The remote revolution is in full effect in the working world. 87% of employees are embracing flexible work, eagerly taking employers up on their offer when given the option to work remotely.
Employees are realizing the benefits of remote and hybrid work on their work performance, holistic health, and quality of life. Likewise, businesses also see how beneficial remote work can be for their workflows, employee wellness, and overall operation.
Having said that, successful remote and hybrid work wouldn’t be possible without technology.
Let’s look at three prominent industries, how remote work and its technologies are infiltrating and the benefits these industries are reaping while adopting more remote and hybrid work.
HEALTHCARE
Healthcare is one industry right in the middle of the remote revolution. There’s been a significant increase in the demand for remote appointments and healthcare services on the patient side. The pandemic saw an uptick in mental health concerns and a decrease in the ability to commute to a doctor’s office. In turn, patients increasingly rely on remote mental health services and other digital healthcare appointments to receive the support they need.
Healthcare facilities, companies, and medical professionals have had to find a way to navigate this demand. Tech solutions were and continue to be the key to that navigation.
For example, although patients can take remote appointments over the phone, video conferencing tools elevate the experience. Patients not only get to attend their appointments remotely, but they also get the comfortability of seeing their doctor’s face and communicating with them on a more personalized level.
Telehealth wouldn’t be nearly as safe and secure without cybersecurity tools. Remote work and services have spotlighted how vital cybersecurity is to the experience. Cybersecurity tools are essential in healthcare because of the sensitive nature of the work and information shared on both sides.
Unfortunately, not all cybersecurity tools are created equal — nor can healthcare facilities control how secure the devices their patients are using to conduct their remote appointments. So, more must be done to ensure telehealth is as safe and secure as possible on both sides. A deeper understanding of this tech is likely the next step in the healthcare sector of the remote revolution.
BUSINESS
Business owners worldwide are also taking advantage of remote work. For one, top talent is likely looking for a hybrid or remote work arrangement to ensure they have the healthiest work-life balance.
To meet this demand, company leaders are offering hybrid and remote work options to stay competitive and increase their chances of landing top talent. They’re also using their global workforces and growing knowledge of how to use technologies to their advantage to help their businesses thrive in the digital age.
However, business owners find communication and collaboration challenging to maintain in a remote workforce. Those two things are critical to a remote or hybrid team’s success. Fortunately, project management software, instant messaging, and video conferencing help ease both critical components of a remote work team.
Business owners have also seen the rise of coworking spaces and technology as we settle into remote work. Coworking spaces allow owners to broaden their employee base while providing high-quality tech tools to support their work without having to foot the bill for them.
The tricky thing about coworking spaces and their tech tools is that the business owner doesn’t own or run them. So, when things go wrong, leaders must rectify them through a third party. That can halt the work of their remote employees, stopping their overall operation for the time being.
Another tech tool business owners are implementing in their remote workforces is employee monitoring software. Many company leaders are hesitant to adopt hybrid or remote work arrangements because they can’t monitor remote employee activity as they can with employees in-office.
Employee monitoring software makes that possible. Business owners can track when their employees clock in and out for work. They can keep an eye on what their employees are doing on company-provided laptops. They can also monitor their productivity by tracking specific key performance indicators (KPIs).
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
The industrial services industry is another key industry in the thick of the remote revolution. Industrial services include:
● Shipping;
● Manufacturing;
● Construction;
● Building maintenance;
● Landscaping services;
● Woodworking;
● General contract work;
● Engineering.
It may not seem like jobs in these industries can be conducted remotely. In certain circumstances, they absolutely can with the right technology.
For example, automation and artificial intelligence tools allow employees to work remotely in certain manufacturing positions. An employee can operate a picking robot and other machinery from a remote location, so long as they’re adequately trained.
The tough part is the latter. If employees aren’t adequately trained to operate machinery remotely, they can disrupt the workflow and ruin their operating machine. Or worse, they can threaten an employee’s safety who is working in the warehouse.
Cloud computing and storage are also helpful for employees working remotely in industrial services. They can easily store and access any information digitally, regardless of location. The key is to grant only the level of access employees need for their particular position.
THE DEMAND FOR MORE ACCESS TO REMOTE WORK
Simply put, employees across all industries are demanding their companies make remote and hybrid work a permanent part of their operations. Flexible work supports holistically healthy and high-performing employees. And that, in turn, sustains a profitable company.
Employees are spending less and less effort fighting with employers about more access to remote work. Instead, they’re choosing to leave companies that don’t allow it for businesses that do. So, if businesses want to keep their employees happy and their operations functional, they mustn’t ignore their workers’ requests for flexible work options.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, various technologies support remote work in different industries.
If businesses want to remain relevant in an increasingly digital world and attract and support highly talented employees, they must focus on implementing — and fully understanding — the right technologies.