as well as the device types being used for remote work. In fact, remote workers are now using 4 devices per person on average, according to Gartner, in an effort to increase productivity (think answering emails on the phone, while watching a webinar on your laptop and taking notes on a tablet).
With all those devices, it’s becoming increasingly complex for IT to support distributed workplaces. They have to be able to provide on-demand help to employees wherever they are, on whichever device they’re using. The solution you use for remote work needs to be robust and capable of supporting any and every device your employees have at hand.
Splashtop offers every employee the opportunity to work with their own devices, including support for both desktop and mobile operating systems. Allowing workers to use their own devices ensures not just their happiness, but their productivity and efficiency. You’re not forcing them to work with unfamiliar devices or operating systems.
3. Need for tool consolidation
The move to remote work, for most of us, was abrupt. One day we were hearing news reports about Covid-19, and the next our offices were shut down with little warning. As businesses scrambled to find tools to enable a fully or mostly remote staff for the first time, many were forced to take a piecemeal approach. Even solutions designed for occasional remote work use, when used on a large, company-wide scale, struggled to perform.
Now, companies and workers both have had time to adjust to a flexible or fully remote work environment. With a clearer picture of what is needed, companies can start consolidating and finding better tools that provide everything they need with a simple, user-friendly framework.
Splashtop is user-friendly with a simple, centralized interface for your IT team, making it the perfect solution. Remoting into an employee’s device is simple and clean, and the response time is lag-free, ensuring a good experience for everyone.
Additionally, you can talk directly to a Splashtop expert anytime you need it, regardless of company size. If you want to talk to a live person (rather than chat or email) we make that easy, too. When your team needs help, you’ll always know where to find it.
