Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Nov 2022
View this newsletter in fullClosing The Cultural Divide in Hybrid And Remote Work
We talk a lot about the powerful influence culture has over every significant business activity — from digital transformation to artificial intelligence to product design. Unfortunately, in many cases, it’s also possible to be a cultural void. This can be particularly vexing in remote-intensive companies. The cultural divide is evident in a survey of 1,200 workers by eLearning Industry, which finds close to two-fifths (37%) believe culture doesn’t exist in the workplace today. In fact, 50% say their leaders “don’t understand what constitutes a strong company culture or what employees want.” Even more damning is the fact that 53% of workers in the survey say their leaders think that simply working in an office is “company culture.” Maybe leaders and managers aren’t that shortsighted, and truly want a more supportive and forward-looking culture — but that is not the impression they're leaving with their workforces.
23rd Nov 2022 - Forbes
Quick Study: Managing and Supporting Remote Work
Now, with offices repopulated, some element of remote work is here to stay for office workers and the IT professionals who support them. This Quick Study features some of the many InformationWeek articles dealing with remote work, including the benefits, challenges, and logistics, as well as what it all means to the IT professionals themselves.
23rd Nov 2022 - InformationWeek
How to build a thriving flexible, remote work culture
As yet another survey highlights the stark disconnect between what employers and their staff want when it comes to remote working, 360Learning has released a report that aims to address the myths surrounding flexible working and how to implement it successfully as a business.
22nd Nov 2022 - Business Leader
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Nov 2022
View this newsletter in fullHybrid And Remote Work And The Decline Of Serendipity In The Workplace
Hybrid and remote work is here to stay, but it could diminish the serendipity — random encounters between employees — that is the dark energy behind innovation. This is perhaps the greatest concern among business leaders as their companies evolve into virtual, or semi-virtual, entities. That’s the finding from a survey out of Achurch Consulting, which finds that business leaders are behind the concept of hybrid and remote work, but, er, have a few concerns. Those center around the potential inhibiting of interaction and culture, the survey finds. Nearly seven in ten respondents (69%) were most concerned with a lack of spontaneous communication, such as the “watercooler” moments or quick office pop-ins.
18th Nov 2022 - Forbes
Remote work is hard. Here are five ways to make it easier
Hybrid work is becoming the norm in the workforce. People spend about two days a week in the office and rave about decreased expenses, increased productivity, and a better work-life balance. But with fewer trips to the office and fewer opportunities to meet and interact with other employees, hybrid and remote workers risk becoming detached from their company culture. According to a study by tech analyst Gartner, 60% of hybrid workers solely identify with their company culture through their direct manager.
17th Nov 2022 - ZDNet
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Nov 2022
View this newsletter in fullMusk tells Twitter staff remote working will end
Elon Musk has told Twitter staff that remote working will end and "difficult times" lie ahead, according to reports. In an email to staff, the owner of the social media firm said workers would be expected in the office for at least 40 hours a week, Bloomberg reported. Mr Musk added that there was "no way to sugar coat the message" that the slowing global economy was going to hit Twitter's advertising revenues.
11th Nov 2022 - BBC News
Ecuador is launching a digital nomad visa, offering low cost of living and good quality of life
Ecuador has launched a new digital nomad visa, promising remote workers “low cost of living” and “authentic experiences.” The South American country is best known for its high mountains, deep rainforests, and the biodiverse Galápagos islands. Thanks to a new visa, would-be digital nomads will have plenty of time to explore these stunning attractions.
11th Nov 2022 - euronews
Remote work and the pursuit of equality
The shift to remote working in March 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has raised many questions on the future of work. A new report looks at who has benefited from remote and hybrid work models and what organizations and governments can do to ensure those currently disadvantaged by the current models can also benefit.
9th Nov 2022 - Phys.org
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Nov 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe refugees able to work remotely for firms around the world
YaganKar was set up in Canada in 2018 by Afghani migrant Jamshid Hashimi, to create remote work opportunities for skilled Afghans both inside and outside of their home country. Described as a talent platform, it links Afghani freelancers with would-be employers around the world.
3rd Nov 2022 - BBC News
Startups, Investors Bet on Remote Work Future
Even as more employers signal an end to remote work, tech startups and their investors are betting that it is here to stay, offering a range of digital tools designed to support a permanent workforce outside of the office. And those bets appear to be paying off. Remotebase, a two-year-old San Mateo, Calif.- based startup that connects businesses with remote software engineers, is seeing revenue growth this year of up to 30% a month, co-founder and Chief Executive Qasim Salam said.
3rd Nov 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st Oct 2022
View this newsletter in fullWhat commuters get up to when they no longer commute
What are hybrid workers doing with the time not spent travelling to work, estimated at 60mn hours per day in the US alone? More sleep, for one thing. US workers are sleeping more, according to an analysis on the New York Federal Reserve’s Liberty Street Economics blog. Youngsters in particular are also reallocating commuting time to social events, exercise and eating out, while older age groups devote more time to childcare, DIY and cooking. Yes, they are also spending some of their saved time working. But “the decrease in hours worked away from home is only partially offset by an increase in working at home”, the researchers write. There is ammunition here both for those who advocate bringing more people back to half-empty offices and for the champions of more remote work.
28th Oct 2022 - Financial Times
The Isolation of Remote Work Puts Young Employees Most At Risk. Here's What We Can Do About It.
As leaders reimagine the new definition of a return to the office, we must take our employees' mental health into account, addressing the role an in-office environment plays for each category of worker, especially younger workers. To attain desirable positions, many of today's younger workers are required to move away from their respective universities, relocate far from their families and friends and work long hours to learn and grow in their respective trades. Many of them are now even more isolated due to their remote work environments. In assessing the new return-to-office environment, today's companies must consider factors beyond profit and productivity. We, as company leaders, have a responsibility to consider the mental health of those who join our ranks. And we must be more comprehensive in our approach to doing so.
28th Oct 2022 - Entrepreneur
More People Want to Work From Home But Remote Job Postings Are Declining
The appeal of work-from-home is on the rise even as postings for remote jobs are on the decline, according to new LinkedIn data. In February 2022, a record one in five jobs advertised on the site in the US offered remote work. By September, this figure had fallen to just 14%. Meanwhile, the allure of these opportunities has only grown: Remote job listings attract 52% of applications, up from 50% in February.
26th Oct 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Oct 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe War to Define What Work Looks Like
The workplace is in the middle of an unusual collision between what bosses and workers want. Employees feel empowered after two years of changing their work habits and leverage gained in a tight labor market. Employers are under increasing pressure to cut costs and boost performance as inflation soars, markets plunge and a possible U.S. recession looms. The result is a battleground at many companies. Some have already backed down on their September return-to-work policies, facing pushback from employees. Others are leaving jobs unfilled because they can’t afford what employees think they should be paid. Middle managers are increasingly caught between these conflicting priorities as they try to keep bosses and workers happy.
22nd Oct 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Zoom, Teams, Slack Are Wreaking Havoc on Employee Productivity
Shifting between multiple apps to get stuff done drains workers’ time, efficiency and engagement. Can anything be done?
18th Oct 2022 - Bloomberg
Americans Reclaim 60 Million Commuting Hours in Remote-Work Perk
Americans who are working from home have reclaimed 60 million hours that they used to spend commuting to an office each day. They’re now using that time to get more sleep instead. That’s the takeaway from a research by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which analyzed data from the American Time Use Survey to see what US workers spent their time on when they weren’t stuck on a crowded train or locked in traffic. The main findings: Employees spent fewer total hours working and substantially more on sleep and leisure.
18th Oct 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Oct 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe novelty of remote work wears off for job seekers as a new mentality takes over
Over the past two-plus years, employees have been drawn to remote work like a moth to a flame. But as the dust settles, the novelty of wearing pajamas all day has worn off for some job seekers.
12th Oct 2022 - Fortune
You’re going back to the office. Your boss isn’t.
The relationship between rank-and-file office workers and their bosses has never been equal. But remote work is creating a new kind of imbalance between certain people in leadership and their employees, and it’s stirring up resentment at work. Many managers — from middle management to the C-suite, depending on the workplace — are continuing to work remotely, but at the same time are calling their employees back to the office. Employees are getting angry and fighting back in the few ways they can: not showing up to the office or looking for work someplace else.
12th Oct 2022 - Vox
They Say Remote Work Is Bad For Employees, But Most Research Suggests Otherwise — A Behavioral Economist Explains.
They say remote and hybrid work is bad for employee mental wellbeing and leads to a sense of social isolation, meaninglessness and lack of work-life boundaries. So, we should all go back to office-centric work — or so many traditionalist business leaders and gurus would have us believe. The trouble with such articles (and studies) stems from a sneaky misdirection. They decry the negative impact of remote and hybrid work on wellbeing, yet they gloss over the damage to wellbeing caused by the alternative, namely office-centric work. That means the frustration of a long commute to the office, sitting at your desk in an often-uncomfortable and oppressive open office for 8 hours, having a sad desk lunch and unhealthy snacks and then even more frustration commuting back home.
7th Oct 2022 - Entrepreneur
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Oct 2022
View this newsletter in fullPortugal Unveils Digital Nomad Visa to Lure Remote Workers
Not required to return to the office? You can now live and work in Portugal under a new digital nomad visa. The Portuguese government is unveiling a residence permit for workers to stay in the country for up to a year. Officials released new details this week stating the program, originally announced in July, will go into effect Oct. 30.
7th Oct 2022 - Bloomberg
Disabled Americans Reap Remote-Work Reward in Record Employment
After becoming paralyzed in 2009, Beka Anardi never thought about working again. That is, until the pandemic hit. As millions of people began working remotely, Anardi realized she could resume her career as a recruiter. She sent her resumé to a few people in her network at the end of last year and was employed within a matter of weeks. The 41-year-old now works full-time from her house in Bellevue, Washington, where she can comfortably navigate her wheelchair, avoid the hassle of commuting and take care of her bodily needs in the privacy of her home.
5th Oct 2022 - Bloomberg
Airbnb Co-Founder Bets on Remote Work Amid Back-to-Office Push
Home-sharing company Airbnb, initially paralyzed by pandemic lockdowns but revitalized by the recent travel boom, is betting that remote work is here for good.
Stays of 28 days or more — usually by so-called digital nomads who can do their jobs from various locales — now make up about a fifth of Airbnb’s business. And this year, the company made “work from anywhere” permanent for its 6,000 employees, eliminating pay tiers based on a location’s cost of living and allowing staffers to work up to 90 days a year from any region Airbnb operates in.
27th Sep 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Oct 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Pitfalls of Remote Work and How to Avoid Them
We are currently in a tug of war between employees and employers. Many leaders prefer their workforce to return to a physical office, while some workers swiftly and vocally revolt when it looks like their ability to choose where they work, is mandated.
Curious about what academic research has told us about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work, I conducted a brief journal review. Unsurprisingly, employees like working remotely and feel they are more productive. However, work is not just about being productive; it helps us learn new skills and connect with others. And fully remote work may not fill these basic needs.
30th Sep 2022 - Psychology Today
Remote workers are wasting their time proving they’re actually working
People who work from home say they’re working, and numerous objective studies show that’s true. But many managers are still worried that they aren’t. In a new study by Microsoft, nearly 90 percent of office workers reported being productive at work, and objective measures — increased hours worked, meetings taken, and amount and quality of work completed — prove them out. Meanwhile, 85 percent of bosses say hybrid work makes it hard to be confident that employees are being productive.
That uncertainty is prompting workers to increasingly show that they’re working — which is decidedly not the same as actually working.
22nd Sep 2022 - Vox
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullHybrid working may hold back women’s careers, say managers
The shift towards hybrid working could be holding back women’s career progression, as research suggests employers are overlooking people who spend more time working from home. Experts have raised concerns that the post-Covid return to work is entrenching the gender pay and promotion gap, with employers failing to monitor its impact or properly design jobs for hybrid and remote working. This especially affects women, who are more likely to choose flexible hours or work from home for childcare reasons.
25th Sep 2022 - The Guardian
China's Digital Nomads Trade Mega-Cities for Backpacker Havens
After a hard day’s work, programmer Richard Hao powers down his laptop in a cafe overlooking Dali’s picturesque lake and drinks in the view. Like a growing number of digital nomads in China, he’s turned his back on big-city living and moved to the tourist hub in Yunnan province, famed for its snowcapped mountains, ancient temples and pagodas.
23rd Sep 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullCountries Compete for Remote Workers Even as Return to Office Demands Grow
Countries from Costa Rica to Croatia are betting that remote work is here to stay, competing to host digital nomads even as more employers push for a return to office. The number of remote-work visas has risen exponentially since before the pandemic, with at least 30 countries adding them since 2020 to attract those whose jobs allow them to work from anywhere, according to Nomad Capitalist.
17th Sep 2022 - Bloomberg
Everyone is wrong about the future of remote work
Data released this month suggests the long-predicted return to office (RTO) is indeed starting to happen, after several false starts. But just how far it goes remains to be seen, and few expect a return to pre-pandemic normalcy anytime soon.
17th Sep 2022 - Fortune
Members of New York Times, NBC News Digital Unions Defy Return-to-Office Plans
Some union members of the New York Times and NBC News’s digital properties vowed not to come to the office this week and instead work remotely, defying their respective employers’ back-to-the-office plans. Starting this week, the Times and NBC News expect employees to return to the office at least part of the week, both news organizations have told staff in recent memos. The Times union on Sunday said it has more than 1,280 signatures from members pledging to stay home, some of which come from a coordinated effort with the Times’s tech and Wirecutter unions. The three Times unions collectively have around 2,000 members. A Times spokeswoman said the news organization believes a hybrid work environment best suits the New York Times at this moment. She also said a collaborative work environment is a driver of success.
13th Sep 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullWork From Home Is Loved Worldwide, Even If Wall Street Hates It
As Wall Street firms order employees back to the office, the option of working from home remains more popular than ever all over the world, according to a new study. More than two years into the pandemic, many companies have eased vaccination, testing and mask rules and reopened their offices full-time. Goldman Sachs Group and Jefferies Financial Group are among US financial giants leading an aggressive push back to in-person work in recent weeks.
8th Sep 2022 - Bloomberg
Bank of America will release more guidance on work from home in coming weeks -CEO
Bank of America will outline flexible working standards over the next six to eight weeks that will adapt to changing conditions, Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said during a New York industry conference. His comments come as financial companies globally are offering more incentives, including free meals, as they battle to get staff back to the office, Reuters reported last week.
6th Sep 2022 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Future of Remote Work: 7 Technologies to Watch
Remote work is here to stay. But the challenges it presents -- namely related to employee mental health and productivity -- require innovative solutions. Luckily, in the tech world, innovation is abundant. Here are seven technologies paving the way for the future of remote work.
3rd Sep 2022 - Techopedia
How excessive remote work by millennials entrepreneurs is hampering work ethic
Hardly a day goes by without one whizzy technology company or another announcing it is trying out new ways of working, or experimenting with staff benefits. Last week Atom Bank, a techbased challenger to the traditional highstreet lenders, said it was pressing ahead with a four-day week, and that it was getting overwhelmed with applications. Other companies are experimenting with unlimited holiday time, or wellness classes. Or with a work-from-anywhere policy, allowing staff not just to work from home, but to travel around the world, logging into their laptops from a beach.
3rd Sep 2022 - MoneyWeek
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullBack to remote? Sea of empty desks prompts jitters in Brussels
Working from home is the new normal in the European Union’s institutions, but not everybody is happy about that. As workers at the European Commission, Council of the EU and European Parliament return from their holidays, many will not be returning to their desks in Brussels’ EU quarter. “Hybrid working” — a combination of remote work and office presence — is one of the few responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that institutions have kept in place. But the home-working trend is fuelling worries that remote working is changing Brussels for the worse.
1st Sep 2022 - Politico
Bosses say remote work kills culture. These companies disagree.
While many companies transitioned to hybrid work, about 36.5 million people in the United States worked remotely at least five days a week as of early August, according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. As leaders develop post-pandemic policies, one concern about remote work commonly surfaces: Can a company build and maintain culture if workers are remote? Companies that have been remote pre-pandemic say it’s not only possible but also provides additional flexibility, increased productivity and a competitive edge in hiring. But creating a remote culture takes a shift in mentality, creativity and intentionality, remote companies say.
1st Sep 2022 - The Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullDon't Forget The Downsides Of Remote Work
Peter Done is Group Managing Director and founder of business services specialist Peninsula Group. He writes that the benefits of home or hybrid working continue to be well documented, but it’s important to note that it has its downsides, too. There are some issues associated with home working and, nearly three years on from the start of lockdowns, it may not be the golden egg that so many believe it to be.
31st Aug 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work: Benefits for Employees, Employers and the Economy
The back-and-forth over remote work versus going to the office, and versus a hybrid system, isn’t going anyway anytime soon, but this ongoing debate’s noise is definitely getting louder. More companies are using more sophisticated technologies to gauge whether their employees are being productive or not. Meanwhile, companies that have gone 100 percent virtual report that they are doing just fine; other companies are drawing a line in the sand, and that line isn’t including the option to work from home. For many companies that are based or have a presence in America’s mid-sized or small cities, the discussion is largely over.
30th Aug 2022 - Triple Pundit
Remote work vs. in-office: How the pandemic has changed work — possibly forever
The pandemic irrevocably changed how we look at the world around us. As millions of Americans lost their jobs, traditional employment evolved into remote and hybrid models. Over two years into the pandemic, we can start to analyze the results of this shift in work models. While some changed careers, left major cities, and navigated a new normal, others learned how to work their long-term jobs remotely. As a result, freelance and remote work thrived, creating new possibilities for a healthier work/life balance.
30th Aug 2022 - MassLive.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullNeeded: Design Thinking For Remote And Hybrid Workplaces
Remote work and hybrid workplaces have become a staple of doing business in the 2020s. Just about every organization was pushed into it starting in March 2020, and continue to maintain portions of their workforces remotely. At the same time, while the Covid crisis required employees to simply pick up and relocate to their homes or other remote sites, a hybrid or flexible work culture needs to be baked into the organizational psyche. Preparation and a change of mindset is key, says Robert C. Pozen, senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. “Most companies have found that a significant portion of their work can be done remotely. But the exact portion of work that is remote and in person is a design decision that should be made at the team level, rather than a uniform rule across the entire organization".
29th Aug 2022 - Forbes
Does remote working have a future in a post-COVID Middle East?
Since the easing of pandemic restrictions, companies and government departments have been eager — some of them impatient — to bring staff back into the office setting. Indeed, new studies show that the demand for office space in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE is now on the rise. Could the Middle East be witnessing the end of the era of “working from home,” popularly known as WFH?
29th Aug 2022 - Arab News
Is the work-from-home debate already over?
For the most part, the worst of the Covid pandemic is over. People are getting back to their normal lives. But does a “normal life” mean coming back to the office? That’s up for debate. Workers at AT&T say they’re being forced to return to the office early and have started a Change.org petition to make their company’s pandemic work-from-home policies permanent. Apple employees, upset with their company’s return-to-office orders, have launched a petition saying the company has risked stifling diversity and staff wellbeing by restricting their ability to work remotely. Meanwhile a few big-name corporate leaders are pushing back.
29th Aug 2022 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullIs remote working fuelling a loneliness epidemic? | theHRD
With the four-day working week being trialled across 70 British companies and 3,300 workers, and calls for more hybrid and flexible working opportunities, the one method that doesn’t appear to be operating as well as we’d thought is full-time remote work. Amid growing concerns about loneliness in remote workers, it is also proving to be a real threat to work-life balance and contributing to a lack of trust between managers and employees.
25th Aug 2022 - The HR Director Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullWhy disconnection in remote work comes from unclear organisational values, not physical detachment
Steven Bartlett’s interview with Malcolm Gladwell in a recent episode of his podcast, The Diary of a CEO, sparked backlash from the digital nomad community and remote and hybrid workers alike, casting further light on the work from home debate. Contrary to Gladwell’s assertions, remote and hybrid work are not the issue at hand. The disconnect happens when employees are not onboarded into the company's mission and their values and therefore do not feel a sense of drive and belonging. Leaders should focus on onboarding new employees as thoroughly as possible, telling a compelling story about the mission of the organisation and encouraging new starters to seek connection.
24th Aug 2022 - People Management
Remote work gives UK counties new chance to become tech hubs
Ten counties in the UK could be home to a new generation of tech talent after the rise of remote work across the country, according to new research. With Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg suggesting that 50% of the company’s workforce could be working remotely by 2030, the strong likelihood is that other tech organisations will follow suit, meaning areas of the UK with a lower cost of living could become far more desirable for those wanting to escape city life.
24th Aug 2022 - FE News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote working ‘hurt research collaborations’
The first study of its kind estimated that a lack of in-person interactions have hampered innovation as academics spoke only to those they knew already.
23rd Aug 2022 - Times Higher Education
Apple's remote work struggles suggest there's no going back on working from home
Efforts by CEOs to push workers back to the office are failing, as it's becoming increasingly clear that the world of strictly in-office work is gone. Some employees at Apple are pushing back against an order from CEO Tim Cook to return to the office three days a week starting next month, the FT reports. Cook wants to hang on to the "in-person collaboration essential to our culture," according to the report.
23rd Aug 2022 - Axios
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Aug 2022
View this newsletter in full13 Handy Essentials That'll Help You Work From Absolutely Anywhere
The thing about working remotely though, is that while it opens up a lot of opportunities, it’s not always easy to do it well. But, the good news is that there are lots of handy tools that can help to make working effectively from anywhere (and we mean anywhere) far simpler. From noise-canceling headphones ideal for those of us who get easily distracted to super powerful charging banks, we’ve rounded up all of the essentials you’ll need.
22nd Aug 2022 - Huffington Post UK
Increased health warning for Australians working from home
More than 40 per cent of Australians working from home do not have a suitable workstation or the correct equipment, a new study has found. The research from the Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA) has prompted a health warning, urging workers to correct their poorly set up home workspaces to avoid any physical injuries. It comes as chiropractors across Australia reported a huge spike in people presenting with work-related injuries.
22nd Aug 2022 - 9News.com.au
Keeping Hybrid Workers In Sync, Digitally And In-Person
Working in an office full-time can be a downer, but full-time remote work has its issues as well — such as social isolation and invisibility. The best approach is hybrid work, in which workplaces function more like college campuses, offering flexibility, along with places to collaborate and learn. At least that’s the ideal. The reality is hybrid work can be more complicated. Consider the stress of hunting down information. For more than three in four managers and employees, it means daily stress, a recent survey of 27,000 managers and workers across the globe, released by OpenText, finds.
22nd Aug 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow to Cowork Remotely With Friends—or Strangers
Working remotely from home is now far more common than it used to be. That brings with it plenty of advantages, but also a few challenges, such as the need to stay motivated and on task when there are no colleagues around and so many distractions just a click away. To try and tackle this problem, some people are turning to strangers on the internet—strangers who will sit with them, connected over a video call, while both parties study or work or do whatever needs to be done. It may sound like a bizarre solution at first, but it works better than you might think. It adds a low level of accountability without much additional effort.
21st Aug 2022 - Wired.co.uk
How workplace bullying went remote
Bullying has long been an issue in workplaces, and encompasses a wide spectrum of behaviour, typically associated with in-person work. A familiar scenario might be a domineering boss publicly berating an employee to humiliate them, or a group of colleagues leaving the office for lunch together, deliberately leaving another behind.
For some employees, remote work has provided relief and distance from the everyday distress of dealing with such incidents. Yet there is also evidence that, as companies have increasingly switched to remote and hybrid models, workplace bullying has not only continued but thrived, often in more subtle ways – especially as technology has opened new avenues for unkind behaviour.
19th Aug 2022 - BBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullAs businesses embrace fully-remote work, does company culture suffer?
A growing number of companies have instituted policies allowing any employee to work fully remote, including Twitter, Meta (Facebook), Airbnb, 3M, Atlassian, Lyft, SAP, Slack, Spotify, and VMware. Many are taking a cue from employees who want to work in a fully virtual world, choosing to shutter offices and manage remotely; other organizations have permanently closed offices that were only used infrequently by a small number of employees. It's not just large firms; smaller companies are getting on the remote-only train, too. Online job consultancy Remote.co has created a list of 25 small companies that are fully virtual for job-seekers.
18th Aug 2022 - ComputerWorld
How To Build And Sustain A Remote Work Culture With Engaged Employees
The pandemic showed many companies that their employees could flourish in a fully or partially remote work environment. Assess your company’s goals and capabilities. Talk to your teams about how they feel they work best and what can help them achieve their desired goals while keeping work processes running smoothly. As with any team of high performers, leaders may need to be the guardians of their team’s personal time occasionally. For example, remind team members not to send emails or check work messaging apps outside of working hours. People need to disconnect.
18th Aug 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullSpurred by Remote Work, All-Virtual Companies Thrive
A couple years ago, as the Covid crisis struck, forcing just about every company to operate as a virtual enterprise, run out of living rooms and home offices. While many have called employees back to the office at least part of the time, others have discovered they operate just fine — or even better — as 100% virtual enterprises. It is estimated that at least 16% are fully remote, and 62% of employees work remotely at least part of the time. Leaders of what are now all-virtual companies say the forced virtualization of 2020 turned out to be a pleasant surprise for them.
17th Aug 2022 - Forbes
No, a recession won’t kill remote work. It will actually strengthen it
Extensive evidence shows that remote work is more productive. A Stanford University study found that remote workers were 5% more productive than in-office workers in the summer of 2020. By the spring of 2022, remote workers became 9% more productive, since companies learned how to do remote work better and invested into more remote-friendly technology. A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, meanwhile, found that productivity growth in businesses widely relying on remote work grew much faster than industries where in-person contact is needed.
17th Aug 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Is Hurting Productivity, New York-Area Firms Say
More New York area service firms think remote work is hurting productivity than helping it, according to a survey released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Among firms from a wide range of industries outside of manufacturing, 30% reported a negative effect on productivity, while 20% indicated a positive effect. The remaining half noted little change, per the data released Tuesday.
16th Aug 2022 - Working Remotely
Are You a ‘Digital Nomad’? European Locales Want Remote Workers
Many remote workers indulged their wanderlust during the pandemic, taking their laptops and passports to far-flung destinations. Now many parts of Europe are enticing them to come stay awhile longer. Nearly a dozen European countries, from Latvia to Croatia to Iceland, have introduced longer-term visas to attract affluent remote workers from abroad. Others, including Italy and Spain, have similar plans in the works. Many, such as Greece and Estonia, are also wooing these so-called digital nomads with tax breaks and other perks. Some European cities and villages have also started their own remote-worker campaigns as a way to boost their economies and sustain local service jobs.
16th Aug 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow to Have an Inclusive Workplace--Even When You're Still Working From Home
More than two years into the pandemic, the remote working schedule endures. In spring 2022, 58 percent of American employees reported having the opportunity to work from home at least one day a week, as per management consulting firm McKinsey's survey of 25,000 American employees. Though plenty of employees enjoy the flexibility of the virtual setting, LGBTQ+ workers say they feel less supported in the remote working environment. A recent survey shows that 33 percent of LGBTQ+ employees have experienced non-inclusive behaviors such as unwanted comments of a sexual nature and being excluded socially in both the office and remote-work environments, according to a Deloitte global survey of more than 600 LGBTQ+ employees. The report shows that 20 percent of LGBTQ+ employees have only experienced non-inclusive behaviors in a virtual setting.
15th Aug 2022 - Inc.
Opinion: Fully remote work could soon vanish
As restaurants, malls and movie theaters fill back up with people, the workplace has remained nearly empty. This is partly driven by how engrained remote work has become in society. People have invested in creating workspaces in their homes, relocated to smaller towns and even taken their work to vacation resorts. Now, amidst an easing pandemic and slowing economy, companies are increasingly trying to draw employees back into the office. But many just don't want to go.
15th Aug 2022 - CNN
AT&T workers fight return to office push: ‘We can do the same job from home’
The Covid-19 pandemic sent millions of workers in the US from working in offices to working remotely. As unemployment benefits ended, vaccines rolled out, and reopenings expanded, employers and commercial real estate groups have been pushing to try to get workers back into offices. But the pandemic further exposed the issues in returning to office, from long commutes to and from work, exorbitant childcare costs, ongoing concerns over exposure to Covid-19 variants and now monkeypox, workers are pushing to keep working from home as an option as employers force a return to the office.
15th Aug 2022 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullAre we past peak WFH?
Last week the author Malcolm Gladwell suggested it’s “not in our best interests” to work from home. He told The Diary of a CEO podcast: “If you’re just sitting in your pyjamas in your bedroom, is that the work-life you want to live? If we don’t feel like we’re part of something important, what’s the point? If we’re just doing this for a paycheck, what have you reduced your life to?” For all the fuss, working from home is still a minority activity in Britain.
14th Aug 2022 - The Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullNearly Half of Remote and Hybrid Government Employees Say Team Performance Has Improved During Past Two Years
As the pandemic has put immense pressure on government employees to deliver public services, new research finds that teleworking has improved team performance. Forty-six percent of government employees who telework – both fully remote and hybrid employees – say their team’s performance improved during the past two years. Only 35 percent of in-person government workers say their team’s performance has improved during the period, according to new research from Eagle Hill Consulting.
11th Aug 2022 - Associated Press
Gen Z worker demands include flexible work and wellness perks
When Ginsey Stephenson moved to San Francisco for work in February, she finally met and mixed with her colleagues for the first time. It was something the 23-year-old had longed for since entering the professional world out of college seven months prior. The boutique public relations firm she works for follows a hybrid schedule of three days in the office per week, meaning she no longer has to nervously message people on Slack she had never met in person. Most importantly, being in the office has helped her transition from working from her parents’ Virginia home to life as a working adult.
11th Aug 2022 - The Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home? Here's how to make work friends anyway
According to a study by JobSage, remote workers have an average of 33% fewer work friends than those who work in an office setting, while two in three people have worked in a remote office where they never made any friends. According to another study, we are all craving work friends more than ever. In fact, according to BetterUp Labs, more than half of employees would sacrifice some of their income if it meant making stronger connections at work. With more and more people working from home, how can we all prioritise making workplace friendships?
10th Aug 2022 - Stylist Magazine
Work-From-Home Jobs Haven’t Made Things Easier for Women
Women have gained all the perks that come with flexibility during this pandemic, but they have also become one-woman safety nets.
10th Aug 2022 - Bloomberg
Half of businesses look to metaverse to facilitate hybrid working
Employers across the UK are leveraging the metaverse to help bring the office to workers’ living rooms, as they respond to the demand for hybrid working. A new study suggests that half of all organisations are now exploring the possibility of launching an online office space for their staff.
10th Aug 2022 - Consultancy.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullPost pandemic Britons still spend more time working from home - ONS
British workers are spending more time working from home compared with pre-pandemic times despite the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, according to official data released on Tuesday that offered a glimpse of what the 'new normal' looks like. In March 2020 the global coronavirus outbreak triggered a radical redesign of swathes of the world economy, forcing many firms and their workers to give up on the office temporarily and adapt to working from home.
9th Aug 2022 - Reuters
Everyone’s over remote work except for the workers themselves
The economy has a case of remote work. That’s the story corporate America told in second-quarter earnings calls. To some CEOs, any ills their companies face inevitably come down to the fact of people logging on from home. As a result, if their business hinges on a steady hum of commuters, they’ve struggled to adapt to the reality of prolonged telework. To paraphrase William F. Buckley Jr., the mid-century media mogul behind the conservative National Review, many CEOs are standing athwart the remote work era, yelling for it to stop. Especially the ones whose business relies on foot traffic in core urban centers.
9th Aug 2022 - Fortune
Why overthinkers struggle with remote work
Anyone can suffer under the isolation of remote work – even for the least social people, spending workdays with only a webcam or messaging platform to contact people they once saw all the time can eventually take a toll. But this isolation can be particularly hard on one type of worker: the ‘overthinker’. These are individuals who tend to over-analyse events around and pertaining to them, and need reassurance that everything is OK.
4th Aug 2022 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home more alluring to everyday Australians
In Australia, big businesses are trying to entice their employees back into the office for two or three days a week – but the lure of working from home is winning.
8th Aug 2022 - Sky News Australia
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote working: The countries shunning the post-COVID work trend and why
A recent study from employment site Indeed found that the number of global job listings with a remote component has soared since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly tripling from an average of just 2.5 per cent in January 2020 to almost 7.5 per cent in September 2021. Spain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom are just some of the countries seeing the greatest increases, and the United States is no stranger to the trend either. Remote opportunities leapt from under 4 per cent of all high-paying jobs before the pandemic to about 9 per cent at the end of 2020, and to more than 15 per cent today in North America.
7th Aug 2022 - Euronews
8 Ways to Balance Your Home Life and Remote Work (And Stay Productive)
Even though most of us feel our lives have returned to normal since 2020, many aspects of life across the globe have seen a radical transformation. The most obvious of these might be the workplace. According to the Pew Trust, six in 10 U.S. workers are still working remotely. About that same number are choosing to work at home. For many, this transition has its challenges. But there are strategies to making a work-at-home life more fulfilling and productive.
5th Aug 2022 - Entrepreneur
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow to minimize distractions when you work from home
The first step to mitigating distractions when working from home is to accept that you become distracted because humans are distractible. It is part of your nature. To be clear, the goal isn’t to avoid non-work at all costs. The goal is to manage distractions. Sometimes, that means leaning in. The corollary of all of this is that, to avoid distractions while working from home, you also have to avoid work distractions while living from home. Unless you truly have the kind of job where you have to be available 24/7, make sure that when you’re off the clock, you’re off the clock
4th Aug 2022 - The Verge
Five strategies for retail businesses still struggling to switch to remote work
For many people, staying productive and maintaining balance when working remotely can be very challenging. You must equip your home office with all the tools, maintain communication as if you were in the office, and many more things. Luckily, here are the five strategies to help you stay productive when working remotely in retail.
