The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on almost every major industry, except for a few like delivery services and sanitization companies. The main reason for this wasn’t the virus itself, but rather legislation put in place to prevent it from spreading even more than it did. Shelter-in-place orders and stay-at-home orders became household phrases, and also forced businesses to do their best with incorporating a remote work setup for their employees.

One of the silver linings of all of the remote work shifting was a surprising amount of increases in productivity, as well as happier employees (which are, generally, more dedicated employees). The happier employees may not be that important to some corporations, but productivity sure is, and because of this, many experts believe that remote work is expected to be offered to many employees long after the pandemic has ceased.

Here is a look at a few ways that remote teams can improve and maximize their potential in a world of commerce that seems like it will be increasingly computer-based.

Company Benefits of Remote Work

There are a lot of hurdles that companies moving to full-remote work will have to deal with, but the end-game can result in major savings on brick-and-mortar resources. Even a small, 5-office suite can cost upwards of $10,000 per month in many parts of the country. For large corporations, remote work can mean saving literal millions on office space, and many large-scale organizations are following suit and offering remote work, primarily as a means of cutting expenses.

Another good thing about being able to offer remote work is the fact that companies’ potential employee pools are now “virtually” limitless, as hires will no longer be required to change their locales in order to take a job. On the big, big picture, this also means employees won’t have to move their families to new cities and new schools, which is a deciding factor for many, many families whose members are offered jobs in other locations.

Individual Benefits of Remote Work

The most obvious, and also one of the most desirable, is the comfort afforded by being able to remain in your home when doing your job. This does, however, offer some opportunities for distraction, and learning a few tips and tricks for staying focused at home is a good idea for your company and career.

The average commute in America is just under 30 minutes, and in some large cities it is more than an hour. With that time saved not in traffic, employees also wind up with a few extra hours per week to focus on their own mental health, or perhaps a new hobby, or even just a couple episodes of Netflix. Either way, the extra time is another great employee benefit of remote work.

As mentioned in the paragraph above, remote work also removes restrictions for potential employees due to location. This also benefits employees who can now extend their job searches to pretty much anywhere on the globe offering remote work.

The Future

Remote work and remote education certainly existed before the COVID pandemic, but more in cases where those doing the remote work had a discussed reason for being able to move their office to their home. Now, and moving forward, businesses will benefit by offering remote work, because of the old “everyone is doing it” mantra. Those who do not will be hurting their chances at hiring quality employees.

One area of caution, however, is relative to the fact that not all employees like working remotely. With this, at least in the 5-10 year window, creating a hybrid situation where companies can offer both remote work and brick-and-mortar office space is expected to be the mold that most businesses follow. Regardless, individuals who plan on being in the workforce for at least another five years should really make a conscious effort to polish their digital communication capabilities, as well as their home offices.