4th Aug 2022 - Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote work ate your vacation. ‘The lines between work and life have become increasingly blurred’
A recent report from Qualtrics finds that roughly half of American employees said they work about one hour a day when on vacation. Most knowledge workers can work anywhere with a laptop and a wi-fi connection, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. But when does work stop? Since many of us stopped going to the office in March 2020, work has become an ever-present specter in our homes, and now even when we (try to) go on vacation. The truly unplugged vacation is becoming a thing of the past.
3rd Aug 2022 - Fortune
Rise of remote working is creating diversity in tech
Latin America has recently become the new forefront for nearshore IT talent, as its industry has seen rapid development in the past five years. The silver lining of the global pandemic is the rapid acceleration of diversity in technology talent because companies of all sizes realize that it takes a global village of talent to meet market demands. As part of an initiative to make the tech industry in Latin America more inclusive, many countries are working hard to make sure that US companies have a diverse roster of talent to choose from.
3rd Aug 2022 - The HR Director Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullHybrid work is not a perfect solution to our changing workplace
It’s a mistake and a failure of leadership to conflate forced working from home during a pandemic with true remote work. During the pandemic, many workers experienced an at-home version of the traditional work environment. In-person meetings were replaced with daily stand-up calls. Happy hours were replaced with after-work Zooms. The remote work we experienced during the pandemic lacked flexibility and autonomy. Now, many companies are pushing their employees back to the office touting “flexible” or “hybrid” approaches that aren’t actually flexible. This is a failure of management to explore a new way of thinking about work.
2nd Aug 2022 - Fast Company
Opinion: Remote working could be a game changer for local towns in these uncertain times
We must take immediate action to realise the massive opportunity remote work presents for the development of towns and villages across rural and regional Ireland. The national debate on the cost of living and predicted recession must take into account how geographical location impacts people’s access to good quality job opportunities. There is a clear argument that remote work can be an effective win-win solution in times of crisis, as was clearly evidenced during the pandemic. We now need to recognise that remote work has the potential to be a significant mitigating factor if the predictions of a recession, or an escalation of the energy crisis, are to materialise.
2nd Aug 2022 - TheJournal.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullThings we've learned working from home
When we started working from home in March 2020, many of us who had not worked at home before may have begun with certain assumptions about what it would be like and what we would need. It’s now over two years later, and while we’re now able to spend time in the office, most of us are spending the majority of our working time at home. We asked The Verge staff members about what they’d learned about working at home. In response, people talked about the need to get away from the desk and to get away from work, the challenges of working in the same space with family, and various strategies for staying sane while staying in the house.
1st Aug 2022 - The Verge
Hybrid work is here to stay: The shift helps young professionals focus on priorities & work-life balance
We're in the middle of a remote working revolution. In the UK, though remote working was slowly growing before the pandemic, in 2020 the number of people working from home doubled. While this rapid rise can be explained by COVID lockdowns, a recent survey conducted with 2,000 London workers found that six in ten employees still regularly work from home despite restrictions no longer being in place. And most don't want that to change.
1st Aug 2022 - Economic Times
Australia's Covid-19 wave at record levels, prompting push to work from home again
Australia's surging Covid-19 outbreak has prompted debate about whether workplaces should again be encouraging staff to work from home. As hospitalisations reached record levels last Tuesday (July 26), the health authorities and experts have urged employers to allow staff to work from home if feasible. The nation's chief medical officer Paul Kelly warned on July 19 that Australia was "at the start of this wave, not the end", and that staff should talk to their employers to see if they can work from home. "If it's possible for you to work from home during the next couple of weeks, that will make a big difference," he told Channel Seven. Some of Australia's biggest firms have heeded this advice.
1st Aug 2022 - The Straits Times
Londoners Leaving the City in Droves as Covid Trend Persists
The push to leave London sparked by the coronavirus pandemic shows no sign of slowing down even after millions of workers returned to their city center offices.
Almost 8% of the British homes purchased outside of the capital were bought by Londoners in the first half of the year, the same proportion as a year earlier when the post-Covid rush kicked off. That’s up from 6.9% in the first half of 2019, the year before the the pandemic struck, according to data compiled by broker Hamptons. Buyers have flocked to the countryside in search of more green space after being cooped up in their homes during a series of lockdowns in 2020, taking advantage of more flexible working patterns and pent up savings.
1st Aug 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home ‘considerably more effective’ than masks on children
A pandemic adviser to the federal government says people should work from home if they can and warned employers not to expect their COVID-infected staff to continue working while ill. Professor Jodie McVernon, one of Australia’s most influential epidemiologists, said workplaces had long been shown to be catalysts for COVID-19 spread through the community and if it was possible for people to work from home during the current wave, it was a “sensible thing to do”.
31st Jul 2022 - Sydney Morning Herald
Four reasons the shift to hybrid working is set to stay for young professionals
Before the pandemic, employees in their 20s were by far the least likely to work from home. In 2022, 64% of 16 to 24-year-olds we surveyed reported working at home for at least part of the week. This figure is in line with 25 to 49-year-olds (65%) and in fact higher than for people over 50 (48%). Other research also shows that young professionals now engage in hybrid working – dividing their time between their home and their workplace – and may prefer this model to being in the office full time.
31st Jul 2022 - The Conversation
'Desk-based social work that can be done from anywhere': Ofsted issues warning over remote working
Remote working practices introduced during Covid are putting the quality of social work practice at risk, Ofsted has warned. The inspectorate particularly highlighted the practice of people working remotely for employers many miles away and raised concerns about the impact on peer support and learning of remote working, in a report this week on recovering from Covid.
31st Jul 2022 - Communitycare.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home debates must include what 'home' actually is
In lockdowns, those who were able to work from a dedicated office in their large home or a converted shed in the garden had a very different experience from those in crowded flats. Now that the world is opening up again, employees’ decisions to move further away from work are causing tensions. Some employers have stepped in to help with housing costs. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a professional organisation, says most assistance is geared towards subsidised rental deposits or moving-in allowances.
28th Jul 2022 - Financial Times
Why Remote Work Shouldn't Be Up for Debate
In the immediate aftermath of Covid-19 lockdowns, many companies found their wings as newly minted remote work operations. While this was a move made out of necessity, more than a few decided to make the shift permanent. The reality is, that working in an office is how things were done for generations. Many who are now in positions of leadership have worked their way up through this system and understand it, find comfort in it, and may assume it is the only way that anything meaningful can be achieved on a wide scale.
28th Jul 2022 - Entrepreneur
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullDigital nomads seek sun, sea and sustainability as remote work booms
Remote and flexible working has boomed since coronavirus lockdowns lifted globally, backed by major companies from AirBnB to Twitter and a rising number of nations issuing digital nomad visas which allow people to stay and work for up to two years. The typical profile of a digital nomad is shifting, as island-hopping 20-somethings are joined by online workers in their 30s and 40s travelling with partners and children, experts and researchers say. But concerns are growing over their environmental impact.
27th Jul 2022 - The Taipei Times
New Covid Variants Will Fuel Fully Remote Work This Fall
The battle over fully remote work is heating up this summer as more traditionalist business leaders are demanding that their employees come to the office much or all of the time. The same struggles are happening at smaller US companies, as well as across the globe. Yet what these traditionalist executives are failing to realize is that the drama, stress, and tensions caused by their demands won’t matter. Fully remote work will win this fall.
27th Jul 2022 - Psychology Today
From Bali to Bermuda: 6 tropical destinations that make it easy to live and work remotely
Many “digital nomads” can do their jobs from anywhere — and they take advantage. These workers have no set business location and earn their livings by working remotely from anywhere in the world. In response to the growing trend, more and more countries are making it easier than ever to work remotely. That includes a number of tropical locations that can make your job feel like a vacation year-round.
27th Jul 2022 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullGen Z, rejoice: Most of the bosses who insist on return to office will retire soon
Executives are divided along generational lines when it comes to their top concerns in implementing flexible schedules, according to new research by the Future Forum. While polling executives’ concerns regarding flexible work, the research consortium found that older managers (aged 50 and over) cared most about hybrid-work schedule coordination and then productivity and learning. Coming in last in their priorities was inequities surrounding flexible work. The issue of inequality surrounding remote and in-person work options, meanwhile, was the number one concern for younger executives.
26th Jul 2022 - Fortune
Costa Rica Offers Digital Nomad Visas To People Who Are Working Remotely
Costa Rica is providing a digital nomad visa scheme. The talks about introducing the visa scheme have been on since August 2021 but it has now finally been put into effect. Here’s how you can qualify for the visa scheme – you will have to work in a foreign or a non-Costa Rican company and the work allows you to work remotely. To secure your stand, you will have to earn a minimum of $3,000 (Rs. 2,39,320.20 approx) per month.
26th Jul 2022 - Outlook India
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking-from-home comforts create new class divide
Earlier this month, unions covering white-collar workers began a campaign for the right to work from home to be included in future enterprise agreements, arguing, among other things, this will keep their members safe from new COVID variants. It didn’t take long for the Victorian government to agree with the Premier quickly conceding last Friday that working-from-home arrangements will be a feature for the state’s employees going forward. The evolution of WFH from an emergency measure, for which public servants received compensation, to a here-to-stay part of the landscape has come quickly.
25th Jul 2022 - The Age
Need to strike a healthier work-life balance when you work from home? These apps can help.
Is there such a thing as work-life balance now that so many of us are working from home? A bevy of experts and happy WFH-ers say there is – especially with the help of the latest tech tools and expert tips.
25th Jul 2022 - USA Today
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullIs Hybrid Work Killing Remote Summer? Yes, but It Doesn't Have To.
For more than two years, many knowledge workers have enjoyed the unfettered freedom to spend weeks or months at a time taking Zoom meetings from a lake house or filing reports while driving across the country. Now, some companies maintaining an in-office component are carving out time for people to work from anywhere, among them American Express Co., which offers 30 days. This past fall, Amazon.com Inc. went from planning to have employees in the office three days a week to letting directors of individual teams decide how frequently they will go in. The company has said it wants the majority of people to be able to easily travel to the office for a meeting on a day’s notice, but it’s still reserving four weeks of remote work for almost all corporate employees.
24th Jul 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Boomers, bosses and Elon Musk are all wrong about remote work
The remote-work debate rages on into its third year. Elon Musk may claim that remote workers are pretending to do their jobs, but residents of New York City and San Francisco can tell you that there’s just no going back to the before-times of the five-day commute. And bosses—particularly boomers—remain steadfast supporters of returning to the office, despite the fact that just about all employees want to work from home at least some of the time. Slack’s latest Future Forum survey installment showed a clear divide between managers 50 and above, who really don’t like remote work, and younger ones, who are frankly pretty chill about the whole thing.
24th Jul 2022 - Fortune
The future of remote work, according to 6 experts
Whether you’re a remote work booster or a skeptic, there are lots of unanswered questions about what happens next for remote work, especially as Covid-19 restrictions continue to fade and as fears of a recession loom. How many people are going to work remotely in the future, and will that change in an economic downturn? Will remote work affect their chances of promotion? What does it mean for where people live and the offices they used to work in? Does this have any effect on the majority of people who don’t get to work remotely? If employees don’t have to work in person to be effective, couldn’t their jobs be outsourced?
24th Jul 2022 - Vox.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home: major Australian employers respond to latest Covid health advice
Telstra and Westpac have advised staff to work from home if they can following national health advice recommending that employers make changes to limit the spread of Covid during the winter wave of infections. On Tuesday, the chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, said the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) – comprised of all state and territory chief health officers – had reiterated its advice which “called on employers to allow work from home if feasible”. But after the advice from the commonwealth’s top medical adviser a number of government departments have not yet shifted their work settings, and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, stopped short of asking bosses to let more staff work from home instead of the office.
20th Jul 2022 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullAustralians urged to work from home as COVID hospital cases surge
Australians have been urged to work from home and wear masks indoors as the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 nears record levels. The country is in the midst of a third wave of coronavirus, driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, and earlier this month broadened access to second booster shots to deal with the surge in cases. Daily cases climbed to 50,248 on Tuesday, the highest in two months. Some 5,239 Australians are currently in hospital with COVID-19, just short of the record 5,390 recorded in January. “We need to do some things differently at least for a short period of time,” Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told ABC Radio on Wednesday, as he predicted the number of people admitted to hospital will soon hit an all-time high.
20th Jul 2022 - Al Jazeera English
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullI'm Black. Remote work has been great for my mental health.
How many racist scenarios, comments, and situations would I have avoided enduring if I didn’t need to come into the office? That psychological toll is why many African American employees are opting out of going into the office and embracing remote work. The average Black employee can share tales of daily racial incidents. Black workers already take on a disproportionate amount of stress at work. All of that stress is made worse by racism, which has a tremendous impact on the mental and physical health of the Black community
17th Jul 2022 - Slate
How to land a totally remote job without any remote work experience
If you’ve read that having no remote experience will prevent you from landing a job, think again! After all, everyone had to have a first remote job at some point. It turns out, there are many ways to position yourself as a qualified remote candidate with only in-office experience in your past. There are ways to highlight the skills and experience you have in a way that will make you a competitive candidate for remote work. While you may not have years of experience working remotely, by being creative, you can demonstrate that you have what it takes to be a successful remote worker.
17th Jul 2022 - Fast Company
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote work spurs a national wage leveling in tech
As more employees work remotely in the aftermath the global COVID-19 pandemic, salaries based on where in US they live are showing signs of leveling. For example, a recent study by fintech startup Carta found that salaries for tech startup employees in Seattle now match those of workers in San Francisco, which is a tech market salary leader. “As remote work becomes a fact of life, [startup] founders are increasingly faced with a key decision: should they adjust compensation by location?” the Carta report said. “The vast majority of companies (84%) do take location into account when deciding on compensation packages.”
14th Jul 2022 - Computerworld
Is it up to employees to fix the remote-work promotion gap?
It’s well-known that proximity plays a role in promotions: managers are more likely to know workers they spend more time with better, give them key assignments and, as a result, develop their careers. And now, in the wake of the pandemic, it’s also becoming clear some managers view in-office workers more favourably, due to concerns they have that employees who work from home could be less engaged. This represents a concern for remote workers: if managers are biased towards colleagues they see more often, will home-workers be able to compete – or might their choice of work location leave them overlooked, potentially stigmatised and struggling to move up the ladder?
14th Jul 2022 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home to become normal, PwC Taiwan says
Working from home is likely to become a regular arrangement even though the world is increasingly emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, PricewaterhouseCoopers Taiwan told a forum in Taipei. PwC’s US arm has introduced a permanent remote working model for its 40,000 employees, who need to travel to the office three days per month or less, for key meetings or training courses, PwC Taiwan human resources head Alan Lin said.
13th Jul 2022 - The Taipei Times
Hybrid work could mean employers are overlooking disabled staff
Disabled employees are concerned they will lose out on opportunities at work due to working remotely. New research from The Work Foundation found 70% of disabled workers said it would negatively impact their physical or mental health if their employer did not allow them to work remotely. However, a majority (70%) of those with multiple impairments or conditions in the research said they felt opportunities to stretch and grow at work would go to those in the office instead.
13th Jul 2022 - HR Magazine
Why CEOs are so WTF about WFH
At a sinner debate for NYSE, after one CEO asked a question about the merits of hybrid work, the conversation became highly emotive. A show of hands revealed most CEOs disliked the policy of remote working. Another showed most were only getting their staff into the office for two days a week at best. As the debate raged, it turned this economics dinner into something more like a communal corporate therapy session. “It’s the biggest single issue,” the boss of a Midwest industrial group forlornly admitted.
13th Jul 2022 - Financial Times
More professionals interested in companies that offer work-from-home indefinitely
More professionals are looking for jobs at companies offering permanent remote work, reveals a survey by BridgeLabz, a marketplace for deep tech talent. About 91.47% of the participants said they are interested in joining the company offering remote work indefinitely, 48.81% of respondents prefer working remotely, and 27.78% prefer the hybrid model, says the Work Model Preferences survey
13th Jul 2022 - People Matters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullSome Companies Are Going Remote—and Upgrading to New Offices
CentralReach’s new home offers some encouraging news for office-building owners, who have worried that the rise of remote work might lead some companies to cut costs by dumping most or all work space. Many companies are finding they prefer a mix. But CentralReach’s new headquarters signals other challenges for property owners. Companies are largely shunning older buildings and usually need less space overall. Even though CentralReach’s new office will be larger than the one it is leaving, the company is hiring more staff and anticipates it will ultimately have less space per employee.
12th Jul 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
New study reveals benefits of hybrid working for disabled workers but some fear choice between health and career progression
Eighty-five per cent of disabled workers in the UK say they are more productive working from home, new research by the Work Foundation reveals. In a survey of hundreds of disabled workers across the UK, 80% agree remote working would either be essential or very important when looking for a new job, and 66% ideally want to work remotely 80 - 100% of the time. Seventy per cent say that not being allowed to work remotely would negatively impact their health, but most fear remote working will damage their career progression.
12th Jul 2022 - EurekAlert
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in full‘We cannot retreat’: Businesses warn a return to work from home won’t work for them
In Australia, major business groups have rejected advice from state and federal chief health officers to consider allowing employees to work from home, warning that the fledgling economic recovery since the end of harsh lockdowns would be jeopardised.
While no state or territory government is contemplating a reintroduction of mask mandates indoors or work from home orders for now, they are not ruling it out if the winter wave of COVID-19 cases worsens or health advice changes.
11th Jul 2022 - Sydney Morning Herald
Why remote work will win this fall
The monumental battle over remote work is heating up this summer as more traditionalist business leaders are demanding that their employees come to the office more often. What these traditionalist executives are failing to realize is that the drama, stress, and tensions caused by their demands won’t matter. Remote work will win this fall. That’s because of the new COVID-19 variants, which may lead to 100 million infections in the fall. The most dangerous is BA.5, which is much more resistant than prior variants to protection from COVID caused either by vaccinations or prior infections.
11th Jul 2022 - Fortune
Millennials and Gen Z — your days of remote work could be numbered, says author
As the workforce adapts to a “post-pandemic” landscape, it could be in the interests of both employers and employees to return to the office full-time, Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn’s first chief HR officer, has said. Younger workers — those in Gen Z and the lower range of the millennial age bracket — looking to advance their careers could especially stand to gain from a return to pre-pandemic norms, according to Cadigan, whose book “Workquake” explores how the pandemic could could pave the way for a better workplace model.
11th Jul 2022 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullWow, what a view! China’s ‘digital nomads’ seek paradise while on the clock
Known as ‘digital nomads’, many were born out of China’s strict pandemic measures – but families and friends are still trying to process this new way of life. China’s remote-working trend is in its early stages, but even local governments and businesses are taking stock and looking to capitalise on development opportunities.
11th Jul 2022 - South China Morning Post
Big Cities Can’t Get Workers Back to the Office
More than two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, exasperation is growing among business, city and community leaders across the U.S. who have seen offices left behind while life returns to normal at restaurants, airlines, sporting events and other places where people gather. Even after many employers have adopted hybrid schedules, less than half the number of prepandemic office workers are returning to business districts consistently. The problem is most pronounced in America’s biggest cities.
10th Jul 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Remote work: What will the Govt's new law look like?
When Covid hit, people across Ireland and around the world were united as bedrooms and kitchens became offices and working from home became the norm. But what was once unifying has now become somewhat divisive, when it comes to drawing up formal policies on remote working. That divergence was reflected in the long list of recommendations made by the committee members who outlined 20 changes they'd like to see made to the remote working bill.
10th Jul 2022 - RTE.ie
Dutch remote working legislation: could the UK follow suit?
The Dutch parliament has approved legislation making it compulsory for employers to consider employee requests to work from home as long as their field of work allows it. While the remote working legislation got the green light by the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the proposal still needs to be approved at the Dutch senate before it is passed into law. People Management questions whether the UK could consider following this example.
10th Jul 2022 - People Management Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullNetherlands Poised to Make Work-From-Home a Legal Right
As U.S. companies struggle to entice workers back to offices, the Dutch parliament approved legislation to establish home working as a legal right, setting the Netherlands up to be one of the first countries to enshrine such flexibility in law. The legislation was adopted by the lower house of the Dutch parliament Tuesday, and will now head to the Senate for final approval. Under current Dutch law, employers may reject workers’ requests to work from home without giving a reason. The new legislation forces employers to consider such requests and give a reason if denying them.
7th Jul 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
The key to managing new era of work: Trust your people
Rolls-Royce North America chairman, CEO and president of defense Tom Bell says the pandemic transformed the way he thinks about work. It’s no longer a place, but an activity. As such, leaders must turn to their workers to navigate this new era, he says. “Suspend your disbelief just a little bit, and ask your people how they could be best productive,” Bell said in an interview with The Washington Post. “Our people will have great answers for us if we just trust them.”
7th Jul 2022 - The Washington Post
Right to seek remote work must be extended, committee says
In Ireland, employees should be able to make a request to work remotely without being required to have at least 26 weeks of service in their job, an Oireachtas committee has recommended. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment has said the grounds upon which an employer can refuse a request under the Government’s draft remote working Bill are “cumbersome” and should also be revisited.
7th Jul 2022 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote Working May End As Organisations Switch To Hybrid Mode Post Covid-19 Pandemic
Remote working may soon be over in India as organisations are switching over to hybrid model, a survey by real estate firm CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd has said. According to the survey 73 per cent of office space occupiers in the country are evaluating hybrid working arrangements going forward instead of granting work from home to its employees. This survey has said will be taking place as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are slowly reeling back.
6th Jul 2022 - Outlook India
Marginalized Employees Say Remote Work is More Equitable, but at the Cost of Hiding Their Authentic Selves
As HR departments work to make their organizations more equitable and inclusive, new research from Software Advice suggests that remote work may at first seem like the best format for reducing workplace bias and discrimination, but survey data reveals it often means employees are sacrificing their true identity at work.
6th Jul 2022 - Businesswire
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullAmericans Willing To Take 10% Pay Cut In Order To Work Remotely With Their Dogs
Nearly a quarter (23%) of dog owners said they would be willing to take a 10% pay cut if they could work remotely with their dog, according to a new Forbes Advisor survey of 2,000 employed American adults. Men (31%) were more likely than women (19%) to be OK with a salary reduction if it meant they could work remotely to be with their canine companion.
5th Jul 2022 - Forbes
Post-COVID return to office: Some workers bring back reminders of home
According to “Why Working from Home Will Stick,” published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, only 82% of employees have come into the office as much as their employers desired, and 43% responded that the employers did not punish those who came in less frequently than required. Managers have two choices in these scenarios: not enforce the in-person work hours and appear weak, or enforce the work hours and anger employees, said researcher Nicholas Bloom, economics professor at Stanford University. He added that some workers don’t need to come in every day to get their jobs done and could be more productive at home.
5th Jul 2022 - USA Today
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home? These are the must-have home office upgrades
If we can be grateful for anything from the pandemic, it is that employees have realised the benefits of working from home. Professionally and on a personal level, a flexible working arrangement provides benefits for workers and the business. If you’re sticking with a flexible work arrangement, then it might be time to consider potential upgrades.
4th Jul 2022 - 7News.com.au
Back to the Office: Over 70% of Japanese Companies No Longer Implementing Remote Work
In a Tokyo Shōkō Research survey, 29.1% of companies currently had employees working from home, which was a 7.9-point drop from the previous survey in October 2021 when it was 37.0%. Of those still implementing remote work, 56.9% were large enterprises, while 24.4% were small and medium-sized companies. Overall, 27.2% of companies said that while they had implemented working from home, they had now stopped; a significant increase from 20.7% at the time of the October 2021 survey
4th Jul 2022 - Nippon.com
A 39-year-old remote worker says the flexibility to live his life is worth being 'underpaid' at his job
Remote-work flexibility has become an important factor for people pondering their next career moves. Over 4 million Americans a month have quit for 11 consecutive months in the Great Resignation — or Great Reshuffle — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition to better work and higher pay, people also don't want to go into the office. In fact, 64% of respondents in a recent global ADP survey of 32,000 people said they had or would consider looking for a new job if their employer wanted them to return to the office full time.
4th Jul 2022 - Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe ‘great resignation’ is pushing companies to offer these remote-work jobs in South Africa
International companies are increasingly outsourcing their skills as working remotely becomes the new norm around the world. In the US, a shortage of applicants to tech companies has led to economic hubs such as Silicon Valley trying something new and offshoring jobs to other countries reports BusinessInsider. As globalisation continues to increase, the ‘great resignation’ is spurring tech companies to move jobs to developing economies.
3rd Jul 2022 - BusinessTech
The return-to-work wars shows the gap between employers and workers
More than two years into the pandemic, organizations are grappling with whether to reopen workplaces. A new Microsoft report says that about half of the leaders it surveyed are looking to end remote work in the next year. Insider spoke with 10 industry leaders who shared why they are embracing remote and hybrid work for the foreseeable future.
3rd Jul 2022 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe six big things we've learned about hybrid work so far
As many countries have eased pandemic-era restrictions, enabling employees to resume in-person work, the choice for many companies has been a hybrid set-up: a combination of in-office and remote days. Although it’s true a small number of companies have pivoted to entirely distributed models, an overwhelming number of bosses have called for their employees to start spending at least some time back at their desks. As a result, we’re starting to learn what hybrid work actually means – at least to some extent. We’re past the point at which hybrid work was a fuzzy concept, and now have both research and worker experiences to understand more about what it means for people to work in hybrid environments, as well as what works and doesn’t.
30th Jun 2022 - BBC News
Return-to-the-office mandates are creating inequities for some workers
Employers across the United States are mandating employees return to the workplace after more than two years of letting them work from home during the pandemic. Some workers say return-to-work mandates may not only cause stress but potentially harm them. Some say remote work has allowed them to thrive, be efficient and have access to more job opportunities. But office mandates have reintroduced old problems to the future of work, exacerbating inequities related to health conditions, disabilities and discrimination, they say. And some companies have rolled out what workers say are inconsistent and inefficient policies.
30th Jun 2022 - The Washington Post
With Digital Nomad Visa Programs Everywhere, Remote Working Is the New WFH Trend
In the new world of work, there’s a new type of employee: The business-leisure traveler. It’s the latest attempt to find a happy medium between working arrangements like Airbnb Inc.’s — where staff can work anywhere, anytime — and those at companies like Tesla Inc., whose chief executive officer Elon Musk tweeted that unless employees turn up in the office, “we will assume you have resigned.”
30th Jun 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullAs the return-to-the-office debate rages in the U.S. and Europe, the matter is already settled in Asia
Many employers in the U.S. and Europe are desperate for employees to return to the office to boost productivity and collaboration, but many of the bribes and threats they’ve introduced so far have failed. Employees who’ve spent the better part of two years logging on from home are reluctant to forfeit the flexibility, comfort, and convenience of remote work. But in other pockets of the world, employers won that tug of war without breaking a sweat. After spurts of working from home, white-collar employees in the finance hubs of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo mostly are back at their desks.
29th Jun 2022 - Fortune
Employers need to embrace new tech for new ways of working
A new study about employee morale and motivation post-pandemic found that while 97% of business leaders think hybrid work environments will not damage corporate culture long-term, there are negative consequences to having so many people working remotely. Genpact’s Tech for Progress 360: Engage employees, strengthen company culture study found that 76% of respondents from organizations who adopted new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics during the pandemic strongly agreed that their company can maintain its culture in a hybrid working environment.
29th Jun 2022 - TechRepublic
87% Of Workers Spend An Average Of Three Days Working Remotely
A new survey from McKinsey shows that 58% of US workers currently can work wherever they want at least once a week. The report suggests what experts have been predicting for years: flexibility is the future of work. For 35% of respondents, this means being able to work remotely up to five days a week as companies accept the role that workplace agility can play in productivity, recruitment, and retention.
29th Jun 2022 - Allwork.Space
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullEmployers could be sued if they cut remote and hybrid workers salaries, lawyers say
Employers giving pay cuts to remote and hybrid workers could face discrimination lawsuits, employment lawyers have said. Companies that pay higher salaries to workers who come into the office risk being subject to sexual discrimination lawsuits, due to the fact women are more likely to work from home than men, lawyers told City A.M.
28th Jun 2022 - MSN.com
How To Ensure Every Generation Has A Great Remote Work Experience
To successfully lead the workforce through the transition into permanent remote or hybrid work, leaders must consider different perspectives, needs and preferences, taking care to provide the tools and support everyone requires to have a great remote work experience.
28th Jun 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullIf employees want to work from home, managers should let them or risk losing top money-making talent
As the stock market contracts and the tech industry likely faces a downturn and belt-tightening, there’s some predictable chatter that employees working from home or hybrid may suffer. But any leader who penalizes or rolls back flexible work policies at this moment is making a massive mistake. In uncertain times, you need to keep top talent — nowadays that means providing flexibility not only in where people work, but when.
27th Jun 2022 - MarketWatch
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullYelp closes three US offices, says remote work is its future
Yelp is closing three of its U.S. offices after finding most of its employees prefer to work remotely. In a blog post Thursday, Yelp Co-Founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman said the company will close its offices in New York, Washington and Chicago on July 29. The online review and reservation company also plans to downsize its office in Phoenix. The offices the company is closing were its most “consistently underutilized," with only about 2% of workspaces in use each week, Stoppelman said.
26th Jun 2022 - SFGate
Home working could make up to a fifth of London office space redundant
As much as a fifth of office space in London and south-east England may not be required in the post-pandemic world of work as employees spend less time at their desks, according to a property survey. The new workplace flexibility being offered to staff by their employers could leave office blocks empty across Britain’s towns and cities, the real estate consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) found in its latest office market report, as companies cut back on the amount of space they rent.
26th Jun 2022 - The Guardian
Is working from home a legal right? Two Dutch lawmakers say it should be
The ability to work from home after the pandemic has become a hotly debated topic in the U.S., with many office workers clamoring to hold on to their newfound flexibility and some CEOs remaining staunchly in favor of a return to offices. But other countries are taking steps to enshrine working from home as a permanent legal right. Two lawmakers in the Netherlands are planning to submit a proposal to the Dutch Parliament to begin treating remote work as a legal right for citizens, before legislators leave for summer recess on July 3, Bloomberg reported.
26th Jun 2022 - Fortune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullHalf of employees now work from home full or part-time, research finds
More than half of employees in Scotland are now working from home either all or part of the time, research has found. A new report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found 15% of employees in Scotland are now fully working from home, while 39% work in a hybrid pattern.
23rd Jun 2022 - The Independent
How a Recession Could Weaken the Work-From-Home Revolution
Clearly, the pandemic and the brisk economic recovery helped remote work in several ways. The coronavirus closed offices, and the ensuing tight labor market gave workers power to quit jobs, fight for more money, and reject the purgatorial tradition of a daily commute. But just as the Uber-for-Everything revolution relied on a specific set of economic conditions that shifted very quickly, remote work might be sensitive to brisk economic changes.
23rd Jun 2022 - The Atlantic
Is remote work effective: We finally have the data
When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered workplaces nationwide, society was plunged into an unplanned experiment in work from home. Nearly two-and-a-half years on, organizations worldwide have created new working norms that acknowledge that flexible work is no longer a temporary pandemic response but an enduring feature of the modern working world. The third edition of McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey provides us with data on how flexible work fits into the lives of a representative cross section of workers in the United States.
23rd Jun 2022 - McKinsey
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullGen Z has soured on remote work after years of Zoom school
For the youngest employees, working from home isn't everything. Less than a quarter (23%) of Gen Zers feel remote work is “very” or “extremely” important to them, per the National Society of High School Scholars’ 2022 Career Interest Survey. The report, which polled nearly 11,500 high school and college-aged individuals, says that remote schooling during the pandemic may have turned swaths of Gen Z off from remote working. So, too, might starting a new job over Zoom.
22nd Jun 2022 - Fortune
The Future Of Work: How Much Flexibility Is Good For Employees?
What is the future of work? The jury’s still out, but one thing is clear – flexible working is part of it. The question is, what will that flexibility actually look like? Could a four-day week be the answer? Seventy firms and 3,300 employees in the UK are about to find out as they embark on the world’s biggest trial of this new working pattern. Or is Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky closer to the mark with his prediction that we’ll all be living and working from anywhere ten years from now? Alternatively, perhaps asynchronous working – as advocated by remote-first organizations like GitLab – is the way forward, where employees will have free rein over their location and hours.
22nd Jun 2022 - Forbes
80% Of UK Workers Note Depleted Mental Health Due To Remote Work
Much has been written about the perks of working remotely. Employees gain more flexibility, freedom in their environment, while employers can cut down on their overhead costs. However, for some professionals, the negatives of this work model have outpaced the positives. For Cat, a remote worker based in London, working from home seemed like a reasonable arrangement due to the pandemic. But as time went on, the isolation began to take its toll.
22nd Jun 2022 - Allwork.Space
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote working is here to stay: what businesses must now consider
Businesses quickly implemented remote work policies to regulate employees’ productivity and adherence to their terms of employment. More than two years down the line, with the national state of disaster now over and Covid reaching endemic status, how do businesses and employees navigate the changed world of work? Dr Richard Malkin, chief executive officer of Workforce Healthcare, says: “Remote work is definitely here to stay. Employers are still encouraged to have staff on rotation and working remotely to reduce numbers in offices and minimise risk.
21st Jun 2022 - BizCommunity
GitLab CEO: ‘Remote work is just work’
Spring 2022 was slated to be a big season for workplaces. After two years of false starts, it seemed as though companies across every industry had set their sights on this season as the time to return to the office. Or, as some are calling it, the return to work. But from where I’m standing, I don’t think there ever was a time when we stopped working. Employees haven’t just been biding time and treading water since they were sent home in early 2020—they’ve been working harder than ever
21st Jun 2022 - Fortune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullPeople working from home feel less sense of belonging to work culture
Almost half of workers feel working from home has diminished their feeling of ‘belonging’ to an organisation, according to the Employee Job Satisfaction Report [registration] from recruitment firm Morgan Phillips. According to the poll, UK workers feel they are treated well by their employer (58 percent quite well and 27 percent very well), but half are still considering changing their jobs, with 17 percent looking for a change in 2022.
20th Jun 2022 - Workplace Insight
The new workplace: what young starters need to know
Leaving education and joining the world of work is a “jolt” for graduates. “They don’t know what employment is about,” says Chris Hirst, chief executive of the advertising agency Havas Creative. The challenge, he says — both for employers and the new employees themselves — is how quickly graduates can become “really useful” without the same level of “nurturing and structured learning” they received at university. Graduates whose university education was disrupted by the pandemic, and whose only work experience might have been a remote “placement”, are about to enter workplaces that are grappling with hybrid work, as well as squeezed training budgets. The benefits of online learning for graduates are that they can learn at their own pace and replay lessons. Now, employers are exploring how to bring their latest recruits up to speed with new working patterns and organisational culture, as well as developing their soft skills
20th Jun 2022 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullIs remote work worse for wellbeing than people think?
Remote work has been heralded as a solution to some of the problems of our fast-paced, pre-pandemic lifestyles. For many, it’s meant the opportunity to spend more time with their children, or use time that they would have previously wasted commuting pursuing more fulfilling hobbies. But new research into remote work and wellbeing has shown mixed results – in Microsoft’s 2022 New Future of Work Report, researchers found that although remote work can improve job satisfaction, it can also lead to employees feeling “socially isolated, guilty and trying to overcompensate”.
19th Jun 2022 - BBC News
Keeping Remote Work In Perspective
As workers, employers, and analysts try to understand the pandemic-induced increase in working from home, there’s a vigorous debate on remote work with economists like Adam Ozimek, Matthew Kahn, and Nicholas Bloom arguing the data show a major change. Although we don’t know the long term implications of these trends, some popular commentators may be going too far, too fast.
19th Jun 2022 - Forbes
How Work-From-Home Setups Have Changed
“Investing in a future that’s uncertain is tough,” said Dr. Emily Anhalt, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of the mental health start-up Coa. “If you want to go back to the office, and you don’t want to stay home, there’s less of a chance you’ll drop money on a fancy background.” Even Dr. Anhalt said she was hesitant to give up on the notion that any day or month she might be returning to her prepandemic routine: “I didn’t really take the time to grieve the life I was living before,” she said. “Getting to see my patients in person, getting to see their body language.”
19th Jun 2022 - The New York Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in full24 essentials to help you work remotely outside
Taking your work outdoors offers numerous benefits — recent research from the scientific journal Frontiers in Psychology found the change of scenery enhanced test subjects’ cognition, mood and creativity. Sitting outside also provided respondents with a greater sense of freedom and autonomy, which ultimately helped boost work productivity and enjoyment. While working outside comes with its own set of challenges — you’ll need to be prepared for inclement weather and low device battery, for example — you can easily set up a practical workstation that makes you look forward to tearing through your to-do list. Whether you’re working in your backyard, in your favorite café’s patio or at the park, here are 24 essentials to help you work outdoors.
16th Jun 2022 - CNN
65% of remote working UK staff are less likely to take sick leave
New research has revealed that two-thirds (65%) of UK employees said they are less likely to take sick leave when working remotely. HR software provider Breathe conducted a survey across 1,264 UK small to medium sized enterprise (SME) employees, looking into the current state of wellbeing among them and asking a range of questions covering sick leave, mental health and remote working. The data revealed that among those who felt unwell but did not take sick leave, 32% could not financially afford to take time off work, 25% were too busy to take time off and 20% felt pressured to work through it.
16th Jun 2022 - Employee Benefits
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullHybrid working did not reduce economic divides, research finds
Remote working has not led to a reduction in the UK’s geographical economic divides, a report by the Resolution Foundation has found. The think tank’s Right Where You Left Me? report found that while the regional employment gap has reduced, the wholesale move to remote working caused by the pandemic has not helped to level out regional inequality. It said London was the “epicentre of the big shift towards remote working”, with prosperous areas including Richmond-upon-Thames and Bromley, as well as further afield in Rochford, Essex, among those that saw a net increase in workers – gaining more resident remote workers than they lost office workers.
15th Jun 2022 - People Management
These are Gen Z’s top work priorities—and remote isn’t one of them
In the past few years, workplaces have changed significantly due to the Covid pandemic. Employees had an increased need for different perks and support like hybrid and remote work, child care, and expanded health benefits. Though many of these remain a priority, for Gen Z, expectations for the workplace have changed significantly, according to a survey from the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS).
15th Jun 2022 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullA huge number of employees are rebelling against in-office mandates. The battle is just beginning
Only 49% of employees expected by their employer to return to the office are actually going in five days a week, according to a study from WFH Research, first reported by Quartz at Work. And around 40% of workers still working remotely at least one day per week said they'd quit or look for another job if their employer mandated a full-office return. The findings are the latest from Jose Maria Barrero, Nicholas Bloom, and Steven J. Davis, who have been surveying 2,500 to 5,000 working Americans on work-from-home attitudes every month since 2020. May’s data revealed that forcing employees to come into headquarters isn’t always effective. Remote work still has traction, even among workers that have received ultimatums.
14th Jun 2022 - Fortune
More Malaysians want flexible job arrangements, fewer working remotely
The number of Malaysians working remotely has dropped by 18% to 51% compared to last year, but more than half of them want employers to offer flexible work arrangements, a survey found. In its 2022 employer brand research survey in Malaysia, human resources solutions agency Randstad said nine out of 10 respondents “took matters into their own hands” to improve their work-life balance. Some 44% of them were working flexible time slots while 33% worked remotely more frequently. Meanwhile, 23% said they worked overtime less to ensure better work-life balance.
14th Jun 2022 - Free Malaysia Today
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullStates Experiment with Hybrid or Remote Models for Employees
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, social distancing quickly became necessary, and anyone who could work remotely did. Both the private and public sectors discovered the need for remote work infrastructure — edge computing, private and public clouds for data storage, extended broadband to support network connectivity, and a host of collaboration platforms. Now, as both sectors reopen, many government employees are being asked to return to offices.
13th Jun 2022 - StateTech Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullCity of London Offices Still Not as Busy as Before Omicron
City of London workers are yet to return to the financial heartland in numbers seen before the spread of the omicron variant. About 60% to 70% of City employees are back at their desks, according to data compiled by Google, which tracks the movements of some of its users. That’s less than the 75% commuting prior to the omicron wave taking hold in late 2021. Businesses pushing for a return to the office continue to meet resistance from employees enjoying a better work-life balance as a result of not having to travel in every day. Almost 80% of London-based staff working remotely at least once a week say the experience has been good for them, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Policy Institute at King’s College London.
12th Jun 2022 - Bloomberg
Why employees don't want to return to the office
The reasons the return to the office isn’t working out are numerous. Bosses and employees have different understandings of what the office is for, and after more than two years of working remotely, everyone has developed their own varied expectations about how best to spend their time. As more and more knowledge workers return to the office, their experience at work — their ability to focus, their stress levels, their level of satisfaction at work — has deteriorated. That’s a liability for their employers, as the rates of job openings and quits are near record highs for professional and business services, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
12th Jun 2022 - Vox.com
Third of UK workers experience tech issues working remotely
New research has revealed that a third of UK office workers experience problems with their workplace technology which, on average, can take over three days to be replaced. What does this mean for already struggling IT departments when 8 in 10 people in the UK agree that flexible working is here to stay? Simply put, this means that IT departments need to get smart about how they support their workforce
12th Jun 2022 - Business Matters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullThink Working From Home Won’t Hurt Your Career? Don’t Be So Sure
Office hard-liners like Tesla CEO Elon Musk have made clear that “a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week” is the only way to thrive, or even survive, at his company. The leaders of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase also don’t hide their disdain for remote work. While telecommuting may be fine in certain roles, people in the upper ranks “cannot lead from behind a desk or in front of a screen,” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon wrote in his annual shareholder letter this spring. Yet other businesses are promising “hybrid equity,” insisting some employees can enjoy the conveniences of working from home without compromising their ambitions.
9th Jun 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Hybrid working post-COVID: how young professionals can optimise their time in the office (and why they should)
As we move on from pandemic restrictions, we’ve seen a strong, global demand for more flexible forms of working, particularly to retain an element of remote work. While some employees want to work from home permanently, most want what’s coming to be regarded as the best of both worlds: hybrid working. Only a minority of workers now want to return to the office full time. One group which may be particularly keen on hybrid working is young professionals. And for this group, time spent in the office could be especially valuable.
9th Jun 2022 - The Conversation
Asynchronous remote work: 5 tips for success
In 2022, we’re turning off Slack and Zoom and shifting to an asynchronous work model, in which people work when it best suits them and teams no longer need to be simultaneously present. Perched alongside hybrid work, asynchronous remote work leads to better resource management, reduces waste, and boosts employee satisfaction – all of which improve overall productivity and efficiency.
9th Jun 2022 - The Enterprisers Project
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullGovernment reveals free 'hot desks' for remote workers
The Irish Government has announced a series of new initiatives to support remote working including a voucher scheme that will give workers free access to local digital hubs. Under the plan, at least 10,000 hot desk facilities will be provided free of charge to existing hub users and those availing of the facilities for the first time.
8th Jun 2022 - RTE.ie
How Marginalized Workers Can Make the Most of Remote Work
The pandemic threw a wrench into office cultures around the world, and some companies have permanently given up their office space. Others have used this moment to drastically rethink remote and hybrid work possibilities. The bright spot of this tragedy may be that there is a little more empathy for the worker. Or at least a little more flexibility.
8th Jun 2022 - Wired
Time and money: why Londoners refuse to drop working from home
Londoners are working from home mainly to avoid the time and cost of travelling to the office, according to a study that shows most believe they are unlikely to return to five days in the office again.
8th Jun 2022 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote workers may soon be able to live and work tax-free in Bali, under a 5-year ‘digital nomad’ visa
As companies like Airbnb adopt a “work-from-anywhere” model, prospective “digital nomads” need to think about where they want to base themselves. Perhaps the sun-drenched vineyards of Tuscany? The gleaming skyscrapers of Dubai? Or how about the sandy tropical beaches of Bali? Remote workers hoping to log in from the seaside villas lining the coast of the Indonesian island may soon get their chance, as Indonesia's tourism minister Sandiaga Uno told Bloomberg on Monday the country is developing a new “digital nomad” visa to attract higher-spending visitors.
7th Jun 2022 - Fortune
Here’s where most Brits are working remotely, according to Airbnb
Lots of people are still working from home, while others have tested the limits of remote working. So-called ‘digital nomads’ have been more ambitious, taking their jobs to new places (sometimes even abroad) and working from exotic locales. A lot of those nomads are using Airbnb to work their way between remote working spots. In fact, so far this year one in five Airbnb users has said they’re using the site for remote working, while the platform has reported a third increase in long term bookings – indicating that travellers are more frequently fusing work and leisure.
7th Jun 2022 - Time Out
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote, hybrid work dividing Canadian employees as many required on-site
Remote work flourished during the pandemic as companies temporarily closed their offices, but it has created a schism among Canadian workers. While 40 per cent of work in Canada can be done remotely, experts say, that means 60 per cent of workers are unable to access this benefit because they are required to be on-site.
And that can create resentment and a backlash from workers viewed as essential, such as nurses, ambulance workers and retail employees, who were applauded during the pandemic but are unable to realize the benefits that come from working remotely, said change management expert Linda Duxbury
6th Jun 2022 - Global News
Flexible work won't solve employee isolation and loneliness
When work shifted to remote settings for many employers in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies assumed the situation would be temporary. However, as months stretched into years, much of the working population found that they enjoyed working remotely, at least part of the time. n a 2021 remote work survey, background check provider GoodHire found that 68% of employees preferred working from home, with nearly half declaring they’d either quit or search for new jobs offering remote work if their employers ordered them to return to the office. Many employees expressed they’d take a pay cut or forfeit benefits in exchange for remote work options.
6th Jun 2022 - Fast Company
Working remotely? How to talk to your boss if you're worried about being overlooked
As the return-to-office debate drags on, some executives are sending the message that long-term flexible work will come at a price, namely losing out on opportunities to get ahead. Leaders have the most power to stop proximity bias by being conscious of it and changing up processes, like by letting remote participants speak first during hybrid meetings. But some will still default to thinking in-person work gives the best results, so you’ll need to speak up about keeping your remote flexibility while also “showing up” in a way they’ll understand. Advocating for yourself as a remote worker can feel daunting, but it’s not too different from working in an office and being encouraged to socialize or “walk the floor,” says therapist, author and podcast host Esther Perel. You’ll just have to be more upfront about it and change up how you get face-time with your manager or their boss.
6th Jun 2022 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullNo more remote working? Then I quit, say 30% of employees
Almost one third of Irish workers would move jobs if their remote working requests were not facilitated, according to a government-backed survey. The research by NUI Galway and the Western Development Commission highlighted demand for remote working and indicated that employers’ flexibility in this area — or lack of it — was playing a role in people deciding to quit their jobs. Twenty-seven per cent of 8,400 respondents said they had changed employer since 2020 with 47 per cent of these indicating that remote working was a key factor in their decision as their new employer offered better opportunities in this area.
5th Jun 2022 - The Times
Out of office? How working from home has divided Britain
More than a third of the UK’s office-based workforce is still working from home to the anger of some bosses – and politicians. Is hybrid working the new normal, or can firms tempt employees back full-time?
5th Jun 2022 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullTwo rural towns are giving remote workers free housing for a month, in the hopes they’ll stay longer
Last month, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship launched a unique program called “The Wilds Are Working: A Remote Lifestyle Experience,” with the goal of luring remote workers to rural corners of the state. Bellefonte, a town of 6,276 about 10 miles north of Penn State, and Kane, a McKean County town of 3,500 on the edge of the Allegheny National Forest, were chosen as the pilots for the program. Rural “zoom towns” across the US have launched similar programs, some of them giving workers $10,000 to relocate there for one year.
31st May 2022 - The Seattle Times
Remote jobs: Why tech professionals are the only ones who can choose where to work
Digital nomads existed long before the pandemic. But new work modes became more common as the pandemic lingered, enabling many workers to embrace a new lifestyle. The advent of flexible work, which Ángel Sáenz de Cenzano, LinkedIn’s country manager for Spain and Portugal, believes will one day become widespread in every company that can operate remotely, opens up a world of possibilities for workforces. This is especially true for those with technology jobs, perhaps the only professionals these days who can choose where they want to work.
31st May 2022 - El País
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st May 2022
View this newsletter in fullOne third of workers willing to change job for remote work, survey finds
Researchers from the Whitaker Institute at NUI Galway and the Western Development Commission have revealed that almost one third of workers are willing to move to a new job to secure their remote working preferences. The findings are from the third annual National Remote Working Survey. The survey gathered responses from more than 8,400 employees, in late April and early May, on their current experience of remote working
30th May 2022 - BreakingNews.ie
Cisco highlights massive upside of working from home
Cisco has delivered the second major study in a week by a US gamechanger underlining the huge benefits of people being allowed to work from home. Employees say hybrid work makes them happier and more productive and calls for more to be done to make it more inclusive. In a nutshell, Cisco says that hybrid working has helped improve employee wellbeing, work-life balance and performance across the UK.
30th May 2022 - Business Weekly
Americans who work from home are getting more productive
People who work remotely are reporting being more productive than they were early on in the pandemic, according to data from Stanford University professor Nicholas Bloom. Bloom, who’s been studying remote work since before it was cool, has teamed up with other academics from the University of Chicago, ITAM, and MIT since May 2020, to conduct a huge ongoing survey about employees’ work arrangements and attitudes toward remote work. In April, people who worked remotely at least some of the time reported being about 9 percent more efficient working from home than they were working from the office. That’s up from 5 percent in the summer of 2020.
30th May 2022 - Vox.com
Online education and the mental health of faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan | Scientific Reports
While the negative impact of the pandemic on students’ mental health has been studied around the world, very little is known about the mental health of faculty and staff. This research aims to examine mental health among Japanese faculty members who taught online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recruited 537 university faculty members and assessed their mental health using the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), both retrospectively (during the academic year before the onset of the pandemic) and during the pandemic.
30th May 2022 - Nature.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow Airbnb settled on a permanent remote work strategy
Airbnb is among a group of companies that has eschewed the hybrid approach in favor of a permanent remote strategy. Here's how the company arrived at the decision and how it's affected recruitment.
26th May 2022 - The Business Journals
Workers in the office feel less connected compared to those working at home
CEOs hellbent on getting workers back in the office say that being physically together boosts connectivity. Turns out that’s not the case. Only one in six people feel strongly connected at work, with on-site employees the least connected of all, according to a study from consulting firm Accenture. Some 22 per cent of fully remote workers say they feel “not connected,” while the share for those in the office is nearly double.
26th May 2022 - Financial Post
How To Stay Connected To Your Team While Working Remotely
Clearly, remote work is here to stay. Not only does it give employers more hiring options, but it also benefits employees. Research from Owl Labs found that remote and hybrid employees were 22% happier than workers in an onsite office environment and stayed in their jobs longer. Also, remote workers had less stress, more focus and were more productive than when they were onsite. As it turns out, working remotely benefits employees both mentally and physically. However, remote work still has its challenges. It can be difficult to maintain consistent communication with your team, which can increase feelings of loneliness and isolation. Yet strong work relationships are essential to stay productive and boost morale.
26th May 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullEmployers more open to part-time working post-Covid-19, report finds
The furlough scheme brought in by the Government during the Covid-19 pandemic did not just save millions of people from unemployment and economic hardship, but may have had a lasting effect on the ways in which their employers allow them to work in the future, according to a new report out today (25 May). Introduced in March 2020, and further modified in July that year to allow for a part-time furlough option, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) enabled organisations to reclaim up to 80% of the wage costs of employees that could not work during the pandemic. Successful in avoiding mass redundancies during a time of crisis, new research from Cranfield School of Management and the CBI has found the scheme may also have ongoing benefits, by increasing employer openness to and knowledge of how to facilitate part-time working.
25th May 2022 - Cranfield University
Is the ‘remote work window’ about to close?
The newfound flexibility many workers experienced amid the pandemic has made an indelible mark. The ability to better balance work and life as well as ditch the commute has been a hugely positive side effect of a chaotic time – and now, millions of employees refuse to go back. Consequently, demand for jobs that offer at least some element of remote working has soared
25th May 2022 - BBC News
UK firms more open to flexible working, study finds
The majority of companies have become more flexible about employees working from home after the coronavirus pandemic reshaped the world of work. Employers in the UK are more open to facilitate part-time working and other forms of flexible working as viable options for their business, a study by Cranfield School of Management and CBI Economics found. Figures showed that the furlough scheme, which enabled firms to bring staff back to work on a part-time basis and furloughed the remainder of the time, has changed firms’ perceptions around working practices.
25th May 2022 - Yahoo Finance UK
UAE jobs: employees prefer hybrid and remote working models
Nearly 90 per cent of UAE employees want to work either in a hybrid or fully remote working model in the future, according to a survey by California-based technology company Cisco. Offering flexibility to employees is also key for companies to attract and retain talent in a post-Covid-19 working environment, with 61 per cent of UAE professionals saying they would be less likely to look for a new role if given the opportunity to work either remotely or in the office only one or two days a week, Cisco said
25th May 2022 - The National
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote working brings record number of women into labour force
The number of women participating in the labour force in Ireland has reached a record high due to a shift to remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the European Commission. The female participation rate jumped over the course of the pandemic to reach 72 per cent, according to Eurostat data, a sharp increase from the pre-pandemic level of about 67 per cent to bring Ireland well above the European Union average.
24th May 2022 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullMore than 80% who worked from home in the pandemic say they will do hybrid working in future
More than eight out of 10 people who had to work from home during the pandemic are planning to carry out hybrid working in future, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). And the proportion planning to work primarily from home rose from 30% in April 2021 to 42% in February 2022. It shows that many people are ignoring the government's calls to return to the office in favour of what can be a better work-life balance.
23rd May 2022 - Sky News
Working from home: Why woc don't want to return to the office
Many of us have embraced a new normal despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This new reality that has so far shaped our 2020s has seen us spend more time working from home and has shifted our definition of work – and for many women of colour, this idea of remote working has alleviated many of the stresses that come with working in an office where you are often a minority. A new study conducted by Harvard Business Review found many women of colour who work in the tech industry don’t want to return to the office, with 81% of women saying they experienced at least some racism. In comparison, 90% said the same for sexism.
23rd May 2022 - Stylist Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd May 2022
View this newsletter in fullFive telltale signs you need a ‘chief remote officer’
When Darren Murph created his “head of remote” role at the software maker Gitlab in 2019, he couldn’t have known how quickly the idea would catch on. Or why. By the end of the first year of the pandemic, with knowledge workers everywhere getting used to the idea of working from home at least part of the week, and possibly forever, companies like Meta and others began hiring people to fill positions similar to Murph’s. With more companies choosing to stick with hybrid and remote work after the pandemic, and more employees demanding it, is the “remote lead” here to stay?
21st May 2022 - Quartz at Work
Remote work: 5 tips to keep your teams healthy and successful
Respondents in a recent Harvey Nash Group Digital Leadership Report, agree that remote work has improved work-life balance and productivity, offering increased flexibility, less time commuting to and from work, and more time engaged in work. On the flip side, over half (54 percent) reported a decrease in the mental wellness of their tech teams. Even as COVID restrictions are increasingly relaxing, the tech industry still favors flexible work arrangements, both in location (59 percent) and hours (64 percent) according to a Gartner survey of digital workers. Therefore, both tech and human resource leaders must work together to build stronger connections and promote a healthier, happier workforce in this new normal.
21st May 2022 - The Enterprisers Project
How Will Remote Work Effect The Media Industry
Though statistically the pandemic is starting to recede, the work-from-home culture is statistically looking like it is going to stay. Known societally as The Great Resignation, how much will this cultural phenomenon affect the media industry and society at large. The rise in remote working is set to have an impact on numerous fields. Before the pandemic, the opportunity for remote work at high paying jobs was just over 3%. Today it’s at 15%. The pandemic acted as a seismic catalyst to workplace policy, with potential proof of concepts being found that people work longer and more efficiently remotely, with the next step potentially being to decrease the standard workweek to four days instead of five.
20th May 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullFlexible, remote working an opportunity to improve work-life balance: Survey
According to Deloitte’s 2022 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, these generations are deeply concerned about unemployment, education, and mental health issues. Additionally, good work/life balance, positive work culture, and access to learning opportunities are the top priorities for these generations when choosing a new workplace. The survey also indicates a growing demand for hybrid/remote work arrangements as it helps them save money and allows them to spend more time on a hobby and with their families.
19th May 2022 - The Financial Express
What In-Home Daycare Educators Know About Making Remote Work Better
Nichelle Wardell is a family childcare (FCC) educator, a licensed childcare provider who cares for children in her own home in Stamford, Connecticut. She opened her FCC business in 2020, joining thousands of providers across the country who have supported families throughout the pandemic. And these workers, who teach countless children colors, shapes, and letters, also have lessons for an older age group: remote and hybrid workers. For many remote workers, especially those at the beginning of their careers, one of the greatest challenges of not being in an office has been finding opportunities to learn from older mentors.
19th May 2022 - TIME
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow to realise the potential of a hybrid work model
The pandemic has irrevocably changed office culture, rapidly evolving a trend for remote working into a core part of the mainstream employee experience. While remote working is here to stay, the consensus from employees themselves is that a return to some regular office-based interaction is important. In fact, Barco hybrid meeting research shows that eight out of ten office workers are in favour of a hybrid work model, with most, on average, willing to work from home just one and a half days per week. Understanding this, most businesses have already started to implement various kinds of long-term hybrid systems, which can offer a mix of office-based and remote working.
18th May 2022 - The Independent
Apple lets employees work remotely as Covid-19 again surges in US
Apple has once again delayed its full return-to-office policy while maintaining two days a week at the workplace for the time being amid the fresh surge in Covid infections in the US. According to The Verge, the tech giant has told workers in an internal memo that "we are extending the phase-in period of the pilot and maintaining two days a week in the office for the time being". Those who are in the current two-day-per-week pilot will have the option to once again work remotely if they feel uncomfortable coming to work. Apple has also asked its employees to wear masks at work.
18th May 2022 - Business Standard
Success of pandemic remote working should count if staff wish to operate from home, TD says
Successful periods of working from homes by employees during the pandemic should be taken into account when staff request the right to operate remotely in future, an Oireachtas committee has heard. Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly said it “makes a bit of a mockery of two years of successful working from home” if people cannot rely on the fact when they seek to continue to do so or to move to a hybrid working arrangement. Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar published a draft version of the Right to Request Remote Work Bill 2022 in January.
18th May 2022 - The Irish Times
How to take ownership of your professional development working remotely
Remote working can mean less face time with your colleagues, so it’s important to be proactive about your own professional goals. Torunn Dahl, head of talent, learning and inclusion at Deloitte, said that there is “a stronger onus on the individual to prioritise time for developmental conversations” in the world of remote work. “These are less likely to happen across the desk or walking between meetings, so they have to be scheduled and time needs to be dedicated to it.” Dahl added that while being remote “doesn’t necessarily change the approach to development”, it will still require “a blend of formal learning programmes, feedback from leaders and clients and learning on the job”.
18th May 2022 - Siliconrepublic.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow to make remote work eco-friendly
As the shift to hybrid working begins amid a climate emergency, 2021’s Working From Home: The Sustainability Question report on building a more sustainable future of work is more relevant than ever. While the report provides an actionable roadmap for responsible employers, we delve into how HR can lead the way on greener remote work strategies.
17th May 2022 - HR Magazine
Five Remote Work Tips For Digital Nomads
Now that remote employees and digital nomads have proven their value—and that we can handle it all from afar—flexibility is no longer a perk. It's an expectation for many. Remote work shouldn't be a luxury or a perk for organizations—it should be a basic, obvious benefit. And it is for those who evolved over the last two years and are now more in tune than ever to both shifting employee and consumer habits.
17th May 2022 - Forbes
Lesson from JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs: Take a Hard Line on Return-to-Office at Your Own Risk
Amid this global experiment in the future of work, the strenuous efforts of JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs to get employees back in the office are two case studies worthy of close real-time examination. The details of what happened at both banks differ slightly, but the big-picture takeaway is the same. Take a hard line on return-to-office schedules at your own risk.
17th May 2022 - TIME
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullLet them eat cheese… working from home is here to stay
The post-pandemic office is entirely different from how it was before. Teleconferencing and technology have collided with cultural shifts, and people want to better integrate their work self with the rest of their life. There is evidence that new working patterns which give workers agency, flexibility and a mix of in-office social time with self-managed, less monitored work is productive. Professor Nicholas Bloom of Stanford showed in a study of 16,000 workers that productivity can rise by as much as 13% on this basis. Data from Ipsos consistently shows that across all demographics flexibility to work differently is desirable, with 65% saying they are more productive when they work flexibly.
16th May 2022 - The Guardian
Why do employers still not trust people to work from home?
The pandemic has proved not only can people work from home, but they can do so effectively. So why is the topic of trusting employees to do a good job while WFH still dominating conversation? Dr John Blakey, founder of The Trusted Executive Foundation – which helps CEOs create a new standard of leadership defined by trustworthiness – says it’s all down to old-fashioned ways of working, and leaders unable to let go.
16th May 2022 - Metro.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullBeijing extends work-from-home guidance in several city districts
Beijing on Sunday extended guidance to work from home in four districts of the Chinese capital, including the largest, Chaoyang, as the city tries to stop a COVID-19 outbreak. Beijing found 55 new cases in the 24 hours to 3 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Sunday, 10 of which were outside areas that under quarantine, officials said. The city is scrambling to stamp out such community infections.
15th May 2022 - Reuters
Remote work: Challenges balancing surveillance and privacy
Remote work has become more widespread in many of Canada’s industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, and lawmakers are starting to take this labour landscape into account, seeking new ways to balance productivity and privacy. Last month, Ontario became the first province to pass a new transparency law requiring companies to establish policies to tell their employees if and how they are being electronically monitored while at work, whether in a physical office, in the field or at home.
15th May 2022 - CTV News
UK ahead of European peers on shift to working from home
The UK’s shift to homeworking has made it an outlier among most other advanced economies, according to an FT analysis, as the size of its professional services sector and more flexible labour market are expected to prevent a return to pre-pandemic levels of office occupancy. Months after the last Covid restrictions were lifted, the latest available data show that commuter numbers are still almost a quarter down on levels seen in February 2020, before coronavirus took hold in the UK.
15th May 2022 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullVenice woos foreign remote workers in pivot away from tourism
Pérez González is one of 16 Spanish, French and Greek employees of the IT company Cisco who have relocated to Venice in a pilot project run by the US company and Ca’ Foscari. Every day he picks a place to work from four locations offered by Cisco, including a 15th-century palazzo, meaning his commute is a short walk through Venetian architecture and canals. Gianmatteo Manghi, chief executive of Cisco Italy, said: “Covid made us realise we could work remotely and increase productivity and we imagine companies will start to attract staff by offering them a month a year in a beautiful city.”
12th May 2022 - The Times
Bored Of Your WFH Space? Here’s How To Give It A Proper Refresh
Working remotely comes with a load of pros (no long dreary commute being a major one), but if your work setup at home isn’t right, it can have a serious impact on your mood and productivity, not to mention job satisfaction. Perhaps your home office felt like a dream at first, but is now as messy and uninspiring as the actual office. Whether it’s overly cramped thanks to a lack of storage, bland and boring because you’ve run out of steam, or causing you actual physical pain, it’s time to make some changes. The good news is that some simple buys, from a healthy houseplant to the right desk chair, can make all the difference – and needn’t cost a lot either.
12th May 2022 - HuffPost UK
HR expert calls on bosses to address 'silent bullying culture' in remote working
Nicky Jolley, founder and managing director of HR2day in Darlington is calling for employers in the North East to ensure that remote working isn’t causing a ‘silent bullying culture’ in their business. Research conducted by The Law Society for Mental Health Awareness Week found that since remote working became more prolific during 2020, incidences of bullying, harassment and dysfunctional relationships were going unnoticed by bosses. Newer employees were less likely to feel comfortable reporting remote bullying and harassment, because they did not feel they knew their managers well enough, having not established themselves face-to-face.
12th May 2022 - Business Up North
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullApple employees reject return to on site work in open letter
A group of Apple employees collectively calling themselves “Apple Together” has released an open letter to executives criticizing the company’s Hybrid Work Pilot program for what they perceive as its inflexibility. Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a memo in March requiring all employees to work on-site two days a week from May 2 and three days a week by May 23. In the letter, the employees explained that their “vision of the future of work is growing further and further apart from that of Apple’s executive team.”
11th May 2022 - IT World Canada
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullTech Industry Warns That More Remote-Work Jobs Are Headed Out of U.S.
Tech-industry representatives are coming to Capitol Hill this week to warn that the remote-work trend will lead to more offshoring of software developer and other technology jobs unless the U.S. admits more high-skilled immigrants. Remote jobs in tech jumped by more than 420% between January 2020 and last month, growth that was intensified by the pandemic, according to a jobs data review by Tecna, a trade group for regional tech councils. In February, more than 22% of all tech jobs were listed as remote, compared with 4.4% in January 2020.
10th May 2022 - Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Doesn’t Negatively Affect Productivity
A research team from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health found that employee and company resiliency may be enhanced through the opportunity for employees to work remotely during natural disasters and other events that cause workplace displacement.
9th May 2022 - Lab Manager
Many Germans still work from home despite end of COVID requirement - Ifo
The proportion of German people working from home fell only slightly in April, according to a survey published on Monday, despite the country lifting remote-working requirements brought into force to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ifo economic institute said its survey of 9,000 companies showed 24.9% of German employees worked from home at least part of the time in April, compared with 27.6% the previous month. “This means the number of people working from home remains at a high level following the abolition of the remote-working obligation on March 20,” said Jean-Victor Alipour, an Ifo expert on working from home.
9th May 2022 - Reuters
Remote working causing six-out-of-ten parents to suffer burnout | theHRD
Research reveals that 59 per cent of working parents have experienced burnout in 2022, increasing their stress levels and frustration at work. The survey of more than 2,000 UK SME employees highlighted how working parents are pulling off the ultimate balancing act. Excluding partner support, nearly half (47 per cent) of surveyed working parents said they never had childcare support at home, while 45 per cent had help occasionally, and only seven per cent said they always had help available.
9th May 2022 - The HR Director Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullAirbnb CEO: The office is 'anachronistic' and 'from a pre-digital age'
For Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, working at the office is now a relic of the past. In an interview for Time's The Leadership Brief, Chesky said he believes the office is "an anachronistic form" that's "from a pre-digital age." His comments come after Airbnb announced earlier this week that it will let employees work remotely forever with no pay cut, citing the ability to widen its talent pool and noting the company had its most productive two-year period ever while working remotely.
8th May 2022 - Business Insider
Remote Work Doesn't Negatively Affect Productivity, Study Suggests
A research team from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health found that employee and company resiliency may be enhanced through the opportunity for employees to work remotely during natural disasters and other events that cause workplace displacement. This study, which was published in IOS Press in February, offers important insights into information workers who have become increasingly used to and interested in working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
8th May 2022 - Texas A&M Today
How to Instill a Culture of Learning Into Your Hybrid Workplace
A world of uncertainty and continuous disruption requires agility from individuals and organizations. To stay agile and innovative, you must take this opportunity to root your culture in learning. This article outlines three ways to instill a culture of learning into your hybrid workplace to ensure that every employee in your organization has the tools and skills they need to take on future challenges.
8th May 2022 - ATD
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullLaw firm says employees can work from home full-time – but only if they take a 20% pay cut
A U.K. law firm has decided to offer its employees the option of working from home full-time, but on the condition that they take a 20% pay cut. The London-headquartered law firm Stephenson Harwood has also offered its employees the option of a hybrid model, working up to two days remotely for the same salary. A spokesperson for Stephenson Harwood said this was “consistent with the approach taken by many City law firms.”
5th May 2022 - CNBC
Remote Work 2 Years Later: What We've Learned
The 2022 Microsoft Work Trend Index reported that 50% of mid-level managers said their companies are making plans to return to in-person work five days a week in the year ahead, but 52% of employees are considering going hybrid or remote. Tech companies have delayed return-to-office dates many times over, but more solid plans are being enacted this spring. All eyes are on the big four—Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta (Facebook)—as smaller companies look to take cues from their moves.
5th May 2022 - PC Mag
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Future of Work Isn't Fancy Tech. It's Remote Work and Smarter Management
The days of every employee working full time in a shared office are gone, and workers know it. Eighty percent of workers in a survey from Citrix and OnePoll said it was important they be able to do their jobs from anywhere. Hybrid work also benefits companies, leading to a 35 percent reduction in quit rates with zero impact on performance or promotions. Remote work has become such a mainstay that recruiters now see any "We're coming back to the office!" announcement as an invitation to poach that company's engineers. This shift to remote and hybrid work represents an opportunity for business leaders to learn how to effectively manage a distributed workforce, and it's not through more awful Zoom calls or sneaking tattleware onto employee laptops.
4th May 2022 - Inc.
74% of employees would join a company only if they can work remotely or hybrid: Mercer's 2022 study
Upskilling and reskilling of the workforce are the two biggest priorities for India Inc's chief executives this year, reveals Mercer's 2022 Global Talent trends study. Talent acquisition, employee engagement, sickness and productivity are other key concerns while employees are looking for a flexible work environment as at least 74% of those surveyed said they will join an organisation only if they can work remotely or in a hybrid engagement. More than half of HR leaders cite flexibility as a key lever for sourcing, attracting and retaining a diverse talent pool and a similar majority believe that they can build cultures and practices that are adaptive by design to cater to a flexible model.
4th May 2022 - Times of India
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Changing Campus Workplace: What Deans and Department Chairs Need to Know
The workplace is changing, in higher ed and beyond. As more employees demand greater flexibility and seek remote-work options, how will colleges adapt? Our virtual forum, “The Campus Workplace: What Deans and Department Chairs Need to Know,” offers advice for managing from the middle, balancing institutional policies with staff and faculty requests.
3rd May 2022 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
How We Renovated Our House So It Was Perfect for Working From Home
Reimagining and renovating a home to be more suited to remote work requires an unflinching inventory of your work-from-home pain points and a clear sense of the different types of work you and your family members need to do from home. And you must be prepared to reshape your home during the process—not just make easy fixes like putting a desk in a spare room.
3rd May 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd May 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Future of Work Is Flexible. Will Higher Ed Stay Stuck in the Past?
We are in a transformational moment in higher education. Business as usual wasn’t working well for a lot of faculty and staff in 2012, and it’s less likely to work in 2022. Institutions positioned for success in the next decade will seize this opportunity by prioritizing new approaches to working conditions and building better workplace cultures. “Intermittent flexibility” isn’t going to cut it.
2nd May 2022 - EdSurge
Staff at London law firm can work from home full-time – if they take 20% pay cut
Staff at a top London law firm have been told they can work from home permanently – but they will have to take a 20% pay cut. Managing partners at Stephenson Harwood are offering lawyers and other staff the option as City firms try to move beyond solely office-based working in a post-pandemic cultural shift to flexible and remote models. Junior lawyers at the company have starting salaries of £90,000, meaning anyone taking up the officer would lose about £18,000.
2nd May 2022 - The Guardian
Airbnb to let staff work from home indefinitely
Airbnb is to let its employees work from anywhere for as long as they like, the accommodation platform has said. Its staff will be able to work from home or the office and move anywhere in the country they live without their pay being affected, the company said. The move is in contrast to the likes of Google in the US, where staff who work from home may see their pay cut. Other tech firms who have flexible working policies include Cisco and Microsoft.
2nd May 2022 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in full43% of workers likely to quit jobs for better pay, career opportunities and flexibility
A new global survey has shown that 43% of workers are likely to quit their jobs in the next 12 months for higher pay, better career opportunities and more flexibility. According to the EY 2022 Work Reimagined Survey, 80% of employees want to work remotely at least two days a week while 22% of employers want workers to come back to the office five days a week. Amid soaring inflation, the study shows that the main motivation for employees seeking new jobs is a desire for higher pay.
28th Apr 2022 - RTE.ie
Working from home could have a dystopian future if staff aren't valued
Twitter, Spotify, Reddit, Square and Slack have all announced that they will allow employees to work from home permanently. But for all their talk of boosting productivity and creating a better work-life balance, the move to hybrid work can come with a cost – literally. Facebook and Twitter will pay less for certain work-at-home staff, and Google could slash their salaries by up to 25 per cent. Along with such pay cuts comes a new generation of home surveillance software, which tracks employees’ online activities, while sometimes using live video feeds to measure how long they sit at their desks. And you can forget about organising a union in a virtual workplace where every private message you send can be read by your boss. So far, these companies haven’t received much pushback, because most employees think of remote working as a perk.
28th Apr 2022 - New Scientist
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow the best companies to work for are thriving despite the Great Resignation
Caring about employees as people and being flexible to their needs has been key for companies on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list as they adapt to a new work culture thanks to the pandemic. Leaders from four of the companies who made this year’s list were joined by Michael Bush, chief executive officer at the Great Place to Work Institute, and Fortune CEO Alan Murray for a call to discuss best practices that helped them retain employees through the Great Resignation and other challenges.
27th Apr 2022 - Fortune
'Bossware is coming for almost every worker': the software you might not realize is watching you
A survey last September of 1,250 US employers found 60% with remote employees are using work monitoring software of some type, most commonly to track web browsing and application use. And almost nine out of 10 of the companies said they had terminated workers after implementing monitoring software. The number and array of tools now on offer to continuously monitor employees’ digital activity and provide feedback to managers is remarkable.
27th Apr 2022 - The Guardian
Employers can make remote working a success by listening to research
Early in 2020, workers around the world were plunged into a new reality of remote working. In doing so, they also participated in a series of unexpected global experiments: social scientists have spent much of the past two years analysing what happens when face-to-face exchanges are replaced by online meetings. And their results are starting to come in. The pandemic has taught the world about hybrid working. Now, there’s growing evidence for employers to use when deciding about the future work environment.
27th Apr 2022 - Nature.com
Brainstorming on Zoom Hampers Creativity
For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant no more commutes, no more showering, no more putting on pants—just virtual meeting after virtual meeting. Some research shows this adjustment might not impact workplace productivity to any great degree. A new study, though, suggests otherwise. The research, published today in Nature, found that video calls, as opposed to in-person meetings, reduce creative collaboration and the generation of novel ideas. The results indicate that while the mental cogs keep running more or less smoothly when working remotely, group innovation might be hindered.
27th Apr 2022 - Scientific American
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullNew college course to support bosses managing a remote workforce due to pandemic
A new course will support company owners managing a remote or ‘hybrid’ workforce due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Level 4 and Level 5 programmes will be delivered by Northop Business School – part of Coleg Cambria – and are aimed at directors, senior leaders and HR employees who faced the unprecedented challenge of switching operations online during lockdown.
26th Apr 2022 - fenews.co.uk
Job-life satisfaction highest amongst those who work remotely - CSO
People who worked remotely, either before or during the Covid-19 pandemic, were more satisfied with their jobs and lives, a new survey from the Central Statistics Office shows. The CSO’s Personal and Work-Life Balance Survey found that 39 per cent of employees worked remotely at some stage last year compared with just 8 per cent who availed of some form of remote working before the Covid-19 pandemic forced many people out of their workplaces.
26th Apr 2022 - The Irish Times
Workers Are Winning the Return-to-Office War Because They're Right
The masks are coming off. Restaurants are filling up. International travel is resuming. But one thing is missing from this picture of returning normality: the rows of office workers bent over their desks. Just over two months ago, I wrote that returning to the office was the great class struggle of our time. I’m happy to report that, so far at least, the workers are winning. In the U.S., office occupancy rates seem to have flatlined at about 43% according to Kastle Systems, which collects figures on the number of workers who are working at their desks in America’s ten largest business districts by measuring key swipes. Occupancy rates fell to 42.8% on April 13, having risen to 43.1% on April 6. Across the Atlantic, London’s occupancy peaked at 42% last month.
26th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in full71% of UK workers say work-from-home platforms cause distractions and mistakes
Far from solving the UK productivity and Great Resignation crisis – new research reveals that the overuse of collaboration tools like Teams and Zoom during the pandemic has led UK workers to make more mistakes, with younger age workers reporting these tools make them feel disengaged from their company and colleagues.
25th Apr 2022 - Business Leader
Don't Want To Go Back to the Office? Your Boss Might Cut You a Deal
The coronavirus pandemic introduced millions of Americans to the concept of working from home—and many are no longer keen on returning to the office full time. A Pew Research Center study released in February found that 61 percent of employees who were working from home were doing so by choice, rather than because their office had not reopened. At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the majority were doing their job remotely because they had no other option. Some companies have also welcomed the shift in working practices to remote or hybrid models.
25th Apr 2022 - Newsweek
Survey asks people if they would relocate or change job in order to work remotely
Two years on from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers at NUI Galway have launched their latest bid to capture people’s experiences of remote working and their preferences heading into the future. The National Remote Working Survey for 2022 will be the third such annual survey undertaken since 2020 and the first since the lifting of restrictions which could have paved the way for a mass return to the office earlier this year. Professor Alma McCarthy, who co-leads the project, said that the way we work “has changed dramatically” since the pandemic and it is “timely to capture the trends, preferences and career choice impacts two years on”.
25th Apr 2022 - Irish Examiner
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullHybrid and remote working require a shift from managing to leading
Frans Campher, CEO of Integral Leadership Dynamics, says companies are only beginning to realise the scope of the challenges posed by hybrid working and that the consequences, good and bad, won’t really become apparent for another two years. In the meantime those that want to thrive will need to transform from organisations that manage people to organisations that lead them. “What’s not going to work is managers who feel they have to control the heck out of everything, and who see hybrid as a loss of control,” he says.
24th Apr 2022 - The Irish Times
Remote working is a 'mixed bag' for employee well-being and productivity, study finds
Adapting remote and hybrid work policies to employees' specific work-life situations can result in increased well-being and productivity, but many employees are stuck in an increasing number of low-quality meetings when working remotely, according to a new study.
24th Apr 2022 - Phys.org
How HR should be involved in developing strong virtual leadership
Hybrid working has unsettled workplaces: there’s a mess of policies and practices, issues of trust and engagement. It’s been the same story over the past 20 years – with the setting up of global virtual teams and the response to the pandemic emergency, HR teams have taken a back seat: they have preferred to support managers as and when needed, watched situations emerge rather than take a clear stance and actively working with the business to develop strong virtual leadership strategy and culture. HR has an essential proactive role to play in developing strategies so that leaders are proactively shaping their future collaboration; where they are leading the use of technology instead of being led by it.
24th Apr 2022 - People Management Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe sky-high cost of returning to the office
After two years of remote work, spending a day in the office can be a shock to the wallet – and rising costs are making it worse. Employees who haven’t had to budget for train tickets, takeaway coffees or new office outfits for the past two years are now acutely aware of how much it costs to spend a day at your desk. And, worse, these costs are growing. Some companies are offering financial and other incentives to tempt unhappy commuters back. But, given how aware workers are now of exactly how much an office day costs, it feels unlikely people will willingly revert to absorbing office-day expenses like before.
21st Apr 2022 - BBC.com
Remote work: Canadians struggle to disconnect, report says
A new report has found that 28 per cent of Canadians are experiencing challenges disconnecting from their jobs after regular work hours, a trend experts at LifeWorks say is continuing to impact employees' mental health. According to the LifeWorks' monthly Mental Health Index released Thursday, Canadians who are unable to disconnect from their jobs after the work day displayed a mental health score nearly nine points below the national average. The index found respondents younger than 40 were 70 per cent more likely to be unable to disconnect after regular work hours than those older than 50.
21st Apr 2022 - CTV News
Why a blanket approach to a remote working policy is unsuitable and lazy
According to the anonymous workplace survey app Blind, more than half (53%) of professionals working for technology firms in Silicon Valley prefer remote working to an office environment. Generally, as the workforce returns to the office, people remained optimistic that employers would introduce a hybrid policy to accommodate those who favor remote working and those who favor the office environment.
21st Apr 2022 - Verdict
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home, Japan's corporate warriors rethink their priorities
Japan is in the midst of en masse hiring season, when a wave of college graduates join companies in formal ceremonies after sweating through the job-interview gantlet. While this year’s ritual has a different look, with COVID-19 forcing many companies to scale back or go online, the goal has long been the same: to kick off what was often a lifetime devoted to one company. But this model that undergirded Japan’s economic rise is slowly eroding. Working from home, people have had more time to rethink their careers and lives. Many want a change.
20th Apr 2022 - The Japan Times
Best Tips To Be More Productive When Working Remotely
Working remotely for the first time in your life requires a lot of flexibility. Having the right mindset and the right home office are two of the most important things experienced remote workers rely on to do their job. Here are seven tips to help you get started.
20th Apr 2022 - PC Tech Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe end of sick days: has WFH made it harder to take time off?
Zoom calls, email and Slack channels have facilitated work during lockdowns and made it easy for employees to stay at home if they had Covid, but they have also made it harder to take sick days. Elizabeth Rimmer, chief executive of LawCare, a charity that supports good mental health in the legal community, has joined numerous webinars and virtual meetings in recent weeks attended by people struggling on with Covid. “They didn’t look good. [People] can lie in bed with their laptop and power through even if they are unwell.” Jane van Zyl, chief executive of Working Families, an advocacy group, says: “We have to be mindful that the lesson from the pandemic is flexible working and not working round the clock.”
19th Apr 2022 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullResearch finds remote work could be key to Britain’s ‘Levelling Up’ plan
Remote work could enable over 13 million Brits to seize the opportunity to live and work outside the major cities, helping to spread economic opportunity across the UK, according to research by ClickUp. The research found that 45% of the UK workforce believe working remotely from wherever they’d like on a permanent basis is a realistic option. More than half (53%) of Brits believe that living in a major city is important to their career advancement – however if they had the same career prospects living elsewhere as they do now, only 15% of people would choose to continue living in the city.
18th Apr 2022 - fenews.co.uk
The workers taking on new 'super commutes'
Super-commuters aren’t a new phenomenon. In sprawling countries like the US, for example, some workers, mainly senior executives, have been commuting long distances for years. But the pandemic has increased this phenomenon, as more people shift to an employment model that combines remote work and occasional visits to the office. Could this new form of commuting be the future, as workers embrace hybrid, and build lives further away from urban hubs?
18th Apr 2022 - BBC.com
4 people on how their company’s switch to work-from-anywhere spurred them to move around the world
While some companies continue to debate remote and hybrid work for their teams, others are embracing a more flexible work-from-anywhere approach. Atlassian, an Australia-based software company with employees around the world, introduced its own “Team Anywhere” policy in August 2020, which allows its 7,388 employees to relocate to another city or country where the company has an established presence and accommodating time zone. Almost two years later, nearly 300 employees have moved to a new country, and hundreds more have relocated within their own country, the company says.
18th Apr 2022 - CNBC
Strong support for hybrid model allowing work from home, poll shows
There is a strong appetite among workers who began working from home during Covid to continue with a mixture of working from home and the office, the latest Irish Times/Ipsos poll has found. The findings suggest that for many people the pandemic has changed their working habits permanently. Of the 61 per cent of respondents to the poll who said they were currently working, almost four in 10 (38 per cent) said they had begun working from home during the pandemic.
18th Apr 2022 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullReturn to the Office? Managers Shouldn’t Overstate the Benefits
Managers who would like remote workers to return to the office are frustrated. The winter Covid-19 pandemic surge is over, yet nine out of 10 people working remotely would like to continue to do so at least some of the time. Workers in the major U.S. cities say they plan to cut their time in the office by half from prepandemic levels and office occupancy rates remain low. To persuade more workers to return, a number of prominent executives have stepped up their critiques of work-from-home arrangements and doubled down on pro-office evangelism.
13th Apr 2022 - BloombergQuint
Majority of public sector workers want to keep flexible working, research shows
Three quarters of public sector workers would be more likely to stay in a job that allowed remote or hybrid working, a study has found. The report, published by the Open University and Public Sector Executive (PSE), said hybrid or remote working made organisations more attractive across the public sector, with 73 per cent of those polled saying they’d be more likely to stay in a job that offered this. This increased to nine out of 10 in the government and local authorities sector.
13th Apr 2022 - People Management Magazine
Only 10% of remote workers have claimed working from home relief
Over €171 million remains unclaimed by Irish taxpayers for Remote Working Relief alone over the last two years. Only 10 per cent of remote Irish workers have availed of this tax relief to date, according to tax-back specialists, Irish Tax Rebates. The Revenue Commissioners of Ireland have confirmed that only 58,157 claims have been received for working from home relief for 2021 at a value of €10.1 million, compared to 93,000 Working from Home claims in 2020 at a value of €13 million.
13th Apr 2022 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullWall Street is battling to determine the future of work from home
Big banks like to stick together on major policy decisions. But as Wall Street grapples with heading back-to-work, a rare chasm is growing between the finance giants. The implications of these choices, and the resulting stratification of policies will likely ripple through the world of finance and out to Main Street in the coming months. Citigroup's chief executive Jane Fraser announced in March that the majority of the company's 210,000 employees will be allowed to go hybrid with three days in the office and two days at home each week. UBS made similar plans last month with the launch of their Virtual Worker Framework that will allow some US employees to work 100% remotely. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley are taking hardline approaches, requiring employees to come into the office five days a week.
12th Apr 2022 - CNN
One or Two Days in the Office Is the 'Sweet Spot' of Hybrid Work
Just one or two days in the office is the ideal setup for hybrid work, according to a new study, as it provides workers with the flexibility they crave without the isolation of going fully remote. The findings, in a paper from Harvard Business School, were based on an experiment in the summer of 2020 where 130 administrative workers were randomly assigned to one of three groups over nine weeks. Some spent less than 25% of their work days in the office, some were in more than 40% of the time, while a third “intermediate” cohort landed in the middle, translating to a day or two per week. That subset turned out more original work than the other groups, and “this difference was significant,” the authors wrote.
12th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
Work remote, get paid less? The battle dividing offices will define the future of work
These developments come as no surprise: the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that up to a quarter of workers in advanced economies will work permanently on a hybrid basis, ie partly from home, several days a week. Discussions about RTO (returning to the office) are increasingly fraught and in flux. There is no uniform model or agreement. The case for going into an office regularly is having to be made to the workforce – and many are rejecting it. Meanwhile, CEOs have to grapple with employees who want more flexibility, the ability to work remotely and even the ability to choose their working hours – and this without a paycut.
12th Apr 2022 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe simmering tension between remote and in-office workers
As pandemic restrictions end, more and more companies are calling employees back to the office – yet the rules are not universal for all workers. Some bosses are allowing exceptions for individuals or particular groups of workers – moves hard to explain in the return-to-office world. While mandating certain behaviours from most employees, they’re allowing others to retain special arrangements. But with some employees across an organisation working with very different attendance rules, tensions are beginning bubble to the surface, impacting workplace dynamics.
11th Apr 2022 - BBC.com
Still Working From Home? These Practical Products Will Help Keep You Sane
At least half of UK workers are still working remotely at least some of the time, according to a YouGov study, and the novelty has well and truly worn off. Working from home has some incredible perks, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with a few issues. Who would have thought working from your sofa could feel so exhausting? But there are plenty of simple remedies to remove the stress, boost productivity and keep your mindset in check. The right products can really help.
11th Apr 2022 - HuffPost UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullReturn-to-office mandates will soon be 'very outdated,' says Atlassian's head of distributed work
Companies that adopted permanent remote-work policies during the pandemic are doubling down on their commitments to flexibility while major companies like Google and Twitter call employees back to offices this month. But it’s only a matter of time before in-person requirements become passé, says Annie Dean, who leads distributed workforce strategy at Atlassian, an Australia-based software company. “This conversation will seem very outdated as the next generation of leaders rises in the workplace,” she tells CNBC Make It, adding that “in the future, work is not a place. It can happen anywhere.”
10th Apr 2022 - CNBC
59% say remote working has afforded them a higher salary
Almost three-fifths (59%) of remote workers said the practice has afforded them a higher salary, according to research by global compliance and payroll technology organisation Deel. Its survey of more than 700 individuals working remotely in 86 countries also found that just under two-thirds (64%) found it had helped them to increase their savings, thanks for factors such as salary increases, as well as reduced travel and housing costs. In addition, three-quarters of respondents said working remotely had afforded them a better work-life balance, while 51% said it had resulted in increased productivity and 35% said it had helped them to obtain their dream job.
10th Apr 2022 - Employee Benefits
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullEmployers still reluctant to formalize hybrid and remote work language in offer letters
For most white-collar employers, the typical company policy around working from home over the past two years has always been subject to change, depending on the severity of COVID-19 infections in a particular jurisdiction. Some companies, largely American banks such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, have publicly asked their employees to return to the office, with few exceptions. But there is a growing body of evidence that most workers have gotten used to doing their jobs from the comfort of their own homes, and aren’t prepared to give that up.
7th Apr 2022 - The Globe and Mail
Return to Office: 1/3 of San Franciscans Expect Permanent Remote Work
About a third of San Francisco area voters in a poll by the Bay Area Council said they expect to do their jobs from home permanently, a shift that could subdue the level of growth of the tech hub hit hard by the rise of remote work. In the poll, 29% of respondents working remotely for at least part of their time said they were also going to a workplace, and 23% said they expect to do so within six months.
7th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
How to get the most out of remote work
Being able to work from home has many advantages, but there are also big challenges to staying productive. The key to being able to take advantage of remote work is to come up with a clear plan to overcome challenging situations such as distraction, procrastination, and lack of productivity. Here are some tips for working from home effectively.
7th Apr 2022 - Entrepreneur
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullYoung Canadians hoping to move up find hybrid work model challenging
Like many companies, Fuse has embraced a hybrid model of working remotely and in the office, which means junior employees looking to reap those in-person benefits have new challenges to navigate. Early-career employees have typically had the benefit of an in-person work environment as they look to develop their skills, understand workplace norms and progress professionally. To make the most of their time in office, junior employees should make sure to ask their colleagues and managers lots of questions around how things work and what success looks like
6th Apr 2022 - Global News
9 things to consider if you want to work remotely all the time
The dramatic changes brought to our working world by the Covid-19 crisis led to an overnight increase in remote working. However as we transition into a new era of work, rather than returning to nine-to-five office-based work, remote work is looking likely to become far more common. Has the pandemic provided you with your first experience of working from home for an extended period of time and you’re finding you’re enjoying it? How can you determine whether a permanently remote role really is right for you? There are a few questions to ask yourself before you start the job search process
6th Apr 2022 - Siliconrepublic.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullWhy leaders need to focus on the negatives of remote work, too
There are costs to the remote work lifestyle —particularly when it comes to mental health. For some employees, such as parents or those caring for a family member, remote work can be a godsend. But what if you’re someone who lives alone? Or someone who struggles with depression or anxiety? For these workers, remote work can increase loneliness and exacerbate existing mental health issues. So what can employers do? Aside from offering expanded mental health services to employees, as 39% of employers have since the pandemic started, there are a few important steps your leadership team can take.
5th Apr 2022 - Fast Company
The best places to work remotely in the US
People across the country continue to work from home after COVID-19 policies forced them out of the office, but the ease of remote work might depend on where a person lives. WalletHub compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C., across 12 metrics, including internet access and cost, cyber security and share of the population working remotely before the pandemic, to determine the best places in the U.S. to telework. Workers in New Hampshire enjoy the best cybersecurity, while remote employees in California pay the lowest average cost for internet access.
5th Apr 2022 - The Hill
Recruitment in the age of remote working – how to get it right
Is remote work here to stay? Do companies expect a return to office working? Will hybrid working become the norm? These are the questions that have been continually asked over the past year since offices began to open their doors. Having been unexpectedly thrust out of offices and into bedrooms, kitchens and home offices, people were given the time to reflect on and take a step back from their routine and daily commutes. This pause allowed people to decide on the areas of their work which they wouldn’t want to return to and which they would – a return to the office five days a week, or even any, was one of these. While the specifics of this new way of work are still to be agreed one thing is for sure, remote working is here to stay and businesses need to recognise this or risk being left in the past. However, with this new evolution of work, how do companies adapt to this and more specifically, how do they hire a remote workforce while maintaining a strong company culture?
5th Apr 2022 - HR News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullWelsh Government in Bid to Boost Remote Working
Pandemic lockdowns heralded a new era of remote working. And the shift looks set to remain a key aspect of the UK’s workplace culture as many workers prove reluctant to give up the positive benefits of ditching the commute and businesses discover the upside of reduced costs and access to an increased talent pool. The Welsh Government is now pushing to lock in these benefits with its new Remote Working Strategy, which outlines the government’s ambition to achieve 30% of the Welsh workforce working at, or near, home during this Senedd term.
4th Apr 2022 - Business News Wales
WFH forever? Two years into a work-from-home revolution, some may never return to the office
More than 60 per cent of jobs can't be done from home. For the millions of frontline workers who need to physically be somewhere to complete their work, things won't change much. However, the Productivity Commission, the government's think tank, found that about 35 per cent of jobs have aspects that allow them to be done at home. These jobs tend to be better paid, more likely to be full-time, and the workers tend to be female. As our economy continues to evolve, that percentage is likely to expand.
4th Apr 2022 - ABC.Net.au
Remote work vs office life: Lots of experiments and no easy answers
With some people returning to work in the office and others continuing to log in from home, managers will need to create a hybrid workplace that successfully blends in-person collaboration and remote working to keep everyone happy and productive. Three executives at the recent DTX Tech Predictions Mini Summit explained how their companies are using a range of tools and techniques to build the workplace of the future.
4th Apr 2022 - ZDNet
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullWork-from-home tech you deserve to pep up your temporary office
Working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t have to be a dreary, dawn-to-dusk task if you have the right environment to work in. We take a look at gadgets that can help you work better, or bring cheer to your day.
3rd Apr 2022 - South China Morning Post
Italy's new law is good news for remote workers and digital nomads
Digital nomads will finally have a place in Italy, lawmakers have confirmed after months of speculation. The new visa for remote workers was approved and signed into law on 28 March, ending concerns that it was cut from a draft of the decree seen in January. The news has, understandably, caused a buzz among the growing ranks of professionals who have untethered themselves from office-based jobs during the pandemic. Where better to balance life online with getting out onto the gorgeous piazzas, hills or azure coasts of Italy?
3rd Apr 2022 - Euronews
Remote work steadily declines in US, but some resist return to office
At the height of the pandemic lockdowns in May 2020, more than one-third of U.S. workers were doing their jobs at least partly from home, shifting perceptions of workplace flexibility. Ever since, the share of workers telecommuting because of COVID-19 has steadily declined, falling to 22.7% of the workforce in February 2021 and 10% last month. Now those numbers appear likely to dip lower. But return-to-office plans have been met with skepticism from people who say working from home improves productivity and mental health. Some workers of color said telecommuting enabled them to avoid insensitive comments they faced in the office.
3rd Apr 2022 - Chicago Tribune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullPlan aims for 20% remote working for civil service
In Ireland, the government has announced a plan that will allow workers in the civil service to apply for a minimum of 20% remote working. The 'Blended Working Framework' will allow employees to request remote working arrangements and seek a review if their application is refused. Access to blended working will not be an automatic entitlement, regardless of any previous remote working arrangement during the Covid-19 pandemic. Civil Service employers are being encouraged to support and facilitate access to blended working wherever practicable.
31st Mar 2022 - RTE Online
Government hails ‘major shift’ on remote working for civil servants
In Ireland, tens of thousands of civil servants will now be able to work remotely at least some of the time. The Government has hailed the move as a “major shift” in working arrangements for around 40,000 civil servants, which will see officials able to work from home at least 20% of the time. It also partly formalises many of the remote-working reforms ushered in overnight by the Covid-19 pandemic two years ago.
31st Mar 2022 - Irish Examiner
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullAmid Covid surge in Ireland, employers urged to assess if it's safer for staff to work from home
Thousands of employers are being urged to assess if their workers would be safer working from home or wearing a face mask in the office as Ireland battles with a highly infectious form of Covid-19. The new guidelines are issued by CIPD Ireland, the representative body for human resources professionals, with 6,000 private and public employers. The Government signalled there will be no return to official mandatory restrictions despite the spread of the rampant BA2 form of Omicron but there are calls for “leadership” on Covid-19 issues.
30th Mar 2022 - Independent.ie
Could a move overseas save you from the UK's cost of living crisis?
A fifth of all UK workers are now considering moving overseas to work remotely in a bid to swerve the increasing cost of living in Britain. One study out this week suggests more than six in every 10 workers are now considering working remotely from another country, with reasons ranging from the weather to lost faith in government and, most common, the rising price of life in the UK. The research of more than 2,000 full-time workers by benefits platform Perkbox, is backed by a further study of more than 500 UK business leaders who say they “aren’t against” the shift to remote working.
30th Mar 2022 - The Independent
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullEmployers urged to offer staff “choice of flexible arrangements” in Welsh Government’s strategy to increase remote working
More businesses across Wales are to be encouraged to to offer employees the “choice of more flexible working arrangements” as part of a remote working strategy released by the Welsh Government. The pandemic forced many companies to rethink how they operate after the UK and Welsh Government introduced a strict “work from home requirement where possible” in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus.
29th Mar 2022 - Wrexham.com
America is entering the great experiment of hybrid work
This spring, workers are finally heading back to the office en masse and into another untested and ambitious experiment in work life: hybrid working. “This is a brave new world – we’re doing something we’ve never done before, which is we’re going to go, en masse, hybrid,” said Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford. Many companies that are bringing their workers back to the office are doing so on this basis, meaning they are allowing employees to do a mix of in-person and virtual work during the week. Some workers will be expected to work a set number of days in the office; others will get to choose which days they want to come in.
29th Mar 2022 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullHybrid workplaces for offices aren't working.
Hybrid schedules are supposed to provide the best of both worlds: all the benefits of working from home (no commute, more focus, hanging out with the dog, whatever it may be) plus the benefit of in-person collaboration with colleagues. The problem is … much of the time, it isn’t happening that way. Instead, a lot of people who have returned to their offices for some or all of the week have found that they’re the only ones there, or others are staying isolated in their offices, and all communication still happens over email, Slack, or Zoom. As a result, they’re spending time commuting to and from the office and dealing with all the hassles of in-person work but without any of the promised payoff.
28th Mar 2022 - Slate
The rise of the rural remote worker
About 3,000 Portuguese workers have so far taken advantage of the MAIS rural employment grant, which was introduced in March 2020. Many of the initial recipients are Portuguese citizens who worked overseas but decided to return home at the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak. As part of a wider effort to attract foreign workers, meanwhile, Portugal recently extended the scheme to all EU workers and anyone holding a valid work visa. Portugal is not the first country to try luring professionals into rural areas. Local authorities in Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Croatia and the US are among those to have offered cash incentives over recent years.
28th Mar 2022 - Financial Times
The workers with social anxiety fearing the return-to-office
Experts say anxiety has rocketed among young people during the pandemic, and although there’s little data on exactly how many people are dealing with it, it’s estimated that 12.1% of US adults experience social anxiety at some point in their lives. Employees are just starting to trickle back into the workplace, so we’re still in the early stages of understanding how in-office work will affect people who are coping. However, European schools are already reporting a spike in school-return refusals among children due to mental-health and anxiety problems exacerbated by the pandemic. If kids’ behaviours are the harbinger – especially because social anxiety affects younger people more – it’s possible we may see a similar trend manifest in the workplace.
28th Mar 2022 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe pandemic opened the door to remote working, now we need to support this way of working for future generations
The way people work has significantly changed since the pandemic and the Welsh Government is keen to do all it can to help lock in the positive benefits experienced by many and encourage more businesses to adopt this new approach to working. In a strategy published today the Welsh Government sets out its plans to work with businesses, trade unions and key stakeholders to help more employers to adopt a more agile and flexible approach within their workplace, so that employees can make a choice on the way they work, whether that’s locally from a shared work space, from home, or a mixture of both.
27th Mar 2022 - fenews.co.uk
How to Create a Thriving Hybrid and Remote Work Culture
The pandemic has forced organizations to recognize that they need to adapt their work culture to a hybrid and remote future. Employees may have different office schedules: Some essential employees might be there full-time, others will be there 1-3 days a week, and some may be fully remote. However, the danger of a sense of resentment building up between “haves” and “have nots” around schedule flexibility calls for a work culture that addresses such issues. Leaders who want to seize a competitive advantage in the future of work need to use research-based best practices to create a culture of “excellence from anywhere” to address these concerns.
27th Mar 2022 - Psychology Today
You want to work remotely. Your boss wants you back in-person. Here’s how to negotiate
Because of work-at-home benefits like more family time, more sleep (on account of no commute) and better work-life balance, many employees are staunchly against reverting to old ways. For some workplaces, this is a non-issue. Many bosses are embracing the new world of hybrid work, and some are taking it a step further by introducing year-round summer Fridays—the practice of ending work a few hours early before the weekend—or even four-day workweeks. But other employees may not be so lucky, with bosses who are intent on bringing everyone back in-person, despite the mountain of evidence that it doesn’t increase productivity or foster collaboration in any meaningful way.
27th Mar 2022 - Fortune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullWorking culture has changed – can the public sector keep up?
When the pandemic hit, many of the UK’s 5.7 million public sector employees took part in the largest remote working experiment in history. At the same time, many were also thrust on to the frontline of the country’s response to the Covid crisis. According to the Office for National Statistics 42% of public sector workers worked flexible hours in 2018, compared with 21% of private sector workers. However, only 3% of public sector workers reported that they worked mainly from home, compared with 17% of people in the private sector.
24th Mar 2022 - The Guardian
Mental health at work: the tech helping businesses to assist struggling staff
Loneliness and anxiety afflict many people working remotely, but companies can support employees with an array of technologies. For many businesses, technology could play a role in helping employees’ mental wellbeing. One solution is the use of app-based surveys that enable employees to set out their concerns and feelings about their workplace environment. This is an effective way of ensuring that employers take into account the diverse and differing needs of their workforce, says Kate Cavanagh, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Sussex.
24th Mar 2022 - The Guardian
5 misconceptions about remote work, debunked
According to the Pew Research Center, only 23 percent of workers in jobs that could be done from home were frequently working remotely before the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, that number peaked at 71 percent and is currently at 59 percent. While a majority of those workers early in the pandemic said they were working from home because their offices were closed, the proportion has flipped, and now the majority say they’re working from home because they want to. Remote work has evolved from a rare ad-hoc accommodation to a preferred way of life.
24th Mar 2022 - The Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in full7 Ways Work You Can Improve Your Health While Working from Home
It turns out that increased job flexibility can significantly reduce anxiety in your personal and professional lives. If you manage time wisely, remote work can even equip you to take better care of your mental, emotional and physical needs. However, not everyone is thriving while working from home. As the pandemic drags on, the line between your job and home life can blur and heighten stress levels. Luckily, a simple shift in priorities can help you feel good again and dramatically improve your health and happiness.
23rd Mar 2022 - bbntimes
UBS offers US wealth unit staff option to work remotely full-time
UBS has begun offering some of its US-based employees the option to work remotely full-time in an effort to meet staff demand for greater flexibility and increase retention, the group announced on Wednesday. The Swiss bank and wealth manager is rolling out a new work program, the Virtual Worker Framework, that will allow its eligible US staff to access UBS’s tech platform and attend meetings and other in-person events remotely. The firm’s US-based Global Wealth Management employees are seeing the first phase of the rollout of the new program, UBS said
23rd Mar 2022 - Citywire
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullWork From Home: Small Home Office Inspiration for Redesign
One of the best things about working remotely is the flexibility aspect, yet it can also be a distracting affair unless you find an organized space to call your own. If your home has no room for a separate office, there are still plenty of ways to set aside a dedicated workspace. Check out this small home office inspiration to help you get organized and boost your productivity.
22nd Mar 2022 - News Anyway
Returning to the office: How these employees pushed back
Many companies have been working remotely on and off since March 2020, and despite the rise of the Delta and Omicron variants, many companies have recently expected employees to return to the office. But throughout the pandemic, office employees have found benefits of remote work that they don't want to give up: There's no commute, you can exercise during breaks and eat healthier when there's not an office lunch involved, and your schedule is more yours to make time for what's important to you, like picking your child up from school or starting and finishing work earlier. They're joining a movement called the Great Resignation — a wave of workers quitting their jobs after realizing they want better.
22nd Mar 2022 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullWhat if Working in Sweatpants Unleashed Your Superpowers?
What do we wear while working remotely? Whatever we want. Even as we are called back to the office, we might take some of our new sartorial selves with us. We’ve gone casual, yes—goodbye hard pants—and we’ve also gone weird, authentic and free. Forget dressing for the job you want—dress for the environment you’re in, says Erica Bailey, a doctoral student in organizational behavior at Columbia University and the lead author of a recent paper about remote work attire and productivity. The big reveal: wearing business attire didn’t consistently increase participants’ feelings of power. Throwing on comfies while working from home, however, boosted the workers’ feelings of authenticity and engagement, indicating that they were more immersed in their tasks and more present.
21st Mar 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
This CEO's Remote Work Policy Is Only 10 Words. It May Be the Best I've Ever Heard
As employers and business leaders everywhere grapple with employee preferences on remote work, they might take a page out of Gravity CEO Dan Price's playbook. When Price recently polled employees to find out where they wanted to work, only 7 percent said they prefer to work in the office. Thirty-one percent requested a work/home office hybrid solution. And a whopping 62 percent said they would prefer to work only from home. "Do whatever you want," Price said recently on Twitter. "As a CEO, what do I care?" Price then summed up his recommended policy in just 10 words: "If you get your work done, that's all that matters."
21st Mar 2022 - Inc.
Surviving remotely: What impact did remote work have on employee psyche?
What impact did the massive and abrupt move to remote work have on the employee psyche? William Becker, associate professor of management in the Pamplin College of Business, attempts to answer this and related questions in his recently published research, "Surviving remotely: How job control and loneliness during a forced shift to remote work impacted employee work behaviors and well-being." Becker's paper investigates the impact of job control—or a person's ability to influence what happens in the work environment—and work-related loneliness on employee work behaviors and well-being during the massive and abrupt move to remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
21st Mar 2022 - Phys.org
International remote working here to stay | Ruth Holmes
KPMG International has released new insights on international remote-working practice as flexibility and hybrid working options become crucial to talent management and employee experience. Among the key takeaways is that rather than diminish the appetite for global mobility and international relocation, virtual and remote working practices can be dynamic tools for meeting employer and employee needs around talent attraction and retention, and boosting cross-border working.
21st Mar 2022 - Re:locate Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullTwo years later, remote work has changed millions of careers
The pandemic thrust the working world into a new reality in March 2020 as offices closed and millions of people were forced to learn how to do their jobs from home. Two years later, employers and workers are still adapting to a new normal and trying to figure out what the future of work might look like. Some companies are determined to return to the way things were and get everyone back into the office. And some have embraced remote work, allowing employees to work from home full time or part of the time. But many workers are deciding to chart their own course
20th Mar 2022 - MSN.com
50% of companies want workers back in office 5 days a week–why experts say this strategy could fail
After two years of working from home – and seeing return-to-office plans derailed by new Covid-19 variants – a growing number of companies are eager to get employees back to the office. About 50% of leaders say their company already requires or is planning to require employees to return to in-person work full-time in the next year, according to new research from Microsoft, which surveyed 31,102 workers around the world between January and February. This number stands in sharp contrast, however, to what employees really want: flexibility. In the same report, 52% of workers said that they are thinking of switching to a full-time remote or hybrid job in 2022.
20th Mar 2022 - CNBC
Legislation delays risk squandering remote working progress – unions
Irish workers are slipping back into “old habits” of turning up at the office five days a week because of Government “foot dragging” over new laws to bolster working from home rights, trade unions are warning. Congress, the umbrella organisation for trade unions, said delays to promised legislation have created a “vacuum” which threatens to squander a once-in-a-lifetime chance to copper-fasten widespread remote working.
20th Mar 2022 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe 'ghost colleagues' of the remote workplace
More than two years since the start of the health crisis, fewer than 30% of knowledge workers around the world are working from the office every day. That means that many employees are interacting with far fewer co-workers than at their desks. A 2021 Microsoft study of its own staff showed switching to remote work meant “employees didn’t just change who they worked with, but also how they worked with them”. At the company, business groups (such as work teams) and informal communities (such as friendship groups) became less connected; people in different groups connected with each other 25% less than before the pandemic. Groups also became static, as workers hung on to existing connections instead of making new ones.
17th Mar 2022 - BBC
Home working 'helps to attract staff but not keep them'
Working-from-home policies are helping companies to attract new staff but could be harming their chances of retaining them, a survey has found. Nearly three quarters of companies whose staff mostly work onsite say they have found it more challenging than usual to recruit, compared to half of employers whose staff mostly work from home. Four fifths of employers that operate completely remotely, however, reported an increase in resignations, compared to half of employers with staff who never work from home, according to the survey from CIPHR, an HR software company. Tamara Littleton, founder and chief executive of The Social Element, a social media marketing agency with 250 staff who all work remotely, said that staff retention had become more difficult in the past two years.
17th Mar 2022 - The Times
The demand for flexible work 'will only accelerate' in coming years as workers feel more empowered
In the past two years, work has changed tremendously as many people shifted to remote work, went through a career change, or quit working altogether. One thing that seems to be favored amongst most workers, however, is flexibility. According to Nick Lillios, CEO of Nowsta, a workforce management platform, 2022 is the year for flex work. In 2020, many Americans were forced into hybrid and remote work models after the start of the coronavirus pandemic. And according to a recent report from Apollo Technical, an IT and engineering agency, 72% of workers now prefer a flexible work model over returning to office full-time.
17th Mar 2022 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullWFH has killed networking as we know it. Here’s how Gen Z plans to adapt
A good internship or first job can help you build connections that will propel your career forward not just in the immediate future but for decades. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, most of these relationships were forged in person. But what happens when those connections exist only in cyberspace? It’s an issue facing the oldest members of Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) as many in-person internships and entry-level roles disappeared during the pandemic, and many white-collar jobs remain remote. It’s created new barriers for these young professionals as they learn how to navigate workplace norms and foster relationships without a physical connection to their colleagues.
16th Mar 2022 - Fortune
How will remote work impact the careers of younger workers?
As backing for strict Covid restrictions fades in countries like the UK, the question of whether mass working from home should be phased out is being hotly debated. Most polls suggest that a majority of employees who can do so want to spend less time in offices than they did pre-pandemic, and most commentators think they’ll get their wish. So economists, sociologists and other experts have been keeping themselves busy predicting how such a pivotal shift in working norms will impact different groups, and whether these impacts will be mostly positive or mostly negative. One group that is getting a lot of attention are career-starters working in white-collar industries; younger people who have never been part of the pre-pandemic working world and who are in roles that could be done remotely indefinitely.
16th Mar 2022 - Economy
Survey: Four in 10 workers in Singapore choose remote work over bigger bonus
If given the choice, 41% of workers in Singapore would rather continue working remotely than be offered a bigger bonus, according to a survey by recruitment agency Randstad. In a Business Times report, the company’s Singapore and Malaysia managing director Jaya Dass said remote work may have allowed employees to enjoy benefits such as saving time and money from commuting, which allowed them to experience more personal time and better productivity. “Employers that intend to make hybrid work a permanent feature of their workforce culture after the pandemic should also start to roll out policies as soon as they can to retain their workforce,” she said.
16th Mar 2022 - The Star
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullMore firms rely on services to support remote workers' mental health
As prolonged teleworking due to the coronavirus pandemic leaves remote workers feeling isolated, an increasing number of Japanese companies are using online services such as personal consultation software to look after their employees’ mental wellbeing. Network technology company NTT Communications, which currently has about 80% of its employees working remotely, has adopted specialized software to arrange online consultations between the workers and their superiors.
15th Mar 2022 - The Japan Times
This Dreamy Remote-Working Scheme Will Pay You to Relocate to the Catalan Countryside
From dramatic mountain ranges to quaint little towns full of dusty masias, rural Catalonia is one of Europe’s most beautiful regions. Once you get a taste of the autonomous Spanish region’s countryside charms, you’ll never turn back – or at least that’s the idea behind the Catalunya Rural Hub initiative. The scheme, which is a partnership between the Catalan government and the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation, aims to attract professionals working in the digital industries to Catalonia’s rural areas. It’s an attempt to build on a pandemic trend which saw lots of people realise that they didn’t have to live in cities and that they could live and work remotely from the countryside instead
15th Mar 2022 - Time Out
4 in 10 Singapore workers would give up bigger bonus for remote working: Survey
After working from home for close to two years, 41 per cent of workers in Singapore would rather continue working remotely than receive a bigger bonus, a survey by human resources solutions agency Randstad found. This is likely due to various benefits these employees experienced while working remotely, such as saving time and money from commuting, having more personal time and higher productivity, said Ms Jaya Dass, managing director for Singapore and Malaysia at Randstad. Among the respondents, at least 80 per cent received a salary increment in 2022, with 9 per cent of these employees seeing a pay rise of more than 20 per cent.
15th Mar 2022 - The Straits Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in full7 ways to ease the transition from remote to hybrid work
Make no mistake: the office is still important, it’s just no longer for routine daily tasks. It’s instead ideal for things like creative collaboration, team building, and career advancement. So, for the good of both your business and your workers, you need to find ways to evolve your office so that it becomes a destination of choice that your employees want to be a part of and will make the occasional trip for. Here are seven things you need to address to get your employees coming back.
14th Mar 2022 - Fast Company
Pandemic fuels demand for courses on remote leadership
Leading teams remotely was part of the curriculum at many business school MBA programmes before the coronavirus pandemic, but it has gained new relevance in an age when teams can be working from home or from the office in the same city, meeting only via Zoom calls and WhatsApp messages. Research last year by business school accreditation body the Graduate Management Admission Council found that the subject now scored more highly than other areas of study for prospective MBA students — 57 per cent of those interviewed said leadership and change management training was a must-have in their ideal degree course, more than the 49 per cent who felt entrepreneurship teaching was essential.
14th Mar 2022 - Financial Times
Blue-sky thinking: new rules allow digital nomads to work in the sun
The pandemic locked us down, but at the same time freed many workers from the confines of the office. A new breed of digital nomads emerged – people who took their laptops, jumped on planes and set up shop in some of the most beautiful parts of the world. And with them have come schemes to make it easier for them to stay for months on end. Barbados was one of the first countries to formalise arrangements with its “welcome stamp”, launched in June 2020. The schemes all run in a fairly similar fashion: workers pay to apply and get the right to stay in the country while working for an employer based elsewhere.
14th Mar 2022 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullBig Read: Covid-19 pandemic caused biggest shift in work in decades
Millions across the West quit their careers during the pandemic – often opting to retrain for dream jobs, or downsizing for happiness. In London, due to white-collar concentration, half of all employment is now either based at home or is “hybrid” work, where staff go into the office a few days a week. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the figure is about 20 per cent. New research shows hybrid working is more popular in Scotland that anywhere else in Britain. A recent poll of UK corporate leaders by the Centre for Economics and Business Research found increased remote working led to better customer satisfaction, higher productivity, and happier staff.
13th Mar 2022 - Herald Scotland
End of the office? 1 in 3 won’t consider a new job unless they can work remotely
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the American workweek, a new study reveals. In fact, only one in 15 remote workers expects to be back in an office for five days a week. In a recent survey of 2,000 fully remote or hybrid-remote employees, more than a third (35%) say they wouldn’t even consider a new job unless it includes the option to work remotely. Despite the benefits and comforts of remote work that many respondents cited, it does come with challenges. The remote environment has made it more challenging for people to communicate with their co-workers and manager (48%), have their work recognized by their peers (44%), and maintain a work-life balance (44%).
13th Mar 2022 - Study Finds
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullWhy Americans are choosing remote work over going into the office
The workweek in the US has fundamentally changed — only 1 in 15 remote workers expects to be back in an office for five days a week. In a recent survey of 2,000 fully remote or hybrid-remote employees, more than a third (35%) of respondents said they wouldn’t consider a new job unless it includes the option to work remotely. More than three-quarters (76%) said they’d even apply to a role outside of their current industry if it were completely remote. That may be because 77% have found simple pleasures in working from the comfort of their home. However, the remote environment has made it more challenging for people to communicate with their co-workers and manager (48%), have their work recognized (44%) and maintain a work-life balance (44%).
10th Mar 2022 - Yahoo News
Could the post-pandemic, hybrid workplace boost gender equality?
As the world enters its third year of dealing with COVID-19, the landscape for office-based employees is almost unrecognizable. And as flexible work plans become the new normal, for many workers daily commutes, chats in the office kitchen, and loud colleagues are a thing of the past. Even as the world celebrates International Women's Day today, however, some things haven’t changed when it comes to the workplace experiences faced by women working in the tech industry. While flexible work and the emerging hybrid office have ushered in a new perspective on both where and how people work, initial research indicates women now face bigger barriers than ever before.
10th Mar 2022 - Computerworld
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullTokyo men's time on housework, child care unchanged amid pandemic, remote work: study
The time men spend on housework and child care has not changed much since before and after the coronavirus outbreak in Japan, even though working from home became more common among workers, a survey by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has shown. In June 2021, when the Japanese capital was under a COVID-19 state of emergency, the metropolitan government asked a total of 5,000 women and men living in Tokyo online about how much time they spend on house chores and child care, as well as their remote work conditions. When the weekly average of time spent on housework and child care per day was tallied among 2,000 women and men who live with their spouses and preschool age children, women spent eight hours and 54 minutes, while men spent three hours and 34 minutes. Compared to a pre-coronavirus 2019 study, for women it was an increase of 20 minutes, while for men it was just a one-minute increase.
9th Mar 2022 - The Mainichi
Workcations: The travel trend mixing work and play
We’ve been taught to keep work and play apart. Yet more of us are still taking workcations, years into the pandemic – and reaping the benefits. The trend could be here to stay. Last year, a whopping 85% of 3,000 Indian workers said in a poll that they took a workcation in 2021. Over a quarter of Canadian workers say they want to take one this year; in a global study of eight countries, 65% of 5,500 respondents say they plan to extend a work trip into a leisure one, or vice versa, in 2022.
9th Mar 2022 - BBC.com
Scotland's strong adoption of hybrid working 'could give economy multi-million-pound boost'
On average, Scottish employees now want to work 2.8 days a week from home – a rise of 254 per cent compared with before the pandemic, and above the UK-wide figure of 2.35, according to a Virgin Media O2 Business study with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). Additionally, Scottish respondents said they enjoyed an additional 1.7 hours of leisure time a day on average when working remotely, which scaled up equals 442 hours a year or almost 20 extra days. The research also found that of those employees who indicated a willingness to relocate thanks to remote working, Scotland could see an influx of 238,000 workers.
9th Mar 2022 - The Scotsman
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullJoining a company remotely? Here's how to bond with your colleagues
Getting to know new colleagues through a box on your screen while working from home can have its challenges. Recent hires already have a lot on their plates when it comes to making a good impression, but forging relationships with your new co-workers should also be a high priority, even if you've never met them in person.
"It is very important to build personal connections with people at work," said Jennifer Benz, a senior vice president at human resources consulting firm Segal. "If you have those strong personal relationships at work in the tough times and the good times, you are going to have a better support system, and that's really important not just for your happiness, but also for your professional success."
8th Mar 2022 - CNN
What Are the Effects of WFH? Bosses Show Burnout From Hybrid Office Setup
If your manager seems crabby lately, consider this: Six in 10 of them say their mental health has been hurt by the pandemic, according to a new survey from Prudential Financial. That has 40% of managers saying that they are prioritizing their mental health over their career, according to the nationally representative survey of 2,000 workers. Of managers whose direct reports are working remotely, 44% said the hybrid work model had already left them burnt out.
8th Mar 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullIs Remote Work Actually Better for the Environment?
With the daily commute all but cancelled during successive Covid-19 lockdowns, many have assumed that WFH will lead to environmental sustainability gains. Indeed, such dramatic changes in mobility, production, and consumption patterns, temporarily reduced global CO2 emissions by 17% in April 2020 compared to peak 2019 levels. But what seemed like a promising trend soon faded away: emissions are now almost back at pre-pandemic levels, even as employees aren’t. Indeed, our research also shows that WFH is not a clear win for the environment.
7th Mar 2022 - Harvard Business Review
5 Tips To Thrive In A Hybrid Work Environment
All signs point to the fact that hybrid work is here to stay. That's because employers finally acknowledge that employees desire the best of both worlds and aren't willing to compromise. According to the 2021 Work Trend Index, over 70% of workers want flexible remote work options to continue, while over 65% crave more in-person time with their teammates. As a result, 66% of business leaders are preparing to redesign office spaces to better accommodate hybrid work environments. At the same time, there are challenges with a hybrid work model. If you find yourself exhausted and overwhelmed, here are five tips to thrive in a hybrid work environment.
7th Mar 2022 - Forbes
UK Managers Expect Companies to Cut Work From Home Policy After Covid
Two thirds of managers expect cuts to remote-work programs and the majority say they value flexibility, mental health programs even so they expcect cuts to work from home policy afater COVID.
7th Mar 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullNew offices for the hybrid era? Many companies are on board
If you build a shiny new office building, will your employees show up to work in it? Many U.S. companies are banking on it because they believe working in person is better for collaboration and training young employees. So even though most employees are still working from home offices and dining room tables today, some companies are willing to spend big on showplace headquarters. Businesses recognize there is a place for offices despite the fact that they plan to give workers more flexibility to work from home and might see cost savings from limiting their real estate holdings.
6th Mar 2022 - ABC News
Twitter Employees Can Work From Home ‘Forever’ Or ‘Wherever You Feel Most Productive And Creative’
In a Tweet, Parag Agrawal, the new CEO of Twitter, who took over from Jack Dorsey, announced that he’d continue the option of working remotely “forever,” as other tech companies are calling for workers to return to the office. Twitter will reopen its offices starting the middle of March. Employees will still be allowed to work remotely or come into an office if they’d prefer that choice. Agrawal wrote, “Business travel is back effective immediately, and all global Twitter offices will open starting on March 15. Decisions about where you work, whether you feel safe traveling for business, and what events you attend, should be yours.” He added, “Wherever you feel most productive and creative is where you will work and that includes WFH full-time forever.”
6th Mar 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in full5 Practices To Maximize Remote Meetings And Prevent Them From Taking A Toll
In just two years, the paradigm of work has shifted along with its impact on our mental health and well-being. For Webex by Cisco, this means it’s time to make meetings better, according to chief marketing officer Aruna Ravichandran: “The pandemic has taught us a lot. At its inception, organizations were focused on business continuity, including getting employees up-and-running on video conferencing tools. As companies look at a hybrid approach to working, we’re focused on purposeful innovations that create value and enable people to strengthen their own work-life balance such as real-time translations, AI-powered technology to capture body language, build stronger connections and monitor your digital footprint.” By implementing healthier meeting practices and prioritizing wellness, remote and hybrid working no longer has to take a toll.
3rd Mar 2022 - Forbes
Twitter to reopen offices March 15, though remote work remains an option
Twitter will reopen its offices in the middle of this month, though employees will still be allowed to work remotely, according to an email from CEO Parag Agrawal to staffers. Agrawal, who was promoted to CEO in November, is taking a slightly different approach than Jack Dorsey, his predecessor and a Twitter co-founder. Dorsey told employees in the early days of the pandemic two years ago that they could work remotely “forever” if they wanted to. Agrawal said he’ll still honor that policy, but he warned that “distributed working will be much, much harder” and said “there will be lots of challenges.”
3rd Mar 2022 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote jobs can change work for good — if you work in the right place
Working from home has become so popular that over 40% of employees said they’d look for a new job or simply quit if required to go to the workplace five days a week. Among women and people of color, an even higher share of workers said they’d depart if they lost the remote option. Women with young children especially value flexibility. Of course, many jobs cannot be done remotely because front-line workers must work on-site where they’re needed. Nationwide, just over a third of private companies increased remote work since the pandemic, according to a 2021 business survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2nd Mar 2022 - The Seattle Times
Remote working Bill panned by employers and trade unions as ‘fatally flawed’
In Ireland, a government plan to allow workers to request the right to work from home is “fatally flawed”, an Oireachtas committee has heard. The Enterprise, Trade and Employment Committee heard conflicting views on the draft remote working legislation, a flagship project of Tanaiste Leo Varadkar. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) condemned it as largely toothless and “stacked in favour of the employer at every turn”, while employers’ group Ibec portrayed it as a cumbersome piece of legislation that would impose drastic new obligations on businesses.
2nd Mar 2022 - The Independent
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullIs Remote Work Failing Young Workers?
Research led by associate professor Ashish Malik, head of the management discipline at the University of Newcastle, Australia, concludes the impact of technological disruptions on several workplace innovations in workplace redesign. These include flexible work designs, such as technology-mediated home-based work, remote working, teleworking, co-working, working at third spaces, including Smart Work Hubs, and other flexible work options. Although these designs have helped engage a vast majority of workforce groups, especially in the current times, organizations are finding it hard to engage with the younger workers, who require handholding as they commence their professional lives.
1st Mar 2022 - Forbes
Easing New Job Blues While Working Remotely
New job blues are tough, but not abnormal. These feelings don’t necessarily mean “I hate my new job!” - they simply indicate that we started with big expectations and have some reckoning to do as we hit up against reality. Usually new job blues are mild and peak within two to eight weeks. The feelings recede as we settle in, get to know colleagues, and fully experience the reasons we made the change. That said, as a career coaching I’ve been noticing a new pattern lately: new job blues seem to be more intense and longer lasting for my career coaching clients who move from one remote job to another. This is happening even though they were highly intentional about their choice of job and organization and it’s a “great fit” on paper.
1st Mar 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Seen More Persistent Than Planners Expect
The pandemic-era shift to remote work will likely be more persistent than anticipated, hitting the finances of U.S. cities that are banking on commuters to get back to the office post-pandemic. Two recent studies point to the long-lasting impact of work from home. About 75% of the increase in telework over the course of the Covid-19 crisis will likely stick, according to a paper from researchers at Arizona State University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the Dallas Federal Reserve. Twice as many workers will be 100% remote as before the pandemic, and one in every five workdays will be from home.
28th Feb 2022 - Bloomberg Law
Remote Work's Impact On Communities — And What It Means For Your Business
Remote work is changing where we work and where innovation happens. But, there's a larger conversation that is being overlooked: the long-term impact on our cities and communities. We used to believe that where we worked decided where we lived. That spurred a network effect that gave cities a compounding advantage. However, all of that appears to be shifting, with the rise of remote work being a contributing factor. Over the past year, as an example, about 80% of venture capital was invested outside of the Valley, which is a massive shift. Large organizations like Facebook, Salesforce and Dropbox are allowing their employees to work remotely at least part of the time. By 2025, roughly 36 million Americans are expected to work remotely, an 87% increase from pre-pandemic times, according to a report by Upwork
28th Feb 2022 - Forbes
How to find a mentor in the new hybrid work era
It can be challenging to find a mentor in the best of times, but even more so when most people are working remotely during the pandemic. Still, experts say it’s possible to find and build meaningful professional relationships online. Having mentors is also a good way for workers to stay motivated during the remote and hybrid work era, says Rachel Wong, co-founder of the online career and mentorship platform Monday Girl. “A lot of people feel stagnant right now with COVID,” Ms. Wong explains. “Younger professionals, with the ‘Great Resignation,’ are finding other ways to [create] connections and find more inspiration from their careers.” Organizations that have gone remote-only should also play their part to foster mentor relationships among their staff, Ms. Wong says.
28th Feb 2022 - The Globe and Mail
Mauritius is offering long-term visas for remote workers
Mauritius is offering long-term visas for remote workers while seeking wealthier holidaymakers to boost tourism revenue, with visitor numbers unlikely to match pre-pandemic levels for as many as four years. The Indian Ocean island nation is offering a so-called premium visa, which allows people to work remotely from the country for as long as a year, and wants richer tourists to make extended trips, said Nilen Vencadasmy, chairman of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority. “We are looking for digital nomads, who can plug in and start working from anywhere in the world,” he said
28th Feb 2022 - BusinessTech
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow flexible back-to-work plans could tap the talents of workers facing employment barriers
During the pandemic, many companies had to adjust to operating without having employees in the office. Forty per cent of the labour force is working from home, according to a January report from Statistics Canada. As pandemic restrictions are loosened or lifted, many companies are now considering what their workplace will look like in the future and how much time employees will be needed in the office. A new report from Deloitte Canada looks at the policy implications of hybrid models and how they will create and sustain economic growth that inclusive of more Canadians.
27th Feb 2022 - CBC.ca
Three Hybrid Working Misconceptions, Busted
Hybrid working is here to stay. Countless studies show that workers relish their newfound work-life balance, not to mention the time and money they save by not commuting to the office every day. And if their flexible working options don’t pass muster, they won’t stick around, with 72% of workers saying they are likely to look for a new job. Employers who are serious about holding on to top talent will need to be prepared to meet this demand, as many already do. However, several recent studies suggest that hybrid working, when different people are in the office at different times, might not be all it’s cracked up to be. It could create workplace divisions, they say, stall career development and be detrimental to employee health and mental wellbeing.
27th Feb 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow remote working could be changing children’s futures
Parents have worked in front of children for centuries. But as the pandemic has radically altered how we work, ushering in remote set-ups for many employees, some parents are finding their work habits increasingly on display in front of their children in a new way. Research has already shown that adults’ attitudes and practises can influence a child’s relationship with how they work in the future as well as how they develop – so now, when many working parents aren’t in offices as before, could these effects be exacerbated? Experts say increased exposure to work can have downsides both for children’s development as well as how they perceive the role of a job in a parent’s life. But there may be hidden upsides, too – and things parents can do to amplify the good over the bad.
24th Feb 2022 - BBC News
Majority agree to flexible working arrangements: poll
In Ireland, women, younger people and the lower paid are strongly in favour of more flexible working arrangements according to a poll carried out on behalf of the Labour Party. In a survey carried out by Ireland Thinks, 71% of respondents agreed that employees who can work remotely should have the right to do so. Some 81% of women, compared to 63% of men, agreed that workers should have the right to more flexible work.
24th Feb 2022 - RTE.ie
The 20 jobs most likely to let you WFA – work from anywhere
Cosmopolitan journalists got in touch with anonymous employee review site Glassdoor to compile a list of jobs with the most opportunities to WFA – work from anywhere. This list is ranked by the number of remote job openings – the percentage below basically indicates the number of people with the job title who have the ability to work remotely, AKA from anywhere in the world that takes their fancy.
24th Feb 2022 - Cosmopolitan
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullMore action urged on remote work health risks
Employers and the government need to do more to address the health and wellbeing risks related to remote working, and should target support at individuals who are the most at risk of mental and physical health problems. This is according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (Iosh) which has praised new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) as “setting the standard for making remote work sustainable”.
23rd Feb 2022 - Personnel Today
U.S. business is preparing for a remote work revolution
U.S. firms, struggling to fill a near-record level of job vacancies, are increasingly promoting remote and hybrid working arrangements to recruit employees. A Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond survey found that a quarter of employers expect to have more remote workers next year. The bigger the company, the more likely it is to anticipate an increase in the number employees who will be working away from the office. These firms are also recruiting farther geographically than they used to. The findings back up recent research showing that remote and hybrid work is on the rise -- even as the Covid-19 virus recedes in the U.S. and many big banks are bringing workers back to the office in large cities.
23rd Feb 2022 - Fortune
What the Remote-Work Revolution Means for Cities
Even as they resume normal leisure activities, many Americans still aren’t going back to the office. According to data from Kastle Systems, which tracks building access across the country, office attendance is at just 33 percent of its pre-pandemic average. That’s lower than in-person attendance in just about any other industry for which we have good data. Even movie theaters—a business sometimes written off as “doomed”—have recovered almost twice as much. What once seemed like a hot take is becoming a stone-cold reality: For tens of millions of knowledge-economy workers, the office is never coming all the way back. The implications—for work, cities, and the geography of labor—will be fascinating.
23rd Feb 2022 - The Atlantic
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullFlex office spaces become a respite from working at home, commuting long distances
Many companies are experimenting with remote working as the disruptions of the pandemic reach the two-year milestone, says Scott Watson, managing partner of acquisitions and leasing at Crown Realty Partners in Toronto. Nine of Crown’s 34 office buildings in Toronto and Ottawa include co-working office centres. While there wasn’t any growth in co-working early in the pandemic, Crown is now seeing increased interest in suburban touchdown spaces where employees can work remotely and avoid commutes to a downtown head office.
22nd Feb 2022 - The Globe and Mail
Women, people of color happier working from home
As companies reopen offices, who goes back and who stays home could determine the trajectory of workers' careers. Women and people of color are generally happier working from home and are likelier than their white male colleagues to want to continue teleworking, according to a new Harris Poll survey of professional workers across the U.S. A hybrid workplace has the potential to become an inequitable workplace, as in-office workers have more contact with managers and executives — while those who stay home fall out of sight and out of mind.
22nd Feb 2022 - Axios
What Your Gen Z Colleagues Wish You Knew
Generation Z is getting antsy at work. Nearly two-thirds of job seekers born in the late 1990s into the early 2010s have switched industries or are considering doing so, according to a recent LinkedIn survey. What’s making them leave when they are only just getting started? A key undercurrent seems to be the lack of mentoring and access to seasoned management because they’re working remotely. To better understand where employers are failing, we talked to one young worker who recently switched jobs. Theirs is a cautionary tale for organizations everywhere, and points to how some basic, everyday management tactics can make a difference.
22nd Feb 2022 - TIME
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Feb 2022
View this newsletter in full8 Ways To Make The Most Of Being A Remote Team
When you work with people you don’t see every day, you face unique challenges. It’s not as simple as popping to your co-worker’s desk to chat about the latest project. Instead, collaboration and communication online is a top priority. And that’s without thinking about the social and cultural implications of a remote team. How do you create a strong bond between colleagues that rarely see each other?
21st Feb 2022 - fenews.co.uk
Missouri bill aims for accessible remote work options for state workers
More state workers should have the ability to work remotely in Missouri, says the sponsor of a bill designed to start the state toward that goal. The bill would establish a “Missouri State Employee Work-From-Anywhere Task Force.” The bill states the task force would work to determine the “best policies and practices” to allow state employees to work remotely and assess all types of remote-work arrangements throughout the state. The proposal puts different stakeholders on the task force, Riggs said, including members from the Legislature, government departments and the technology industry.
21st Feb 2022 - STLtoday.com
Plans to subsidise remote working hubs across country
In Ireland, Minister for Rural and Community Development and Social Protection Heather Humphreys said there are now 200 remote working hubs across the country. The minister said the average cost of using the hubs is between €15-20 a day. Workers can now book an office or desk space in their local hub through an app called 'Connected Hubs'. The Government is looking at plans at subsidising hubs
21st Feb 2022 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullShould UK workers have the right to disconnect?
In December, the Scottish government committed to undertaking ‘meaningful discussions’ on providing its employees with a right to disconnect. The announcement comes at a time when the boundaries between work and home life have become blurred or, in some cases, feel like they have almost disappeared. The link between this and burnout culture is being made, as well as the detrimental impact on mental health and wellbeing. The Scottish government's announcement follows a number of governments and employers around the world who have placed increasing focus on implementing successful ‘right to disconnect’ policies.
20th Feb 2022 - People Management Magazine
Thanks to Remote Work, Many in Gen Z May Never Work in an Office. Will It Matter?
A growing cohort of young employees have never worked from an office. They graduated during the pandemic or landed jobs just as offices began to shut down. And many of them—especially Generation Z—imagine they may never work in an office, as remote work becomes the default for many businesses. In general, they are OK with that: Many of them like being remote and want to be able to work that way. But there are drawbacks. Surveys show that young remote workers also feel unmoored and anxious. And researchers argue that the young workers may harm their personal and professional lives in the future by missing office work and the traditional experiences that prior generations took for granted: learning from older colleagues, schmoozing with bosses, settling into the rhythms of an office workday—or even just being face to face with others. It is new territory, and the experience is likely to shape these workers in lasting ways.
20th Feb 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullTransiting into a fully remote role? Here's what you might need to start
The readiness to switch up work format and ensure that business processes continue despite limitations is now more important than ever. It thus comes as no surprise that many companies are moving towards a hybrid working arrangement, where employees can work either from home or in the office when required. This gives flexibility for employees to develop a workspace best suited for them, opening up a world of opportunities where one can choose to work beside a pool, at the beach, inside a cafe, overseas or elsewhere.
17th Feb 2022 - Yahoo News
The Hybrid Work Model Is on the Rise — Here’s How to Find Work From Home Jobs
As many employers who went fully remote start to dip their toes into the water of attempting to bring their entire workforce back to the office, many are opting for the kind of flexibility a hybrid model gives in the short-term — part-time return, part-time work from home. But late last year, a report showed that nearly two-thirds of employees working remotely in the U.S. would prefer their positions stay work-from-home. The hybrid model might not be here forever, as more executives and companies get antsy about bringing everyone back for in-person work. So if you want to continue working from home, you might just have to search for (and secure) a job that was designed to be done remotely.
17th Feb 2022 - Rolling Stone
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Is a Choice, Not a Necessity, for Most, Pew Poll Shows
A majority of Americans who work from home today say they’re remote by choice, not necessity. That’s one key takeaway from a Pew Research Center survey, which found that the reasons for teleworking have changed considerably since the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, 61% of teleworkers who have an office say it’s their choice not to work from there, Pew found, up from about a third in October 2020. Fewer cite concerns about being exposed to the virus -- 42% now versus 57% back then.
16th Feb 2022 - Bloomberg
Research highlights importance of social chat for hybrid and remote teams
New research investigating the impact of hybrid working and the way colleagues communicate remotely has suggested that social chat is vital for workplace wellness. Researchers from two Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centres, the Adapt centre for AI-driven digital content technology and the centre for Research Training in Digitally Enhanced Reality (D-Real), have been looking into how workplace communication has changed since the pandemic. Their research acknowledged the importance of social talk or watercooler conversation as being key to workers’ wellbeing. It also provided recommendations as to how communication can be a feature of hybrid and remote workers’ lives.
16th Feb 2022 - Siliconrepublic.com
Virtual internships were a learning curve — now the future is hybrid
During the past two years, employers have faced a steep learning curve as they developed remote offerings for interns and trainees. Now a second shift is on the way — applying what was learnt in delivering virtual internships to make the most of a hybrid future. “Getting across the values of the firm can be difficult to do remotely and virtually if they [the interns] are logging on and logging straight off and being by themselves,” says Cathy Baxter, UK head of talent engagement at PwC, the professional services firm. Employers aimed to help interns feel as much a part of the team when working from home as they would in the office.
16th Feb 2022 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullIn 10 Years, ‘Remote Work’ Will Simply Be ‘Work’
A decade from now, offices shall be used for one thing and one thing only: quality time with colleagues. This seemingly bold prediction comes from Prithwiraj Choudhury, a Harvard Business School professor and expert on remote work. “We will probably in 10 years stop calling this ‘remote work’. We’ll just call it work,” he said. A long-time advocate of “work from anywhere,” Choudhury has studied firms that went 100% remote years before the pandemic. His research showed that a hybrid workforce is more productive, more loyal and less likely to leave. With companies from Twitter Inc. to PwC now giving employees the option to work virtually forever, Choudhury said businesses that don’t adapt risk higher attrition.
15th Feb 2022 - BloombergQuint
Why Remote Work Isn’t Only Beneficial For Employees
We're nearly two years into the pandemic that's shifted many office jobs to remote work, yet the discussion around the future of work often misses a critical point. By enabling employees to work from wherever they want and focusing less on in-person gatherings, businesses can be more productive while also creating more inclusive environments and continuing to foster real connections. Although some CEOs in the tech sector continue to delay return-to-office dates, what office workers will return to isn't the environment they left in March 2020. A remote-first culture can create more engaged employees, stronger retention and improved productivity.
15th Feb 2022 - Forbes
COVID Changed the World of Work Forever
The pandemic has taught many people that the job does not have to be the way it was. This realization may be one reason that many are not going back to their old jobs. At the end of 2021, the service provider and hospitality sectors were facing major challenges in enticing people back to these low-paid, heavy-demand jobs, with many positions remaining empty. At the same time, 4.5 million Americans (3 percent of the workforce) voluntarily quit their jobs in November, reflecting both discontent with their current positions and the desire to find better ones. But solving the burnout problem cannot fall to individual workers. The workplace must change. People burn out because their employers have not successfully managed chronic job stressors. We must place a stronger focus on modifying or redesigning workplace conditions. How can job environments be places that help people thrive rather than wearing them down?
15th Feb 2022 - Scientific American
Research Explores The Economic Benefits Of Remote Work During Covid-19
If you're a knowledge worker, the Covid-19 pandemic has almost certainly meant you have grown all too familiar with tools such as Zoom. The wholesale transition to remote working has by and large been successful, with research suggesting that productivity has largely been strong during the pandemic, even if there have been possible consequences for collaboration and innovation. "If you have the right connectivity, remote working can increase the productivity across the team, but it certainly isn't without issues," Neil Parker, GM of EMEA at intelligent automation provider Laiye says. "When you haven't met someone the relationship is inevitably very different, so when you're tackling challenging situations, whether that's collaboration or more disciplinary issues, it can be difficult."
15th Feb 2022 - Forbes
Hybrid working must still allow career progression
In the UK, restrictions have now lifted and professionals can return to offices, but many businesses plan to continue with a hybrid model. In this new way of working, employees in the investment sector are considering the impacts this could have on career progression. Hybrid working has largely been welcomed by employees but stigma about working remotely remains in some organisations.
15th Feb 2022 - FT Adviser
Two-thirds of UK workers find making work friends remotely challenging, research finds
Employers have been urged to do more to encourage social connections between remote staff after a survey revealed that nearly two thirds of Brits find it difficult to make work friends while working from home. A poll of 2,500 UK workers, conducted by OC Tanner as part of its Global Culture Report, found 63 per cent said it was more challenging forming new friendships with colleagues while working remotely. Over half of those polled (58 per cent) also admitted that the office was where most of their new friendships are formed, while 71 per cent of UK workers said they valued colleague interactions.
15th Feb 2022 - People Management Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullResearch highlights impact of disconnection among remote workers
Remote working has left some employees feeling less engaged and detached from their team, according to new research that sheds light on the importance of connection in hybrid working. As more companies begin to move towards the hybrid model, new research has focused on how employee wellbeing is being addressed. The research from the SFI ADAPT Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology and the SFI Centre for Research Training in Digitally-Enhanced Reality (D-REAL) has proposed recommendations to help develop a more connected online workplace.
14th Feb 2022 - Irish Examiner
One third of Brits still working from home despite rule changes, data show
Vast numbers of Brits are still working from home, despite being free to go back to the office since the government repealed its advice to work remotely nearly a month ago. Boris Johnson announced on 20 January that in England the working from home guidance would be withdrawn immediately. Despite this, between 19 January and 30 January, 36% of working adults reported having worked from home at least once in the last seven days, according to new data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The ONS said this proportion had actually increased in recent weeks, but was still below the July 2020 peak, when nearly half of all working adults worked from home.
14th Feb 2022 - Sky News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow to choose the best digital nomad visa and what to consider before applying
Over the last couple of years, lots of new digital nomad visas have become available in countries all over the world. There are currently 30-70 visas and permits out there. Some have been specifically designed for remote workers while others are previously existing visas that have been adapted to people who want to work while travelling. What these remote work programmes offer is peace of mind and the chance to work remotely - totally legally. That said, the choice can be overwhelming and there are lots of details to work out.
13th Feb 2022 - Euronews
Remote Workers Have More ‘Digital Anxiety’ Than Office Counterparts: New Poll
Remote workers apparently have more to worry about than their in-office counterparts. Indeed, according to a new international survey, 67% of these workers said they worry more about their online security and privacy their in-office counterparts (58%), even though there is nothing wrong that would trigger their concerns. The survey was conducted by cybersecurity firm F-Secure and included 7,200 workers from around the world.
13th Feb 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullAlmost 80 per cent of business leaders expect remote working post-Covid, say IoD
An Institute of Directors survey of almost 700 business leaders in January 2022 has shown that around 8 out of 10 organisations plan to adopt remote working in the long-term. The research found that over a quarter (27%) of directors expect their organisations to be fully flexible, with the use of remote working being down to the individual staff member, and a further 39% intend to shift towards one to four days of remote working per week. An additional 13% reported their organisation moving entirely to remote working, while just 16% are not planning to introduce any form of remote working. The IoD also found that business leaders were split on whether working from home was more or less productive.
10th Feb 2022 - Politics
Remote & Alternative Work Arrangements - Strategies for Success and Reducing Risk
Remote work during COVID-19 wasn’t and isn’t a fad. Many companies have swiftly adapted and shifted to this landscape by reassessing their capabilities, building and leveraging infrastructure, and using cost savings to provide their employees with a better, more flexible work experience. Leveraging advancements in technology has given companies more choices in how they operate and where their employees work. Employers have seen that work at scale is achievable with alternative work arrangements, and workers have benefited from being home, feeling safer during the COVID pandemic, and not having to commute.
10th Feb 2022 - JD Supra
Most company directors expect remote working to continue and many find more gets done, report suggests
Most business leaders plan to keep remote working arrangements in place, often feeling staff were more productive, new research suggests. A survey of 700 business leaders found that more than one in four expect their organisation to be fully flexible, leaving it down to individual employees where they want to be based.
Two in five respondents to the Institute of Directors (IoD) poll said they planned to allow one to four days of remote working a week. Only about one in six directors said they were not planning to have any form of remote working.
10th Feb 2022 - Evening Standard
How can I get the best out of staff who are working remotely?
Remote or hybrid working patterns have become common during the pandemic but research has shown that more than two thirds of managers have not been trained on how best to manage their reports remotely. Here are three tips to help you to get the best out of your colleagues.
10th Feb 2022 - The Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHow virtual fashion can shake up the remote work dress code
Stow those shapeless sad-sack sweatpants. Meh to normcore avatars on Microsoft Mesh. Imagine showing up to your next virtual meeting, in a kinetic, digitally-rendered top that conveys your mood and personality? What sounds like zany science fiction is, in fact, already happening. Fashion-forward social media influencers are snapping up ready-to-wear virtual pants and tops (price range: $30 to $700) to augment their on-screen avatars. As more companies follow Microsoft and Meta into the metaverse, fashion designers like Gala Marija Vrbanic are getting in on the enormous possibilities for self-expression.
9th Feb 2022 - Quartz
How to Work Remotely From Another Country: A Brief Guide
Whether you're a professional with part-time remote-work privileges or a full-time digital nomad, plenty of places and companies are eager to cater to your wanderlust. If a shorter trip free from guesswork is all that time allows, then booking a longer stay at a hotel may be the path of least resistance even if it costs a bit more. Globally, many hotels have rolled out “workation” promotions. If you would prefer to work on-the-go for more than a month, and whip up your own meals from time to time, consider subscribing to an accommodation service. What about travelers who are perhaps a bit more independent and have an open-ended itinerary? Several nations now grant remote-working visas good for as long as a year.
9th Feb 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullRight to disconnect and less monitoring key to better remote work
Enterprises and governments should place clear limits on invasive workplace surveillance and support workers’ “right to disconnect” to reduce the negative physical and mental health impacts of digitally enabled remote working practices, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). In their joint technical brief on healthy and safe teleworking, the WHO and ILO said that although the increasing use of various digital technologies to support remote working has the potential to improve the work-life balance, promote flexible working hours and reduce time spent commuting, the negative impacts can be significant without proper planning and implementation.
8th Feb 2022 - Computer Weekly
Op-Ed: Work life will never be the same. We need some in-person days and some remote
Working from home surged twelvefold between 2017-2018 and May 2020. The pandemic is the biggest shock to American working life since the shift to military production during World War II. Employees are driving this revolution. Surveys of 50,000 workers across the country find they want to work from home 2.5 days a week on average after the pandemic. Employees working from home frequently tell me how they enjoy the freedom of being able to go to the gym or see the dentist during a week day, making up the work time in the evenings or on weekends. I enjoy the ability to pick up my kids from school on work-from-home days. Employees with young children are the most likely to want to work from home.
8th Feb 2022 - MSN.com
Brazil Authorizes Remote Work Visas
Brazil’s government is encouraging travelers to become “digital nomads” by working remotely in the South American nation. A measure passed January 24 by the country’s National Immigration Council of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security authorizes one-year visas and residency permits, an Embratur spokesman said Monday. In a program mirroring other remote-work plans that emerged following the pandemic outbreak, Brazilian visitors “may work for foreign employers while staying in Brazil, with no formal employment registered in the country” under the new policy.
8th Feb 2022 - TravelPulse
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe perils of ‘onboarding’ in a world of hybrid work
During this time of historically high worker turnover, getting new hires settled in quickly is critical. “Poor onboarding is costly,” says Becky Frankiewicz, Chicago-based president of ManpowerGroup North America, a multinational staffing company. “If it doesn’t make a new person feel welcome and clear on their role as part of the culture, then people will vote with their skills and take new offers.” Kristin Barry, director of hiring analytics at Gallup, says employees still have the same needs, whether online or off. “What’s different about the pandemic is the mode of experiencing those things”. New staff are always trying to figure out “what do we believe in around here”, Barry says, adding that “before they could do some of that sleuthing on their own, they could view the way people interact, when they gather and what happens, and could deduce the answer to some questions”. Now companies have to be more “intentional” about how they convey such messages, she says.
7th Feb 2022 - The Financial Times
Data scientists say that remote working is here to stay
The rise of digital nomads, freelancers, and remote workers has spurred the growth of co-working spaces. The sector is filling a void created by the flexibilization of work during the pandemic, which has led to more people working remotely. Around 4.5 million Americans left their jobs in November last year in the face of the “Great Resignation,” citing being overworked, underpaid, lacking benefits, and preferring to work from home or remotely. For many workers, the idea of working remotely is a dream come true. However, many employers resist the change, insisting that employees return to the office. This could change as data scientists project that remote working is here to stay.
7th Feb 2022 - Tech HQ
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Great Reshuffle: Companies are reinventing rules as employees seek remote work, flexible hours and life beyond work
Millions of Americans are quitting their jobs and rethinking what they want when it comes to work and work-life balance. Companies are responding, meeting their employees’ needs in areas like remote work, flexible hours, four-day workweeks, compensation and more. This story is part of a series looking at the “Great Reshuffle” and the shift in workplace culture that is taking place right now.
6th Feb 2022 - CNBC
3 New Studies End Debate Over Effectiveness Of Hybrid And Remote Work
The debate over remote and hybrid work continues to grow. Some companies resisted, and iron-fisted leaders pulled the old hat trick (“It’s your job to work hard and deal with stress, so grin and bear it.”), arguing against the concept of remote work. Others cited productivity concerns and tactical problems that limited a supervisor’s ability to observe and coach employees. A handful of business leaders pushed back. Josh Feast, CEO of Cognito Corporation, argued that supervisors could find innovative ways to connect with and manage workers from afar “by ensuring their colleagues feel heard and know they are not alone. Exhibiting heightened sensitivity to emotional intelligence—particularly in a time where physical isolation has become a necessity—is vital.” Alice Hricak, managing principal of corporate interiors at Perkins and Will, said working from home showcases new approaches and debunks old ideas that it leads to low productivity, less visibility and little opportunity for collaboration.
6th Feb 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullWhy Listening To Your Employees Is Key To A Dynamic Remote/Hybrid Work Environment
Most employees and companies have proven that a remote workforce works, but there are companies that are looking to bring employees back to the office. Is that what employees want? From what you read and what people are telling me: not really. A recent survey found that 76% of working Americans want their company to make work permanently flexible in terms of schedule and/or location. Companies need to meet employees “where they are,” and even if your company has plans to go back in person, creating an incredible remote experience still needs to be prioritized
3rd Feb 2022 - Forbes
Work From Anywhere: The best places for remote workers that are within three hours of GMT
Interest in working flexibly or opting for a “workation” has soared since the start of the pandemic, with many workers and employers recognising that office hours don’t always have to take place within the confines of an office block. Now, a new survey has revealed that more than four out of five (84 per cent) of respondents polled say Working From Anywhere (WFA) is the new Working From Home (WFH), with respondents keen to combine a career with travelling the world. An awareness of the advantages that come with working in similar time zones has resulted in a shortlist of the 10 best countries to WFA within three hours of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
3rd Feb 2022 - The Independent
Hong Kong expands government work-from-home plans as Omicron bites
The Hong Kong government said on Thursday it would extend a work-from-home plan for civil servants as health officials warned tougher measures could follow amid a worsening COVID-19 outbreak. Aside from those involved with essential and urgent work, all other civil servants - who had been due to resume work on Friday - will remain working from home until Feb. 11. Health officials said on Thursday many untraceable transmission chains of the Omicron variant were spreading across the global financial hub - a warning that comes as many Hongkongers enjoy Lunar New Year gatherings. "There is quite severe community transmission at the moment," said
3rd Feb 2022 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullSwitzerland to Scrap Work-From-Home Requirement and Ease Other Covid Rules
Switzerland will consider lifting almost all pandemic-related rules, including showing Covid certificates in restaurants and wearing masks on public transport, later this month. The country will scrap a working-from-home requirement, turning it into a recommendation, as well as end quarantine for those who have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus, from Thursday. “Today is a great day,” Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said. “This beautiful day marks the beginning of a new stage in this long and difficult crisis. Of course, this does not mean that the pandemic is over, but we see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
2nd Feb 2022 - Bloomberg
Reason people want to keep working remotely
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article showing that some “homers”—those who eschew the office and prefer to work from home—have a secret: They have two jobs. The demands of working a full-time job from home were apparently not enough to prevent some from taking on an extra one. Ziprecruiter reports that remote workers make $66,000 annually on average, far above the livable wage. The WSJ reports that those they interviewed are on track to make $200,000 to $600,000 per year with that extra job.
2nd Feb 2022 - Fast Company
Tallinn’s got talent: Why Estonia’s capital is the best city in the world for digital nomads
Tallinn was recently ranked by one blog as the best city in the world for remote workers. Every element reinforces this reputation; Tallinn is such an optimal base, “Not because of one wow thing, but a gazillion small things that accumulate into your experience”. To make things even easier, every service is online, and foreigners can access them through the digital nomad visa – which launched in 2020 and allows location-independent workers to live in Estonia for up to a year – or e-Residency, which in 2014 saw Estonia become the first country to allow foreigners to run a business in the country from anywhere in the world.
2nd Feb 2022 - The Independent
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Pandemic Scramble to Legalize Home-Based Businesses
Many entrepreneurs starting companies in kitchens and garages find that city zoning codes can subject home businesses to unworkable standards — or ban them altogether.
2nd Feb 2022 - Bloomberg
Remote work isn’t hurting innovation. Work is.
Employees want to work from home. Their bosses, however, can’t wait to get back to the office. Knowledge workers think being remote makes their jobs better, while managers worry the arrangement could cause the quality of work to suffer. But in scapegoating remote work, companies may be disguising the real scourge of creativity right now: too much work. Executives were nearly three times more likely than non-executives to say they want to return to the office full time, according to Slack’s Future Forum Pulse survey.
1st Feb 2022 - MSN
Remote Work Is Here To Stay And Will Increase Into 2023, Experts Say
While some companies continue to thumb their noses at The Great Resignation and insist that employees come back into the office, data scientists at Ladders insist that the writing is on the wall. Remote work is here to stay. According to their projections, 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022, and remote opportunities will continue to increase through 2023.
1st Feb 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullTokyo's Population Declines for First Time in 26 Years With Remote-Work Trend
Tokyo’s population shrank last year for the first time in a quarter century, as more businesses turned to remote work amid the pandemic. Japan has been trying for years to revive its regional economies and stop Tokyo from gobbling up more and more of the nation’s shrinking population. Now, the coronavirus appears to have done what no government policy could: stem the flow of people into the crowded city. As the pandemic heads into its third year, shifting attitudes about remote work are one reason for the change.
31st Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
Is your job at risk? The roles most likely to be moved out of the UK due to remote working
Remote working could cost swathes of Britons their jobs as firms look to move roles outside the UK, recruiters have warned. With companies "struggling to coax workers back into the office", there is "much less downside to offshoring" than there was before the pandemic, according to Randstad, one of the world's largest recruiting companies. The firm told Sky News growing wage demands are "emboldening some global employers to move jobs to low-cost centres".
31st Jan 2022 - Sky News
What Local Teams Can Learn From Global Teams About Working Remotely
Long before the pandemic, global teams faced time, distance, and communication barriers that they had to overcome in order to collaborate as a team. Since 2020, the world has irreversibly changed. As global teams augment their long-standing practices for remote collaboration with newer and better tricks, local teams that have much less experience collaborating remotely can learn a lot from them.
31st Jan 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullPlanning for remote working offers an opportunity to resolve long-standing issues
The Irish Government has published draft law on remote working that enshrines an employee’s right to seek to work remotely, but which also gives employers 13 grounds for refusing. This may seem unexpectedly weighted in favour of employers, many of whom are anxious to at least establish the office as a designated place of work. That may be an employer’s starting point, but the progressive and wise among them are also aware a happy employee is a productive employee. The question of productivity is also answered. In most cases it has soared during lockdown and under work-from-home restrictions. The future of work favoured by employers and employees seems to be some form of hybrid model, bespoke to each particular set of circumstances: part of the week at home, part in the office.
30th Jan 2022 - Independent.ie
Remote working new normal; 82% employees prefer working from home: Study
With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing unprecedented changes in work life, a study has revealed that 82 percent respondents admitted that they prefer working from home to going back to the office. The remote work trend was initially forced on employees due to the pandemic, however, after two years remote working has become a new normal and as things settled down new habits have formed
29th Jan 2022 - cnbctv18
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullThese companies decided to go fully remote -- permanently
As the pandemic heads into yet another year, companies are still grappling with uncertainty in the workplace. Many have attempted to reopen their offices, only to be stymied by new variants or outbreaks that necessitated yet another shutdown or a delayed re-opening. So some businesses are removing the guesswork altogether by deciding to remain fully remote -- permanently. Here's what happened when these companies decided to pivot to remote work full-time.
27th Jan 2022 - CNN
Spain digital nomad visa: the new remote working hotspots
Spain’s plans for a digital nomad visa are expected to be announced in the next couple of months. As part of the country’s recent Startup Act, foreign nationals working remotely for non-Spanish companies will be permitted to live in the country without needing a full work visa. The draft law for the visa must now go to parliament, where it needs a majority to be passed - this could take until spring.
27th Jan 2022 - The Independent
Yes, You Can Find a Mentor While Working Remotely
Remote and hybrid work has upended many traditional mentorship arrangements, leaving up-and-comers in search of more seasoned professionals to learn from and help their career climb. In the absence of in-person mentoring opportunities, people in their 20s and 30s are going online to pitch themselves as remote mentees, sometimes engaging in behavior once considered gauche, such as sending cold-call emails and sliding into the social-media DMs of stars in their field. They risk not hearing back. Some prominent professionals might be wary of online messages from people they have neither met nor heard of. A number of mentees who have sought mentorship this way say they have caught the attention of people they admire because, well, everyone is online now.
27th Jan 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
What workers need to know before permanently working remotely
Remote work is a growing — and in some cases, permanent — reality for employees across the nation, and many workers have been embracing the flexibility to work from home during the pandemic. But be aware: Legal ramifications and workplace pitfalls could be abundant if you aren’t careful. As first-time remote workers settle into this new style of work, they may want to consider familiarizing themselves with a few issues that may arise.
27th Jan 2022 - The Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe small cities and towns booming from remote work
With the pandemic decoupling work and place, it’s now possible to live in areas that haven’t historically offered jobs for certain professionals. For some secondary cities and smaller towns, this presents an opportunity to reverse brain drain, counter aging populations and inject money into city coffers. But for others, this new trend has distorted housing markets, priced-out working-class residents and brought big city problems to small cities that were wholly unprepared for them.
26th Jan 2022 - BBC News
Hybrid work: How the 'Zoom ceiling' hurts remote workers
When given the choice, the majority of workers would prefer to work remotely. And flexibility is one of the most important benefits when candidates consider a new job. But working from home can have a hidden downside, says Elora Voyles, industrial organizational psychologist and people scientist at TINYpulse. “Remote workers aren’t getting the same amount of recognition for the work that they are doing,” she says. “In particular, there’s research that remote workers are working longer hours, actually performing better, but 50% less likely to get promoted.” This is a case of out of sight, out of mind.
26th Jan 2022 - Fast Company
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote possibilities: seven tips to help you leave the office behind for good
With the world of employment changing like never before, many are increasingly finding that work is wherever you (and a trusty internet connection) are. Indeed, many small businesses are ditching their offices altogether. We asked some owners who’ve been there, done that, for their top tips on making fully remote working work.
25th Jan 2022 - The Guardian
Work from home Ireland legislation: New hubs pinpointed as remote work drive intensifies
The Irish Government is to identify locations for remote working hubs around the country as ministers meet to discuss legislation to make it a legal right for employees to request working remotely. The Irish Independent understands the Department of Enterprise is working with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in developing a new, national map which combines existing broadband hubs and childcare facilities across the country. The “mini census” will pinpoint communities which have good broadband and childcare facilities and may be suitable for new remote working hubs.
25th Jan 2022 - Independent.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullPersonality, not age, determines engagement while working remotely, new study reveals
The myth that age determines remote working success has been busted by new research from Thomas International. The study- released as offices open up again but with many organisations continuing to follow a hybrid model – initially found that over-40s are 28% more likely to get lost in their work compared with their millennial counterparts. Over-40s are also 24% more likely to feel good about what they’re doing when working remotely, the study found. However it also suggests that other factors associated with older generations, such as enhanced financial freedom, better homeworking space, and increased job confidence, may be responsible for higher levels of engagement in remote working.
24th Jan 2022 - fenews.co.uk
Remote working: Bill will require employers to have written policy on working from home
In Ireland, employers will have to publish a written policy on the right for employees to work remotely, according to proposed new legislation to be discussed by Ministers on Tuesday. It will set out a framework whereby an employer can either approve or reject a request to work remotely from an employee. The WRC will also provide protections for employees against being penalised for remote working.
24th Jan 2022 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullCompanies adopt flexible work approaches as they plan for the future of work
The traditional idea of going to the office five days a week or working 9 to 5 may be dying. Some companies are making room for more creative and flexible approaches to getting workers to do their jobs. Zoom, which many workplaces and workers relied on during the pandemic, is starting to allow its more than 6,000 workers to choose whether to work in the office, work remotely, or go hybrid, as in working remotely a certain number of days per week or month at their choosing. These approaches come as companies rethink workplace policies amid the fast spread of the omicron variant and the “Great Resignation,” during which employers are finding it more difficult to retain talent.
23rd Jan 2022 - The Washington Post
Working from home: how it changed us forever
Though England has ended its work-from-home guidance, this time, surely, for good, we won’t forget what we learned, the new ways of communicating, the particular realisations about our own mangled productivity, the importance of switching off when the work day ends. But nor will we forget what we missed about office culture, and what we appreciate afresh – the thrill of really good gossip, the unlikely community there, the change that happens when you leave the house. As many British office spaces remain vacant, it is projected that one in 10 will no longer be required by 2027, which suggests that while the grand work revolution is yet to emerge, a smaller shift, allowing a flake of flexibility, has taken place.
23rd Jan 2022 - The Guardian
Call for remote work to continue as Ireland logs 8,126 Covid cases
Ireland has logged a further 8,126 cases of Covid-19, amid a call from unions for remote and hybrid working to continue as tomorrow marks the beginning of a return to the office. Head of communications with Forsa, Bernard Harbour, said employers should not ignore the benefits of hybrid working.
23rd Jan 2022 - BreakingNews.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote Working Surges as Criteria for More Jobseekers in U.K.
More jobseekers in Britain are looking to work remotely, a survey showed, indicating that the shift away from office work may outlast the pandemic. Indeed, a job search website, said 10% of its advertisements now offer remote work as an option and about 2.4% of all searches by potential candidates, up 10-fold from 2019. Britain had one of the biggest increases in remote working during the pandemic and in the share of vacancies offering it as an option, Indeed said, citing its own research and work by the OECD. Those posts were disproportionately concentrated in higher-paying, non-client facing roles.
20th Jan 2022 - BloombergQuint
More of us than ever want jobs that we can do remotely, says study
Eeven as we come out of the pandemic, the trend for remote work is likely to continue. New research from Indeed suggests that interest in roles that can be done remotely is higher than ever in the UK, showing more of us are prioritising increased flexibility. The proportion of job searches on Indeed by candidates looking for remote work has risen tenfold since before the pandemic, with the UK seeing one of the biggest rise in vacancies offering remote work out of all countries. One in ten job adverts now offer remote working options – nearly four times more than did so pre-Covid.
20th Jan 2022 - Metro
How Gen Z Feels about Remote Work Will Surprise You
For most Americans, working remotely over the last three years has been a huge adjustment, but what about the recent graduates who have never stepped foot in an office? Gen Z, which accounts for people born between 1997 and 2012, includes those who graduated from college in 2019, 2020, or 2021. Many of them have only known remote work. One in five or 20% of Gen Z employees have never worked in person. The big question is what effect this will have on their ability to develop as employees? Is it putting them behind in finding mentors, learning new skills, or networking with other professionals? What does this mean for their careers and the future of work? What does Gen Z think about all this?
20th Jan 2022 - HR Exchange Network
Could The New Hybrid Workplace Turn Some Women Into Second-Class Employees?
Many of the workplace trends of 2020 and 2021 will continue into 2022. Not only does the Omicron variant remind us that Covid-19 is not going away anytime soon, but our ideas about work are changing and, in some cases, permanently. One trend likely to remain for some time is the emergence of the hybrid workplace—with employees being given the optionality to work in the office and remotely. The freedom to be able to continue working remotely is being billed as a boon for women, allowing them to craft their own solutions to the increasingly difficult challenge of work-life balance. But what if choosing to work remotely brings a degree of freedom but also comes at a cost? What if women (and others opting for remote work) sacrifice career opportunities in the process?
20th Jan 2022 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullHere's Why Remote Work Isn't Going Anywhere in 2022
Adoption of remote work continues to skyrocket, even as a record number of Americans continue to leave their jobs. But as the pandemic shifts and changes, will these trends remain? In this segment of Backstage Pass, recorded on Dec. 22, Fool contributor Rachel Warren discusses the complex answer to this key question.
19th Jan 2022 - MSN.com
Change your settings: How a ‘workation’ banished my January blues
Helen Coffey writes about the benefits of a January 'workation', taking advantage of remote work while enjoying a change of scenery. "The post-Christmas come-down, coupled with (for this office worker) an indefinite shift back to working from home, had plunged me headfirst into a case of January blues so strong I couldn’t figure out how to snap out of it." "But it suddenly occurred to me that the very thing that had sparked struggles - the return to WFH - could also be the fix. We were back to a spot we’d been in at various points during the seemingly endless pandemic cycle. Working remotely could either be seen as a prison cell or a get-out-of-jail-free card, releasing us from the shackles of the office."
19th Jan 2022 - The Independent
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullAlmost 90% of employees would like to stay working remotely after Covid restrictions end
More than two-thirds (69%) of people, who are unable to work due to longstanding health problems, would consider taking up employment if it could be done remotely. This is according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which published findings from their pulse survey on remote working – ‘Our Lives Online’. This report looked at how our work has moved away from regular workplaces to homes, and other environments, since the pandemic began
18th Jan 2022 - Irish Examiner
Eager for New Residents, Venice Lures Remote Workers
Launched in December 2021 by the Università Ca’ Foscari and the Fondazione di Venezia, a nonprofit group that protects Venice’s cultural heritage, Venywhere aim is to convince people who can do their jobs from anywhere to do so in Venice — and its founders believe that the lagoon city, studded with crumbling palazzi and half-used spaces, is the perfect laboratory to experiment with new ways of working. Inspired by the Tulsa Remote work program in the U.S. and a slew of similar efforts from around the world, leaders in the Italian city are eager to bring in young professionals who want to live and work there, not just vacation.
18th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
Is the ‘Zoom ceiling’ the new glass ceiling? Experts worry remote work will hold women back
There is a bias favoring those who are in the office compared to those who are not, which can keep remote workers from getting promotions and leadership positions, says Elora Voyles, people scientist at human resources software company Tinypulse. She has coined it the “Zoom ceiling” and believes it has become the new glass ceiling. It mostly affects women, people of color and those with disabilities, since they are more likely to opt for remote work, Voyles said.
18th Jan 2022 - CNBC
4 signs a company is actually invested in remote work long-term
Office workers around the country are still working remotely or in a hybrid setup as the pandemic enters its third year. In that time, companies from Twitter to PwC to Robinhood have said they’ll let people continue working from home even after the risks of Covid-19 subside. But allowing people to work from home isn’t the same thing as making the remote-work experience a good one, says Brie Reynolds, career services manager at FlexJobs. Plus, even if workers really want the flexibility to work remotely, a bad setup where people don’t feel supported could lead them to default back to offices in a post-pandemic world.
18th Jan 2022 - CNBC
Work From Home Is Becoming a Permanent Part of How Jobs Are Done
In the second-to-last week of December, 42.4% of U.S. workdays were worked from home. That’s according to a monthly survey commissioned by a trio of economists studying remote work, who couldn’t get the answers they needed from government data. It’s probably the best measure we have of how entrenched working from home has become since the arrival of Covid-19. Before the pandemic, WFH accounted for about 5% of U.S. paid full workdays, Jose Maria Barrero of the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Nicholas Bloom of Stanford, and Steven Davis of the University of Chicago estimated on the basis of a government survey conducted in 2017 and 2018. That share catapulted past 60% in spring 2020, according to their Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, and has held remarkably steady at a bit above 40% since May 2021, not long after vaccines became available to all working-age Americans.
18th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg Businessweek
Airbnb CEO Joins Work-From-Anywhere Party With Plan to ‘Live on Airbnb’
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is walking the talk of his “golden age of travel,” saying that he’ll be “living on Airbnb” and staying in different locations for the next few months. Chesky, who announced his plans in a Twitter thread Tuesday, has been vocal about the pandemic changing the nature of travel as employees gain more flexibility to work from anywhere. Long-term stays, or those that are more than one month, were the company’s fastest-growing category during the third quarter and accounted for 20% of the nights booked.
18th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullCorporate America comes around on remote work
The case for the functionality of remote work has largely been settled: The wheels of productivity continued to hum on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley and other corporate strongholds even as their sprawling offices lay vacant. Employees stayed home and learned how to live at work. And throughout 2021, profits rolled in. Corporate leaders attempting to coax employees back to the office have largely accepted the inevitability of the hybrid work model - a strategy buttressed by the reality of raging coronavirus rates, a tight labor market and the nation's more than 10 million job openings. Now they are learning to leverage its benefits, according to Adam Galinsky, a professor of leadership and ethics at Columbia Business School in New York. That includes more flexibility and less time commuting for employees, and lower real estate and operating costs for companies.
17th Jan 2022 - Yahoo News
Remote working gives S'pore edge in attracting talent, but could worsen inequality: Panel
In a world where working remotely has become more commonplace, making it easier for people to relocate, cities like Singapore, which offer not just a good business environment but also quality of life, will have a competitive edge in attracting global talent. But while the mobility of the global workforce allows Singapore to compete for talent in a way that was not possible before, this could also worsen inequality, said panellists at the Singapore Perspectives conference. That is why the pursuit of economic achievement must happen in tandem with improvements in other social dimensions, they added.
17th Jan 2022 - The Straits Times
Remote working brings biggest Gaeltacht jobs boost for 25 years
In Ireland, a desire to relocate during the pandemic may be behind the best performance by companies based in the Gaeltacht for 25 years. Údarás Na Gaeltachta, the regional authority for the region, announced the creation of 825 new full-time jobs in Gaeltacht companies in 2021, the highest number of jobs created in one year since 2008. Údarás chairperson Anna Ní Ghallachair said that during the pandemic there had been a boost as people, particularly young people relocated away from cities to work remotely.
17th Jan 2022 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Impact Of Remote Work On Productivity And Creativity
Microsoft recently conducted an extensive study that looked at data from more than 60,000 of their employees over a six-month period, starting just before the start of the pandemic. The findings, published in Nature Human Behavior, revealed some interesting and thought-provoking insights surrounding hybrid workplaces and the potentially negative effects of remote work on collaboration, innovation and output. To sum things up: While short-term productivity may go up, long-term productivity will likely go down.
16th Jan 2022 - Forbes
Google Spends Billions On Buying Office Buildings: Is This A Sign Of The Post-Pandemic Pushback Against Remote Work?
In light of the surge of Omicron, a large number of companies, across all sectors, have pushed back their return-to-office plans. After enduring a nearly two-year pandemic, it would seem that business executives would give up on telling people to return to an office setting. Going counter to the remote and hybrid-workplace trend, Google announced Friday that it would purchase a London office building for $1 billion. The tech giants are clearly keeping all options open. It makes sense. If there is a backlash against remote work two or three years down the line, the tech companies would then have to scramble to acquire properties
16th Jan 2022 - Forbes
Working from home is a nightmare for some Quebecers, a blessing for others
In mid-December, when the provincial government recommended that Quebecers return to working from home amid rising COVID-19 case counts, many wondered whether a full return to work would ever be possible. How you feel about remote work depends on a range of factors: whether you are new or a seasoned veteran, whether you are an employee or a manager — and what responsibilities you have at home. Remote work tends to be especially difficult for new employees
16th Jan 2022 - CBC.ca
How to Mentor Remote Workers
As the Omicron variant further delays many 2022 return-to-office plans, managers would be smart to ask themselves how their younger employees can find proper training and mentorship as we enter year three of the pandemic. The person you’re managing today could be in a different city, state, or country than you are, and you’ll have to use any number of software tools to carry out the job. But regardless of the tooling, or the methodology, or the big ideas you may have, it really comes back to investing uninterrupted, thoughtful energy in another person’s success.
16th Jan 2022 - The Atlantic
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullPandemic spurs new smart home products designed to boost your health and efficiency
Spending so much time working remotely over the past 22 months, we’ve had plenty of opportunity to note what’s unsatisfactory about systems and products around the home and to dream about technology that would make life better. Manufacturers got the message with a range of new or soon-to-be-introduced products. Here’s a look at a range of new smart products aimed at boosting comfort, convenience and energy efficiency in the home
13th Jan 2022 - The Washington Post
Will remote work stick after the pandemic?
New habits are sticking—and economists have gathered the data to prove it. Take remote work. Jose Maria Barrero of the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México presented results from research with Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University and Steven Davis of the University of Chicago. Since May 2020 the economists have conducted a monthly survey that, among other things, asks Americans about their plans to work remotely. A year ago, the results suggested that remote work would account for 20% of full-time hours after the pandemic. Over the past year, however, remote work has gained favour. Based on the survey results from December, the researchers reckon that 28% of hours might ultimately be worked from home. Employees who were once undecided now say they might sometimes work from home
13th Jan 2022 - The Economist
Remote work is a saving grace — and can increase productivity
Before the pandemic, working from the comfort of one’s home was a pipe dream for most people. But that’s changing. Apple, for example, recently announced its plan to implement a hybrid work program beginning Feb. 1, 2022. Apple’s remote-friendly plan isn’t particularly radical — in fact, it’s conservative compared to some other companies today. The companies behind Wikipedia, GitLab, WordPress, and PwC all have embraced work-from-anywhere policies. If the COVID-19 pandemic had any silver lining, it was that it proved the massive transition to remote work is both feasible and desirable.
13th Jan 2022 - The Hill
Fewer US remote workers feel comfortable returning to office
As Omicron infections surge across the United States, a weekly survey shows American workers are growing more uneasy about the prospect of returning to the office. Morning Consult’s weekly tracker of US adults who usually work from an office but have gone remote during the coronavirus pandemic found that 43 percent said on January 6 that they would feel uncomfortable returning to the office. That compares with 35 percent from the previous week and marks the highest reading since September. In a sign of just how reluctant workers are becoming about upping stakes from their home offices to work in person with office peers, more than half of those surveyed last week – 55 percent – said they would consider quitting their jobs before returning to the office.
12th Jan 2022 - Aljazeera.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullUniversities urged to ‘raise their game’ by allowing staff to teach remotely
Universities have been urged to allow clinically vulnerable staff to work remotely and to provide all staff with higher-quality face masks. The University and College Union (UCU) said that employers must “raise their game” and allow staff who need to work remotely “due to increased risk factors, isolation or caring responsibilities” to do so through reducing the numbers of people required on site.
12th Jan 2022 - Belfast Telegraph
Companies shouldn't waste this chance to make work more humane, says author of new book on remote work
The new book “Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home,” makes the case for organizations to rethink the relationship between work and life. Authors Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen look at why our current model of hybrid needs to evolve. Companies have a chance to restructure work so that people can have more balance in their lives.
12th Jan 2022 - CNBC
Maintaining staff health and safety while working remotely
The pandemic has seen an increasing number of employees fully embrace the opportunity to work from home. According to analysis by newspaper the i, the UK has maintained higher levels of remote work than most of Europe and has 25 per cent fewer people in workplaces now when compared to before the pandemic. Yet remote working poses some potential issues for employers, particularly when it comes to the health and safety of the workforce. Legislation under the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974 states that employers have a duty of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all their employees, including employees working remotely.
12th Jan 2022 - People Management Magazine
Omicron Has Workers on Edge About Returning to the Office: Poll
Workers grew more uncomfortable about heading back to the office in the first week of the year and were much more likely to consider quitting if their employer demanded they return, a sign that companies’ efforts to get people back amid rising Covid caseloads face stiff resistance. The share of remote workers who would consider leaving their job if they were asked back to the office before they felt safe rose to 55% as of Jan. 6, up from 45% just a week earlier, according to pollster Morning Consult. More than 4 in 10 workers felt unsure about returning to the office, compared with 35% who said so on Dec. 30. People were also less likely to want to attend indoor sporting events, go to the movies and dine out, Morning Consult’s weekly U.S. survey found.
12th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
Work Anywhere and Commute by Plane, Yahoo Tells Japan Employees
Yahoo Japan is telling its 8,000 employees they can work anywhere in the country -- and even be flown into work when the job requires it -- bucking the trend of companies looking to return workers to offices in the third year of the coronavirus pandemic. The program takes effect April 1 and allows employees to commute by plane, which wasn’t previously an option, the company said in a statement Wednesday. While Yahoo is best known for its internet portal in Japan, it’s a unit of SoftBank Group Corp.’s Z Holdings Corp., which also owns the Line messaging app and PayPay mobile payments service.
12th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullThis Is A Big Deel: FinTech Startup Frees People To Work Remotely From Anywhere In The World
Companies that offer a remote-first distributed workforce can recruit and hire anyone in the world. They are no longer constrained to candidates that live within commuting distance to the office. For job seekers, they are now free to search for jobs anywhere they want. Deel, and other companies in this space, will change how people work and where they live. For instance, a person living in India, the Ukraine, Costa Rica or South Dakota was not previously able to get a great job with a Silicon Valley tech firm or at a top-tier investment bank without having to uproot their lives, leave their families and friends behind and relocate. Now that thousands of companies offer remote work options, a person can apply to a job anywhere across the globe.
11th Jan 2022 - Forbes
Working from home means working different hours, but not necessarily more
Remote work does not apply to each and every profession, but where it does, its effects are felt. As many of us have experienced by now, remote work is a mixed bag. While many people feel more productive working from home and appreciate the flexibility this offers, there are also challenges such as finding focus amid distractions and "Zoom fatigue."A recently published working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) uses hard data to explore the impact of remote work on people's daily working schedule.
11th Jan 2022 - ZDNet
Surging Covid-19 Puts an End to Projected Return-to-Office Dates
If businesses have learned one thing from Covid-19, it is to stop trying to predict when they are going to be back in the office. Companies across the U.S. said they were returning to the workplace in September, only to put off those plans when the spread of the Delta variant accelerated. Many of those same firms were poised to dust off their office desks in January. Now major banks, technology companies and other firms have scrapped those plans thanks to the Omicron variant, and a sense that Covid-19 is going to linger longer than most first imagined.
11th Jan 2022 - Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullMethods For Building A Remote Work Organizational Culture
Remote work has made it difficult for an organizational culture to take hold. According to the recent global CHRO study by the Upraise Research Council, over 62% of organizations claim to have reworked their policies to meet the requirements of the new normal. We also found that the ability to work remotely is one of the most important concerns among the employees surveyed. Managers (or leaders in particular) need to overcome the differences that cause rifts in teams and inspire everyone on their team to work toward common goals — and they have to do this in remote situations. The physical distance, however, amplifies the personal differences and the workloads of managers.
10th Jan 2022 - Forbes
Working from home has entrenched inequality – how can we use it to improve lives instead?
Home and hybrid working has been embraced by a long list of tech companies that includes Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Spotify and dozens more. Something similar seems to be happening in the financial sector. Companies ought to pay much more attention to the needs of new recruits – pairing them with dedicated mentors, ensuring they have the option of spending all or most of their working hours in a workplace, allowing them to join a trade union. For all employees, there ought to be both an entitlement to collective representation, and the kind of right to disconnect – to not have to deal with emails, calls and messages outside working hours – that has been adopted in France, Italy and Spain, and is now tentatively supported – for public sector staff at least – by the government in Edinburgh. Somewhere in all that might be the beginnings of home and hybrid working that could actually improve people’s lives.
10th Jan 2022 - The Guardian
Has working from home killed off the office slacker?
The pandemic has changed the way many of us work, and the question is no longer when we will go back to the office but whether we will ever go back. This change in the way we work has many implications. Early in the pandemic, it was assumed that people who worked from home would be less productive than people working in an office. The opposite seems to have happened. People working from home tend to be more productive and get more done in fewer hours than they did in office settings. In part, this is because work from home involves fewer time-wasting activities, such as meetings. Initially, it was also feared that workers would less collaborative and less creative working from home, but there is little evidence that this fear has come true.
10th Jan 2022 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullRemote work is protecting employees from toxic workplaces. Now, employers must do better, says expert
For many racialized or marginalized employees, the option to work from home has given them a sense of relief. Earlier this week, the Ontario government released a directive for employees to work remotely unless their job requires them to be on site as part of provincial restrictions as COVID-19 cases rise due to the Omicron variant. Colleen James is founder and principal consultant at Divonify, an equity and inclusion consulting firm. She says employers should go the extra mile and allow long-term options for remote work while addressing systemic racism and challenges to tackle microaggressions in the workplace.
9th Jan 2022 - CBC.ca
Building a remote work culture in the digital-first economy
Despite the fact that digital workplaces are the future, many are still trying to find the right balance between human and tech centered culture that will foster productivity and innovation. In the new workplace model, employees are able to work from anywhere and stay connected with their teams and employers, but at the same time, it poses many challenges, such as constantly being online, managing work-life balance, and developing social skills and peer learning in the workplace.
9th Jan 2022 - People Matters
Work-From-Home Access Is Skewed Across U.S. Race, Education Gap
Remote work is here to stay and newly released U.S. government data show how much it could exacerbate inequalities. The ability to telework differed sharply by race and by level of education in a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of workers in their late 30s and early 40s. Almost half of White respondents worked from home at least part-time during the February 2021 through May 2021 survey period, compared with 38% of Black workers.
7th Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullCanada's Royal Bank tells staff to keep working remotely
Royal Bank of Canada has advised all employees in regions including Ontario and Quebec to work remotely if their jobs allow, following advice from these provincial governments. In the past week, both Ontario and Quebec announced renewed restrictions amid a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. Royal Bank, Canada's biggest bank by market value, joins all its major rivals in keeping employees at home
6th Jan 2022 - MSN.com
The Post-Pandemic Office Should Be a Clubhouse
Nitin Nohria writes: "When I talk with senior executives about the ongoing pandemic, I often hear them wistfully yearn for a “return to work.” This choice of words is significant because it highlights how much we associate work with a workplace. But the pandemic has taught us that many forms of work, especially high-end knowledge work, can be done effectively (or even more effectively) away from the workplace. When confronted with this fact, most executives say that coming to an office at least a few days a week is essential for fostering personal relationships, developing and integrating new employees, generating ideas and building company culture."
6th Jan 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullHas remote working killed company culture?
Lindsay Wall is General Manager EMEA at Wongdoody, a human experience company powered by consultancy Infosys. He explains how bosses can continue to get the best out of their staff, as they return to home-working amid a massive spike in coronavirus cases. "Remote working has in fact led to the adoption of entirely new - and arguably more productive - ways of working and accelerated the use of collaboration tools like Miro and Slack to help enable communication and build and drive positive company culture. It’s accelerated the need for businesses to re-think how they work and how they deliver Employee Experience"
5th Jan 2022 - Consultancy.uk
The era of flexible work in higher education has begun
The COVID-19 pandemic immediately and drastically altered our collective relationship with work. But how will faculty, staff and administrative jobs look different going forward? In mid-November, in the brief lull between the onset of the Delta and Omicron variants, Inside Higher Ed’s The Key podcast interviewed administrators at two universities that were out in front in addressing questions a lot of individuals and organizations are wrestling with.
5th Jan 2022 - Inside Higher Ed
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in full60% of the Romanian Millennials and earliest Gen Zs prefer working remotely with flexible hours no more than twice a week
Six out of ten (60%) Romanian Millennials and earliest members of Gen Z prefer a working arrangement that allows them to work from various locations, including home, during flexible hours, according to the latest edition of Deloitte Central Europe (CE) First Steps into the Labour Market report. This trend is also seen in the other CE countries, where 50% of the respondents prefer a similar working model. By contrast, only 5% of the Romanian respondents and 10% of the CE respondents prefer the traditional model of working in an office for fixed hours.
4th Jan 2022 - Business Review
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullIs It Time to Embrace Work-From-Home Forever?
It’s been two years since the Covid-19 pandemic sent everyone home, and for many workers 2022 will begin and end in the same way: on the couch. Most big tech companies pushed back their return-to-office dates multiple times this year, most recently in response to the omicron variant. All the canceled return-to-office targets have the cumulative effect of making each new deadline seem less credible. After all, the major tech companies seem to be doing just fine with remote work. The next step for employers and workers will be a reimaging of our new remote reality.
3rd Jan 2022 - Bloomberg
As Europe leads on remote worker rights, will others benefit?
In a major victory for better work-life balance, Portugal last month rolled out new regulations for the remote-work era, including granting workers the “right to disconnect” by forbidding firms from contacting employees outside of working hours except in cases of emergencies. But Portugal stopped short of granting workers the right to turn off their devices and ignore messages from their bosses outside of working hours – a rule Italy enacted earlier this year. Strides are also being made in France and Germany, where employers are required to have a valid reason for turning down employee requests to work from home. Trade unions and experts in the European Union and the United Kingdom welcome the momentum to advance the rights and wellbeing of remote workers, but they want the new rules to go even further. Experts say the explosion in remote work during the pandemic has laid bare how obsolete some labour laws have become.
3rd Jan 2022 - AlJazeera
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullCan Remote Work Be Sustained? Minding The Gaps In Hybrid Workplaces
It’s clear that organizations built on forward-looking corporate cultures are ready to sustain, on a permanent basis, hybrid workplaces that provide for both remote work as well as in-office experiences. The question is, are more rigid organizations ready for this kind of model? It seems many may be seeing the light, a recent Google Workspace survey of 1,244 managers and employees and associated research project, conducted with Economist Impact finds. In the wake of the great office work dispersal, three in four executives and employees in the Google survey believe that hybrid and flexible work is here to stay.
29th Dec 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home shouldn’t hinder promotion chances
Swinburne University of Technology researcher John Hopkins said while working from home might ordinarily hamper chances of progression, the pandemic had “levelled the playing field” for many. Associate Professor Matthew Beck from the University of Sydney Business School said he expected many firms would “judge outputs rather than inputs” in the office. “To attract talented workers, flexible work will likely need to be part of the package,” he said. "Younger workers will still need an opportunity for face time to form social and workplace culture connections.” Brendan Churchill, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne, said bosses often get the impression that staff who are not present in the office are not as dedicated.
28th Dec 2021 - Sydney Morning Herald
Costa Rica jumps into the global competition for remote workers
Costa Rica is giving foreigners tax and visa breaks if they work remotely from the Central American nation. Some Costa Ricans say the advantages are unfair to locals who do remote work and pay taxes.
28th Dec 2021 - NPR
New Report Highlights Remote Working's Impact On The Workforce
A new report from The Institute of Internal Auditors’ (IIA’s) Internal Audit Foundation (IAF) and AuditBoard reveals how remote working has impacted the workforce, as well as how to maintain a healthy distributed work culture. According to “The Remote Auditor: Challenges, Opportunities, and New Ways of Working” report, 58% of chief audit executives (CAEs) said their teams were working mostly remotely, while 22% stated they were taking a more hybrid approach. As a result, the data showed that over half of respondents stated their organization relied on cloud-based technology to improve their remote working experience.
28th Dec 2021 - Allwork.Space
Greece Reinstates Work-From-Home Mandate, Curbs on Nightlife
Greece reintroduced measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic amid concern that rising cases will pile pressure on the nation’s health care system. As much as 50% of all private and public-sector employees will have to work from home between Jan. 3 and Jan. 16, Health Minister Athanasios Plevris said
28th Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullPandemic Remote Work Spawns a New Class of Office Super Commuters
“Supercommuters” are the workers who — early in the Covid-19 quarantines — untethered themselves from cities where their jobs were or took new ones in far-flung locales, thinking they would be able to work from home forever. Now they’re waking up to the reality that their employers want them back, at least a few times a month. Not all of these long-haul travelers have been particularly forthcoming about their arrangements for fear of retaliation by supervisors. Others, daunted by the logistics, have resigned or moved closer to their jobs. While the U.S. workforce grew by 13% from 2010 to 2019, the ranks of supercommuters increased by 45%, according to Chris Salviati, senior housing economist at Apartment List.
22nd Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
Portugal brings forward mandatory remote working
The Portuguese government decided to bring forward the period when remote working will be mandatory to 25 December, Prime Minister António Costa announced on Tuesday.
22nd Dec 2021 - EURACTIV
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID: Remote working may become permanent - EU study
Going from being a health emergency to a social and economic one, the COVID-19 crisis expanded from urban areas to rural zones and it risks widening the divide between the centre and the periphery in the long term, according to a survey on the impact on territories of the pandemic that was carried out by Eurofound over three periods (spring 2020, summer 2020 and spring 2021). The possibility of remote working becoming a permanent characteristic of the world of work is one of the hypotheses. According to the survey, workers living in cities have a significantly higher probability of working remotely than those who live in less densely populated areas.
21st Dec 2021 - ANSA
Hybrid model of working likely to become norm past COVID-19 pandemic: expert
Over four million Canadians are working from home as of Oct. 2021, according to Statistics Canada, and that’s just under one quarter of the workforce. Michael Halinski, an assistant professor of Human Resources Management with the Ted Rogers School of Management, said there have been multiple benefits to the shift to remote work, but there are also challenges businesses have had to navigate. The shift has forced employees to experiment how they manage their work day.
21st Dec 2021 - CityNews Toronto
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullHybrid working and the fight for equality in 2022
Paul Clark at Poly explains what employers need to know to ensure equality and diversity in a hybrid workplace: "Business leaders who want most staff to return to the office full-time are swimming against the tide. Soon enough they’ll find unhappy workers voting with their feet. There are new rules at play now; new expectations after 18 months or more of remote working. But the hybrid model many predict will be the future of work comes pre-loaded with a whole new set of challenges and potential pitfalls. Research shows that over half (52%) of global workers think hybrid or home workers could be discriminated against, versus those in the office full-time."
20th Dec 2021 - business-reporter.co.uk
Why remote workers are flocking to Costa Rica
Costa Rica – the most stable country in the region, which enjoys the highest standard of living among its peers – has seen an influx of remote workers who had elected to install themselves in a virtual office next to a beach or rainforest during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, with borders being reopened, many are stretching their three-month tourist visa by visiting a neighboring country before returning once more, if they have not already availed themselves of a new law, which allows for the issue of a one-year extendable visa.
20th Dec 2021 - El País
Employees call for new leadership styles for hybrid working
With more and more workers looking to maintain some of the positives they enjoyed from remote working during the lockdown months, hybrid working is bringing unique challenges for organisations. At present, less than half of employees feel their bosses are supporting their physical and mental wellbeing, while two-thirds feel they are not empowered to make their own decisions – as micro-managing leaders slip back into their pre-pandemic habits.
20th Dec 2021 - Consultancy.uk
The Big Read: Work from anywhere in the world? Easier said than done as regulations, policies play catch-up
In Singapore, as borders reopen and families reunite, employees who have become used to remote work over the past months are starting to contemplate the possibility of doing that while overseas. This has been made possible by the accelerated digitalisation across almost all industries, which enabled employees to work away from the office during the pandemic. However, bigger questions have to be resolved if longer-term overseas remote work is to become commonplace. In particular, some laws and policies governing areas such as taxation, work benefits, company-employee relationships and foreign manpower would require a rethink.
20th Dec 2021 - CNA
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullUber, Google, Ford Delay Office Return as Omicron’s Spread Threatens Business Districts
Before the Omicron variant surfaced overseas last month, employers throughout the U.S. were preparing to call back employees to the office after the holidays. Now, a small but rising number of companies have modified or delayed plans as uncertainties swirl over the severity of the variant and its resistance to vaccines. That list includes Lyft, Ford, Uber and Google, though not all point to the new variant as the reason.
19th Dec 2021 - Wall Street Journal
How to Have a Perfect Work-From-Home Friday
In a job market rife with uncertainty almost two years into the pandemic, employees have codified one practice to let them start the weekend early: work-from-home Fridays. For those long accustomed to being stuck in a cubicle until 4 p.m. or later, the great remote-working experiment has created opportunities to fine-tune schedules and get a jump on the house chores, hobbies, and family time that would have previously been relegated to Saturday. Here are some productivity hacks to achieve the perfect end to your work week.
19th Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
The Five-Day Office Week Isn't Coming Back. WFH Is Here to Stay
There may be no going back to the five-day week in the office, according to a survey of workers in 25 countries. Both employees and managers found working from home during the pandemic was positive for performance and well-being, a report by the OECD found. The proportion of staff teleworking at least one day a week is expected to be much higher than before the pandemic. A separate study by OECD researchers of job postings on the website Indeed found that the substantial increase in advertised telework in Covid lockdowns was only reversed modestly when the restrictions were eased.
19th Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
JPMorgan tells unvaccinated Manhattan staff to work from home
JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) instructed unvaccinated staff in Manhattan to work from home starting Tuesday, a further sign that banks and other financial firms are tightening protocols as COVID-19 infections rise and the Omicron variant spreads.
The U.S. bank, one of the most aggressive in bringing employees back to the office, previously allowed unvaccinated staff to work in its Manhattan offices provided they were tested twice a week. In a memo to staff on Monday announcing the policy change, the bank urged unvaccinated staff to get vaccinated and for eligible employees to get booster shots. It also relaxed mask requirements for vaccinated staff working in its Manhattan offices.
17th Dec 2021 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullBank of Montreal Asks Investment Bankers to Work From Home
Bank of Montreal has told its investment bankers they should go back to working from home, joining a growing list of companies vacating offices as Covid-19 cases climb. Canada’s fourth-largest bank instructed its North American investment and corporate banking division to resume remote work until the week of Jan. 17, according to an email sent to staff on Wednesday and obtained by Bloomberg.
16th Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
City of London Workers Stay Home as Omicron Turns Off Commuters
The City of London has transformed from a raucous district with thousands of workers celebrating Christmas into a no-party zone in the space of a week. Almost half of staff didn’t go to the office on Monday, the lowest since September, according to data compiled by Google, which tracks the location of its users.
16th Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
Solving The Remote-Work Productivity Questions Once And For All
A seemingly unending surge of worker surveys, scientific studies, pundit prognostications and C-suite demands have coalesced around the one intractable truth — nobody seems to agree if remote work is a productivity boon or bust. To be sure, today’s companies are highly motivated to understand this dynamic. After all, more than 80% of business leaders plan to allow people to work remotely at least part of the time. Meanwhile, as businesses look to rebound from a pandemic year, employee productivity is pivotal to their efforts. While understanding the merits and efficacy of remote work at a macro level may be impossible, any organization can assess remote work’s in-house impact.
16th Dec 2021 - Forbes
75% of S Korean firms to continue remote work scheme even after covid
Most South Korean businesses that have adopted at-home remote work programs due to Covid-19 plan to continue the policy even after the end of the pandemic, a poll revealed on Thursday. In the recent Labor Ministry survey conducted on 620 businesses currently using remote work policies, 75.2 per cent said they plan to either continue the scheme at the current level or partially downscale it when the pandemic ends, reports Yonhap News Agency. The poll said 11.3 per cent of businesses intend to stop the remote work scheme when the pandemic ends.
16th Dec 2021 - Business Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in full16 Ways To Lead A Virtual Team In Remote And Hybrid Work Environments
After the Covid-19 pandemic forced most businesses to adapt to remote work environments to stay afloat during shelter-in-place, many leaders became aware of the numerous benefits that remote work has to offer. Even as life is beginning to regain a sense of normalcy, many organizations have chosen to stick with remote and hybrid work environments. As executive clients embrace remote and hybrid work environments, they may need some help getting used to leading virtual teams. 16 members of Forbes Coaches Council weigh in with their best advice for leaders who are tasked with navigating these new ways of conducting business.
15th Dec 2021 - Forbes
National Bank of Canada asks Canadian employees to work remotely as Omicron concerns grow
National Bank of Canada said Wednesday it had asked staff to work remotely, if possible, making it the second large Canadian lender to return to work from home amid growing concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant. Canada's top health official Theresa Tam warned on Monday that COVID-19 cases in the country could rise rapidly in the coming days. That has led Canadian banks and financial firms to rethink return-to-office plans.
15th Dec 2021 - Reuters
Can tech companies grow if their employees work remotely?
Dmitri Lepikhov, CEO of MightyCall, writes about remote work: "As turnover and new hires threatened to overhaul a company culture we'd worked hard to cultivate, we realized that culture cannot be forced, especially when everyone is working remotely and isn't used to each other. We didn't respond to that by removing remote work, which our staff enjoyed. Instead, it inspired us to hire candidates who are not only qualified, but who share our ideas of what corporate culture should be. Simply getting like-minded, capable people together will ensure a healthy company culture where staff enjoy working together. And if they do want to meet up, we've established hybrid work."
15th Dec 2021 - Inc.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullOur return-to-office survey finds a disconnect between employees and companies on remote work policies
While companies push to return to their offices, employees would rather stay at home, according to a new global survey from Insider. This gap between companies and employees shows up when it comes to who makes decisions about working models, who is consulted during the decision-making process, and how the new rules of the workplace are enforced. Fewer than half of survey respondents in most countries said their employers asked them about their preferences for their post-pandemic routine.
14th Dec 2021 - Business Insider
Australia’s working women are productivity gold. Here are five ways to help them thrive
Australian women are weary and whiplashed. Weary from two years of intense unpaid care work, including months of remote schooling their kids, and whiplashed from two severe periods of job and hours loss. As the Covid recovery picks up speed, many women are wondering what work in 2022 might look like. Employers should be too.
14th Dec 2021 - The Guardian
56% of workers looking for remote working jobs - Indeed
A new survey shows that 56% of Irish working-age adults say they will in future only consider jobs that offer flexible working, or allow them to quit the office forever. The latest monthly Job Search Survey from Indeed also shows that 18% of respondents said in future they would only apply for jobs allowing remote working. A further 38% said that only jobs that allow a hybrid or flexible approach would be considered by them.
14th Dec 2021 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullAustralia's top CEOs support workplace flexibility
Alexis George, AMP, says that "workplace flexibility is here to stay, as our people have adapted well to this way of working and want it to continue, but it’s also important to encourage the social connection and in-person collaboration that comes from the physical workplace. It’s something that’s important to me, and I’ve heard it from our employees at AMP too – the workplace plays an important role in team development and culture. We will continue to provide our people with the flexibility to work from home or the office, with specific arrangements agreed with leaders based on individual, role, customer and team requirements. I would expect that would be at least a few days for many of our people, but we continue to weigh the pros and cons."
13th Dec 2021 - The Australian Financial Review
Goldman Sachs Tells London Staff to Work From Home If They Can
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has told its London staff to work from home if they can, as the City of London’s biggest firms adjust to the latest government guidance. “Those of you who are able to work from home effectively should do so from Monday,” the lender said last week in an internal memo. The bank’s offices will remain open for those who still need to come in. Safety protocols including an on-site testing program and the wearing of masks away from desks remain in place. The guidance mirrors moves from firms across the City of London after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tightened pandemic rules to curb the spread of the omicron variant. HSBC Holdings Plc, Deutsche Bank AG and Citigroup Inc. have all told staff to return to home working if they could.
13th Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullHalf of workers would consider changing roles if hybrid working was withdrawn, poll finds
Despite ongoing issues with remote onboarding, two in five HR professionals say not offering flexibility would make recruitment difficult in the long term. More than half of workers who currently have access to hybrid working would leave their jobs if it was taken away, a poll has found. The YouGov survey of 2,046 UK workers found that 51 per cent of respondents who had the choice to mix remote and office working would consider leaving their company if this flexibility was removed.
12th Dec 2021 - People Management Magazine
JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Citi Tell London Staff to Stay Home
Article reports that the City of London could be about to become a ghost town again after firms started telling thousands of staff to work from home in response to the latest U.K. government guidance. HSBC Holdings Plc told U.K. employees they should return to home-working where possible, according to a spokesperson. Those who still need to work in branches or offices have been asked to take daily Covid-19 tests.
11th Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
Parents struggle to juggle childcare with career commitments
Working from home is having an adverse effect on family life as parents struggle to juggle childcare with career commitments, according to new research. Ahead of more Plan B measures coming into force tomorrow, a survey of parents with young children showed the negative impact of continually changing work patterns. Some 71 per cent of the parents questioned have now moved to remote or hybrid working, but it is taking its toll on their mental wellbeing.
11th Dec 2021 - Daily Mail on MSN.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home doesn't have to suck. Here's how 'Out Of Office' can be better
Today, the phrase "work from home" comes with a lot of baggage. Though it has been several months since COVID-19 first led to office closures nationwide, remote work likely still involves Zoom fatigue, working on the couch, and rarely going outside. But two writers want to make remote work better. Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen are co-authors of the new book Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home. In the book, Warzel and Petersen explore the history of workplace culture in the United States, and how to use the shifting employment landscape during the pandemic to chart new ways of working.
9th Dec 2021 - NPR
Remote-working job surveillance is on the rise. For some, the impact could be devastating
Remote-monitoring and surveillance tools could devastate employee relations unless efforts are made to put more power into the hands of workers, the author of a report by the European Commission's Joint Research Council (JRC) warns. Kirstie Ball, who spent five months compiling the JRC's extensive Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance in the Workplace report, says an increase in employee surveillance threatens to undermine trust and commitment to work amongst staff who are left in the dark about why and how data on them is gathered.
9th Dec 2021 - ZDNet
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullWork from home again: UK tightens rules amid omicron spread
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced tighter restrictions Wednesday to stem the spread of the omicron variant, urging people in England to again work from home and mandating COVID-19 passes for entrance into nightclubs and large events. Johnson said it was time to impose stricter measures to prevent a spike of hospitalizations and deaths as the new coronavirus variant spreads rapidly in the community. “It has become increasingly clear that omicron is growing much faster than the previous delta variant and is spreading rapidly all around the world,” he said in a press conference. “Most worryingly, there is evidence that the doubling time of omicron could currently be between two and three days.”
8th Dec 2021 - The Associated Press on MSN.com
Remote work's loyalty problem: Risk of 'culture crisis' rises with employees isolated at home
Working from home during the pandemic loosened professionals’ ties with the consultancies or law or accountancy firms that employed them, the Financial Times recently reported. The lifting of lockdown then encouraged job-hopping because candidates could now bond with prospective employers face to face. These are two sides of the “out of sight, out of mind” coin: heads, the isolation of remote working reduces loyalty to your existing employer; tails, the revival of in-person encounters encourages you to form an attachment with a new one.
8th Dec 2021 - Financial Post
Remote work expert: share screen, make social calls to boost inclusion
Survey after survey suggests that younger workers, in particular, feel held back by remote working. This is because they miss out on the chance to share their ideas and experience — known as "water-cooler" moments. Nick Bloom, Stanford professor of economics, has been researching the impact of remote work for two decades, and advises big tech firms about their office return. His own research has found that when it comes to younger workers, career progression can be impacted by working remotely. Bloom spoke to executive editor Spriha Srivastava about the long-term effects of working from home, and gave some tips on how to minimize the challenges.
8th Dec 2021 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work was supposed to be the great equalizer. The reality? Not so much
Brian Elliott, executive leader of Future Forum and SVP at Slack, said that executives have had very different lived experiences than their employees these past 18 months or so. “The more senior you are, the better your employee satisfaction scores are going to be,” he said. Those numbers drop as you go down the ladder because more seniority means better work-life balance, autonomy, flexibility, and ability to manage stress, he explained. Elliott noted that the divide is not just about how executives and employees have experienced remote work. The groups also differ in the reasons why they want to return to the office: Executives want workers to come back together for collaboration and projects, while employees say they want socialization.
7th Dec 2021 - Fortune
How to build a collaborative culture in remote work
As we move into 2022, the rise of digitization only continues to grow and grow. Gone are the days of the nine-to-five, in-office models – replaced instead by sleek, modern, hybrid work. And while remote structures have been essential over the past 12 months – were they ever meant to be a long-term solution? One of the main issues of contention for HR leaders has been how to foster an authentic culture away from the office. How do you facilitate collaboration, boost morale, and make those important colleague connections from behind a screen?
6th Dec 2021 - Human Resources Director
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullScottish employers failing to support remote management
The majority of Scottish employers are failing to support line managers in the skills of supervising remote workers, even though more than eight in 10 believe staff are more likely to work flexible hours as a result of the pandemic. A snap poll of more than 100 Scottish businesses leaders and senior managers by Flexibility Works found that nearly two years after the first lockdown restrictions were imposed, just 31% of organisations had introduced any additional support or training for those managing remote workers. Almost two-thirds – 61% – have offered nothing at all.
6th Dec 2021 - HeraldScotland
Ford delays return-to-work hybrid plan to March amid COVID uncertainty
Ford Motor said on Monday it would push its return-to-work hybrid plan to March as the state of the COVID-19 pandemic remained uncertain. The No. 2 U.S. automaker said it will begin a pilot phase for select employees in February and March. The company had previously said it would not return to work under a hybrid work model - a combination of on-site and remote working - before January. Ford had required most of its U.S. salaried employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4.
6th Dec 2021 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow Remote Working Has Impacted the Global Economy and the Environment
The growth of remote working is a reality at a global level. Even more so in times of pandemic, where confinement due to Covid-19 has given it greater consolidation due to the need for subsistence of companies. In fact, in Latin America this item increased by 66%, while in France and Spain remote work showed an increase of 463% and 214%, respectively. However, the positioning of remote work is accompanied by a series of factors (company-employee labor organization, definition of schedules, implementation of ICTs, constant communication, evaluation of productivity and measurement of results). These elements influence the effectiveness of workers to perform tasks, the advancement of the economy and the balance of the environment.
5th Dec 2021 - The Costa Rica News
COVID-19 changed the way we work. Will office life ever be the same?
When offices hastily closed in March 2020 to help slow the spread of COVID-19, employees expected to be back at their desks within a couple of weeks. Now, more than 18 months later, the American workplace has been transformed by what has become a massive and unplanned remote-work experiment. It’s uncertain when many offices may reopen, but it’s clear the virtual work revolution that began with the pandemic isn’t going away. “We all have to accept the fact that the workplace is never going to be the same and that there is no plan,” says Stacie Haller, a career expert. “We now have a different purview of how we can work successfully, that it can be remote.” While remote work isn’t an option in every field and hasn’t been ideal for everyone, many employees have thrived in their virtual settings and want to keep the flexibility and autonomy it has allowed them.
5th Dec 2021 - USA Today
The Promise of Remote Work Has Not Yet Been Realized
In their new book Out of Office, Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel argue that in order to realize the promise of remote work, first we need to fix our broken relationship with our jobs. Cutting the cord to the office is an opportunity to not only reduce our commuting hours, but a chance to address bigger issues in the U.S. labor force including the child-care crisis, inefficient working methods, worker burnout, toxic individualism, and work-life balance.
3rd Dec 2021 - Bloomberg Businessweek
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorkers frustrated with current video tools may have some relief as improved hybrid video calls are coming
Between the dreaded echo that occurs when two employees on their respective devices are at proximity on a video conference to trouble hearing and seeing people who join a meeting from a conference room, many hybrid workplaces are discovering that video calls can be frustrating, complex and sometimes downright inequitable. As workers brace for a hybrid environment in the long run, makers of some of the most commonly used video conferencing tools are hoping their latest updates and those yet to come will address some of the biggest pain points of video calling and provide more collaborative capabilities.
2nd Dec 2021 - The Washington Post
50% Indian hybrid workers say they are more productive when working remotely: Gartner
A recent survey by tech research and consulting firm Gartner revealed that five in 10 Indian workers reported more productivity when they worked remotely. Over 40 percent of those surveyed in the UK, Germany and France said their productivity remained the same as before. More than 30 per cent workers in Australia felt more or much more productive during work from home
2nd Dec 2021 - Business Today
Are remote workers really plugged into company culture?
Working from home during the pandemic loosened UK professionals’ ties with the consultancies or law or accountancy firms that employed them. The lifting of lockdown then encouraged job-hopping because candidates could now bond with prospective employers face to face. These are two sides of the “out of sight, out of mind” coin: heads, the isolation of remote working reduces loyalty to your existing employer; tails, the revival of in-person encounters encourages you to form an attachment with a new one. In the “absence makes the heart grows fonder” camp, though, sits work by the Financial Services Culture Board. Its 2020 assessment of thousands of UK banking staff detected improvements in scores for feedback, leaders’ honesty, and wellbeing. Those scores fell back slightly this year, but remained more positive than in 2019.
2nd Dec 2021 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullFinland adopts nationwide remote work recommendation
In Finland, the government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) issued a nationwide remote-work recommendation after determining that additional measures and restrictions are necessary in several regions to rein in the coronavirus epidemic, reports Helsingin Sanomat.
1st Dec 2021 - Helsinki Times
Remote workers win back 8 days every year by not commuting
Real Business Rescue has surveyed 1,000 Brits who either currently commute to work or used to commute to uncover their thoughts and feelings on the return to the office, revealing just one in seven Brits are excited about going back. Less than half (42%) still commute to work five days a week. One in seven (14%) work from home full time. The average Brit working from the office commutes 46 minutes each day – for those working from home full time, they would gain back 11,667 minutes in commuting time this year – that’s a total of 8 days back
1st Dec 2021 - FE News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Dec 2021
View this newsletter in full'We are just going to play it slow': Facebook, Wells Fargo monitoring omicron closely ahead of planned January 2022 return to offices
After COVID-19 sent millions of workers to their homes in 2020 and the delta variant this summer snarled some return-to-office plans, the omicron variant’s emergence may prompt company executives to go back to the drawing board yet again on when their workers will physically return. A lot remains unknown about the latest variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, which the World Health Organization flagged Friday as a “variant of concern,” including how much existing vaccines can counter this version of the virus and how the variant will impact the economy.
But here’s a bet with good odds: the variant is at least a “hiccup” in the country’s return to office plans, according to Wells Fargo analysts. “At a minimum, Omicron slows down return-to-office,” they wrote in a Monday investor note.
30th Nov 2021 - MarketWatch
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in full60% of workers want to work remotely some of the time - CSO
In Ireland, a new survey from the Central Statistics Office show that of those who could work remotely, 28% said they would like to work that way all the time while 60% said they would like it some of the time when all pandemic restrictions are lifted. The CSO's latest Pulse Survey - Our Lives Online - for November show that those who currently work remotely, 98% of them do so from home. It also reveals that 45% of those in employment would consider a house move if they could work remotely, with some having moved already.
29th Nov 2021 - RTE Online
The remote work revolution hasn’t happened yet
You might call the last year or so a remote work revolution, but that’s not quite right. For one thing, remote work wasn’t an option for most of the country. But even for the fortunate people who were able to work from home, what they were doing wasn’t really working. It’s more like a panicked compromise forged under the chaos of a national emergency. But as we inch our way toward the other side of this pandemic — or at least the closest we’ll get to the other side of it — we have an opportunity to rethink our broken relationship to work. The pandemic was an inflection point, and what happens or doesn’t happen next is up to us. This is the case that Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen make in their new book, called Out of Office
29th Nov 2021 - Vox
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullPortugal Says Remote Working Will Be Mandatory on Jan. 2-9
The Portuguese government said remote working will be mandatory in the week of Jan. 2-9 as it tries to prevent a spike in coronavirus infections after the Christmas and New Year holiday break. Schools will reopen on Jan. 10, a week later than previously planned, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said. Until that first week of January, remote working will be recommended when possible.
28th Nov 2021 - Bloomberg
One in five plan to continue working from home one or more days
Up to one in five Australians are likely to keep working from home at least part of the week according to new research which also found an increase in the number of people moving out of the cities. The report shows one in 20 people were working from home before the pandemic. This had increased to nearly one in five this year during a period of minimal COVID-19 restrictions and community transmission. Cities that experienced longer outbreaks have a higher proportion of people who continued to work from home outside of lockdowns.
28th Nov 2021 - The Sydney Morning Herald
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe Pros and Cons of Continuing To Work Remotely Post-Pandemic
Even when it's safe to go back to an office, many predict that working from home and more flexible options will remain the norm. Global Workplace Analytics estimates that at least 25%-30% of the U.S. workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021. Large companies like Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft have already announced more flexible permanent policies. On top of meeting employee demand, it makes sense for employers on a number of fronts.
25th Nov 2021 - Yahoo News
Man travels the world while working – and now lets his entire business do the same
The idea of working remotely abroad has catapulted into the mainstream since the pandemic. But one man from Belgium was living this ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle long before March 2020. Six years ago, Andy Stofferis decided that day-to-day life in his hometown wasn’t serving him anymore, so he packed up his things and started travelling to destinations around the world – while still working full-time. His company has now expanded and all his employees are working remotely as fellow digital nomads around the world, or are freelancing from their hometowns.
25th Nov 2021 - Metro
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullWall Street Grudgingly Allows Remote Work as Bankers Dig In
Wall Street is in revolt. Across the financial industry, at firms big and small, workers are slow-walking their return to the office. Bankers for whom working from home was once unfathomable now can’t imagine going back to the office full-time. Parents remain worried about transmitting the coronavirus to their children. Suburban dwellers are chafing at the thought of resuming long commutes. And many younger employees prefer to work remotely. The reluctance to return to office cubicles is hardly unique to the financial industry. All across America, companies are wrestling with their employees’ demands for flexibility as the pandemic reshapes the future of work. But on Wall Street — known for its hard-charging culture that values face time and long hours, and where toughness is celebrated — it is remarkable.
24th Nov 2021 - New York Times
Hybrid work is here to stay. The new challenge is making sure it's not the worst of both worlds
The debate over all in-person vs. all remote work is mostly over and neither side won. Hybrid it is, according to two new surveys. New research from both Google Workspace and Kaspersky finds a lot of contradictions in how people are feeling about hybrid work. A significant group of workers like remote work but another chunk worries about how to network in that setting. "Remote work does seem to result in better physical, social and mental well-being for me as an individual, but it does seem to come at the cost of connection to the organization," said Prasad Setty, vice president of digital work experience at Google Workspace.
24th Nov 2021 - TechRepublic
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullFinland's Capital City Region Set to Recommend Remote Work on Covid Surge
Helsinki and its surrounding cities are set to recommend a return to remote working as well as extended mask use as Covid cases mount. When remote work is not possible, employers should require mask use at workplaces even if social distancing is possible, a group that drafts recommendations for municipal authorities said
23rd Nov 2021 - Bloomberg
Remote working allowed more women to take up jobs during the pandemic
The number of women in the workplace has risen after more companies allowed employees to work from home during the pandemic, according to new research. The number of women aged between 25 and 44 who are in work in 2021 has increased by 1.8 per cent since the pandemic began. One in 10 mothers in a relationship said that remote working had allowed them to either take up a job or increase their working hours since February 2020, while just five per cent of fathers and three per cent of women without children said the same.
23rd Nov 2021 - The Independent
Covid-19: NI ministers reinforce work from home message
People in Northern Ireland are being urged by Stormont ministers to work from home "where possible" in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. Current advice already states that people should work from home where they can but ministers said they were "strengthening" that message. In Scotland, most restrictions have been lifted, but working from home where possible is advised. The government wants employers to consider long-term "hybrid" working models.
23rd Nov 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorkers want a flexible future at work. What do employers want?
Across Canada, employers are trying to map out what's best for their organizations in a post-pandemic era, in terms of how they'll structure their working arrangements going forward and how that will affect employees. Yet employers are under pressure to embrace a more flexible future, and it seems some larger organizations are listening. At Microsoft Canada, there's an expectation the future will be different for its more than 4,000 Canadian employees. "We believe extreme flexibility and hybrid work will define the post-pandemic workplace," Microsoft spokesperson Lisa Gibson told CBC News
22nd Nov 2021 - CBC.ca
7 Ways to Acknowledge Employees in a Virtual World
In a physical setting, managers are able to see employees, which may prompt the realization that they haven't interacted with that individual in a while. But working remotely, that doesn't happen as naturally. In both physical and online settings, leaders, managers and HR professionals need to be cognizant and mindful about providing feedback regularly and consistently in a variety of ways. There are some easy tips to make sure you are always creating an environment where your employees feel appreciated.
22nd Nov 2021 - Newsweek
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullFlexible working: ‘A system set up for women to fail’
Employees want it, employers know they have to offer it; flexible working has transformed almost every office during the pandemic and it’s here to stay. It is a change that has been demanded for decades by groups including women, those with caring responsibilities and disabled people. But economists and employment experts are warning it could lead to more inequality at the office, particularly for working mothers. The latest to voice concerns was the Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann, who warned of a “she-cession”, and said women who accept their employer’s offer of working mostly from home risk damaging their careers, as they aren’t returning to the office after Covid to the same extent as men.
21st Nov 2021 - The Guardian
Apple has a new work-from-home policy, but it’s still not what employees want
Few large companies have had a more contentious internal argument over remote work amid the pandemic than Apple, but it is moving ahead with bringing many employees back into physical offices starting in February. Apple CEO Tim Cook, in an email to employees, announced both a new return-to-office date and a revised work-from-home policy for the people who make iPhones, macOS, and many other products. Cook described the return to the office as a "hybrid work pilot," with multiple phases and different rules depending on the nature of each employee's work.
21st Nov 2021 - Ars Technica
The 10 jobs with the most remote work opportunities—and how much they pay
As some companies look to return to the office in 2022, others are expanding their remote work opportunities, responding to increased employee demand for flexibility during the pandemic. New research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, suggests that some industries are embracing remote work faster than others. While more than 60% of software developers and market research analysts are able to work from home, less than 1% of those in construction, health-care support or personal care service roles can do their jobs remotely.
21st Nov 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorkers 'fearful of impact of remote working on their careers'
Working from home may damage an employee's career prospects, a new study has revealed. Remote workers in Northern Ireland believe they will feel isolated and miss out on social connections, and more than a third worry there will be "employer bias" for in-person workers. And younger professionals cite fears around presenteeism, favouritism, reduced earning potential and poor career advancement so long as they aren't making regular commutes to the workplace. The findings come as part of a survey of 1,800 workers
18th Nov 2021 - The Irish News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullGermany Pushes Work From Home to Counter Europe’s Covid Surge
Germany’s likely next ruling coalition is pushing ahead with tougher measures to tackle record increases in coronavirus cases, including requiring companies to let employees work from home where possible. The proposed law also in some cases limits access to the workplace to people who are vaccinated, recovered or provide a negative test, according to parliamentary documents published Wednesday. The Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats aim to use their Bundestag majority to get it through the lower house of parliament on Thursday. “The current pandemic situation in Germany is dramatic,” Chancellor Angela Merkel told a conference of municipal leaders on Wednesday. “The fourth wave is hitting our country with full force.”
18th Nov 2021 - Yahoo Finance
Why Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Thinks the Home Is the Future of Travel
As recently as the 1800s, the home was everything—where Americans worked, and slept, and cooked, and ate, and raised children, and worshipped. For most people, there was no commute; there was no office, or factory. Then, in the past 150 years, the industrialized world drew sharp lines between life, work, and leisure. It was a period of divergence rather than convergence. Home, work, and hotel meant three different places. But we’re going back to the past. “Travel, life, and work are blurring together again,” Airbnb’s chief executive, Brian Chesky, says. He believes the home-rental company is seeing firsthand a new kind of travel habit becoming mainstream, in which work time is leaking into vacation weekends and vacation weekends are leaking into the workweek. It is the rise of the work-vacation: the workcation.
17th Nov 2021 - The Atlantic
37% employees feel more connected with colleagues while working remotely
At least 61 per cent employees do not feel isolated while working remotely, while 37 per cent of remote workers manage to communicate even better with their colleagues this way, a report said on Wednesday. According to Kaspersky, the extensive use of non-corporate communication services enables better connections but increases the level of risk from unmonitored IT resources.
17th Nov 2021 - Business Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullReturn to remote working 'unless absolutely necessary'
In Ireland, people should work from home unless it is absolutely necessary they attend in person, the Taoiseach has said. Announcing a series of measures aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19, Micheál Martin said the Cabinet has agreed to pause the "phased and cautious return to the workplace". There will be no reintroduction of remote learning for schools and third-level institutions at this point.
16th Nov 2021 - RTE.ie
Ericsson Joins List of Work-From-Home Companies for Half of Its Staff Post-Covid
Ericsson, one of the largest employers in Sweden, is redesigning and cutting desk-space in its 400 offices in an attempt to shift half of its workforce to remote working. “It became very clear during the spring of 2020, that we are never going back to the old way of working,” Peter Laurin, head of Managed Services at Ericsson, said in an interview. “It should be ok to work from home. Over the long run, we are aiming for a hybrid model, a vision of fifty-fifty between the office and remote working.”
16th Nov 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullYou Don’t Have to WFH at Home—Try These Places Instead
For many without a home office, staying in isn’t a great answer: perhaps you share that front room with four roommates, you have toddlers roaming, or you just desperately need a change of scene after 18 months in the same place. Don’t stress. You have options—and not just coffee shops. Coworking spaces have survived lockdown, WeWork has 56 locations across the UK and more than 250 in the US. You can also hit up your local library, the original and free coworking space. Museums, galleries, and other arts venues are full of cafés and lounges for working, usually with free Wi-Fi.
15th Nov 2021 - WIRED
How to convince your boss to let you keep working from home
Even as they embraced working from home at the outset of the pandemic, some companies are now racing to get teams back into offices. If yours is one of them, here’s some advice for convincing a reluctant boss to embrace remote work. It starts by asking for what you want.
15th Nov 2021 - Fortune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullWant to keep tabs on your working-from-home staff? Resist the urge
As the pandemic (hopefully) recedes, many workers are coming back to work but the smartest companies have learned that, to attract and retain the best people, a work-from-home option needs to be on the table. During the pandemic we were scrambling just to keep things going. But now we’re implementing policies that many feel should have supervisory controls. And many business owners, large and small, are asking themselves a question: is it time to monitor what our people are actually doing when they’re not working in the office? A growing number of companies, as they’re implementing new work-from-home benefits, are also incorporating remote monitoring software to keep an eye on their employees’ behavior.
14th Nov 2021 - The Guardian
Eighteen months on, staff give thumbs up to work from home
Eighteen months is ample time for people to decide whether they prefer working from home or commuting to office every day. And in India, the verdict is out: pulse surveys conducted by many IT, ITeS, and financial services companies prior to chalking out a back-to-work plan has revealed that most people – parents to even young millennials – are keen on working remotely. Work from home is clearly gaining more ground by the day. To cater to the increasing demand for a flexible working environment, LinkedIn recently launched tools to help job seekers highlight flexible work preferences and also learn about workplace policies.
14th Nov 2021 - The Hindu
Women warned home working may harm their careers
Women who work mostly from home risk seeing their careers stall now workers are returning to the office in large numbers, according to Bank of England (BoE) economist Catherine Mann. She said office interaction was vital to advance in companies, but many women were still tied to home working. Ms Mann said it was a particular issue for mothers facing school disruptions and difficulty accessing childcare.
14th Nov 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullPandemic benefited workers with disabilities in surprising ways
One happy surprise during the coronavirus pandemic is how technology and flexible thinking enabled many workplaces and workers to stay connected and productive even outside a traditional office setting. This swift, widespread overhaul came as a bit of a slap-in-the-face to unemployed and underemployed workers with disabilities who had been fighting for workplace accommodations for years under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Employers everywhere were suddenly embracing remote work, flexible hours, wellness and mental health support, and other accommodations that had been deemed too burdensome and impractical before the pandemic.
11th Nov 2021 - The Washington Post
Hybrid Working Could Widen Gap in Career Progression, BOE Official Says
The Bank of England’s Catherine Mann said that the hybrid model of work could widen the gender gap by opening “two tracks” -- those in the office and people who remain at home. Being seen in person is an important way for people to build careers and working remotely makes that visibility more difficult, Mann said at a virtual meeting about women working in finance. She added that the pandemic left more women at home because of child-care issues.
11th Nov 2021 - Bloomberg
After Portugal, which countries in Europe are improving post-COVID remote working laws?
The majority of businesses wouldn’t have survived COVID-19 without the aid of remote digital infrastructure. Now, questions are being raised about the laws businesses should abide by to accommodate flexible working, given its popularity in some industries. On November 5, Portuguese lawmakers passed a new remote working law which gives workers new entitlements. Among the most significant details of the new labour law, employers will be banned from contacting their employees after work hours and will also need to provide expenses incurred by home working, including increased electricity and internet bills.
11th Nov 2021 - Euronews
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work can't be fixed by the metaverse
Startup CEO Claudia Reuter observes that creating purpose and building a true sense of community are both essential to reducing burnout and unlocking stronger employee engagement, but neither can be solved simply in a trendy virtual space.
10th Nov 2021 - Fast Company
Two-thirds of CMOs fear creativity will be impacted by remote working, study finds
While many brands have discovered a hybrid working model can be effective, the majority of CMOs fear continual lack of physical communication between marketers could impact creativity. The study by LinkedIn, which was shared exclusively with Marketing Week, finds 58% of senior marketers already believe the pandemic has weakened social ties between staff as some team members have never met in person.
10th Nov 2021 - Marketing Week
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullAs companies look to bring remote workers back to the office, a writer asks: Why?
Many millions of people, especially those in white-collar jobs, have been working from home for the past 20 months. It's a radical change in the nature of work. And despite predictions and surveys, no one knows for sure how long it will last or what the future of work will look like. But writer Anne Helen Petersen says that on the other side of the pandemic, there's a chance work will rotate more around people's lives instead of the other way around. Petersen is the co-author, with Charlie Warzel, of the upcoming book Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home. The evidence is mixed, but many employees say they're able to be more productive working from home than they were in the office. At the same time, there's value in being able to collaborate in person.
9th Nov 2021 - NPR
Airbnb Adds New Tools in Bet Remote Work Is Here to Stay
Airbnb is rolling out new features, including verified internet speeds at hosts’ homes and options to search for listings up to a year in advance, as the vacation-rental company bets that remote work and flexible travel is here to stay. The more than 50 new features, announced a day after U.S. borders reopened to foreign tourists, are part of Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky’s vision of a new golden age of travel that was born in the Covid-era, where work and leisure blend together as companies move away from an office-centric lifestyle.
9th Nov 2021 - YAHOO!Finance
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe Importance of Unplugging in a Remote-Work World
Thanks to technology, many people are able to work anywhere, anytime. And thanks to COVID-19, the shift to remote work has accelerated dramatically. A 2020 report from McKinsey & Company asserts that hybrid work models are likely to persist even after the pandemic wanes, and an additional survey from Upwork projects that the number of people working remotely will increase 87% by 2025 from pre-pandemic levels. As working from home is normalized, unplugging is more important than ever.
8th Nov 2021 - Newsweek
Portugal makes it illegal for your boss to text you after work in 'game changer' remote work law
Remote workers in Portugal could see a healthier work-life balance under new labour laws approved by the country's parliament. The new rules are a response to the explosion of home working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Portugal's ruling Socialist Party said. Under the new rules, employers could face penalties for contacting workers outside of office hours. Companies will also have to help pay for expenses incurred by remote working, such as higher electricity and internet bills.
8th Nov 2021 - Euronews
Why remote working in Spain is once again a thing of the future
Now that a certain degree of normality has returned, many staff in Spain are back in the office. There are a number of reasons for this, and they vary from case to case. However, sources consulted by EL PAÍS all agree on one thing: the law that was passed by the Spanish government in September 2020 to regulate home working has limited the flexibility available to firms and obliges them to cover costs that not all are prepared to assume. The result is that remote working is losing momentum after months in the spotlight, and has once again receded into the distance as a future goal.
8th Nov 2021 - El País
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullDepartment of Health staff to work remotely as Covid-19 case numbers remain high
In Ireland, the Department of Health has told staff that they are to work from home indefinitely unless otherwise directed. There had been a requirement for staff to attend offices for one day a week but sources say that this has now been suspended indefinitely. A notice sent to staff says that due to the department's leadership role in pandemic response, staff are to work remotely unless told otherwise by a member of staff at Principal Officer or Management Board level. Attendance in offices is discouraged, and any attendance should be in line with HSA guidance.
7th Nov 2021 - Irish Examiner
51% of employees in Saudi Arabia complain of increased workload since switching to remote working
Fifty-one percent of employees in Saudi Arabia have reported an increase in workload since switching to remote working, according to a recent survey by Kaspersky. Eighteen percent of the respondents said their workload has significantly increased, 35 percent did not notice a volume change, and only 9 percent noted a decrease in the scope of work due to new working conditions. Fifty-eight percent of employees said they do not feel exhausted at the end of the day while working remotely. Interestingly, 41 percent reported having more energy working from home, the survey showed.
7th Nov 2021 - Arab News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe Winners and Losers of Remote Work
The switch to remote work was actually quite a boon for those earning big salaries who formerly had long commutes. In addition to saving the time and money they used to spend going back and forth at work, these newly remote workers were able to stay in comfortable, familiar surroundings while earning the same or even more pay. For many of these types of workers, this combination of factors translated to a somewhat significant pay raise, in addition to a better working environment and more free time. Sadly, it's often the case that lower-paid workers suffer the most in times of dislocation, and the stay-at-home orders brought by the pandemic were no different.
4th Nov 2021 - Yahoo Finance
‘As we move forward, pay will be more transparent’: How hybrid work could improve pay equity nationwide, according to HR experts
As organizations across the U.S. figure out how to pay a new class of remote and hybrid workers, it could have a positive impact on issues of salary transparency and pay equity, say Jason Walker and Rey Ramirez, cofounders of Thrive HR Consulting, who advise companies about how to set up and manage hybrid teams. Walker believes proposed pay cuts for workers who relocate and work remotely are “an empty threat” from companies, especially during today’s hiring crunch. Businesses that do so run the risk of hurting employee engagement, and if workers quit, it could cost the business a lot more to replace them than to just continue paying them at the same rate.
4th Nov 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullOffice employees fear ‘proximity bias’ while working from home will harm career progression
Many UK workers have been told they can have flexible arrangements, meaning they have a bit more control over when to go into work and when to stay at home. While within their rights to work from a home desk, thousands of office employees fear a ‘proximity bias’ is stacked against them, according to new research from LinkedIn. There’s pressure to be seen in office, as almost three quarters of the Brits surveyed believe working from home will negatively impact their careers
3rd Nov 2021 - Metro
The new perk your employees want is alone time
In the era of remote work, what kinds of perks should employers be offering to their employees? The answer is simple: Let them do their jobs well, go home, and give them the space they need to build their own lives outside of work. Companies like Dropbox are doing away with the traditional workweek, implementing nonlinear workdays that allow employees to work around a three- to four-hour period where everyone is expected to be online and available for meetings—and then flex their days as they see fit. There are powerful changes that emerge as a result of nonlinear workdays. They limit the number of meetings within an organization by compressing collaboration time into fewer hours: a welcome change.
3rd Nov 2021 - Fast Company
Irish remote working company in expansion mode
Boundless, an Irish company that provides remote working compliance services, expects to be live in 45 countries by the end of next year as demand for its solutions continues to soar. The start-up, which was founded by Dee Coakley, Emily Castles and Eamon Leonard in 2019, has been experiencing significant growth as working patterns continue to change as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Boundless is focused on removing barriers to allow teams to scale internationally, allowing companies to employ anyone, anywhere by handling multi-country payroll and compliance with local tax and employment regulations
3rd Nov 2021 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow remote workers can separate work and home lives
It’s a common question: How do you turn off work when your “office” is just steps from your personal living space? The ping of an incoming work message is crystal clear even when cooking dinner, brushing teeth, or reading bedtime stories. Many people are finding the lines between work and home blurring. And that can be frustrating without the tools to manage it. Experts advise having a conversation with your team or manager about communication norms and expectations as telecommuting continues. Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business who studies remote work, said a good way to approach this would be to set “exclusion hours,” meaning hours in which calls, emails and meetings do not happen. Ideally, this would be set by an employer, but Bloom says employees can also ask for them.
2nd Nov 2021 - The Seattle Times
HR experts: Companies requiring in-office work could lose out on 70% of candidates—employees are 'calling the shots'
Throughout the recovering job market of 2021, workers have been driving record quitting rates as they find new jobs with better pay, perks and flexibility, particularly the option to work remotely as it’s become more widespread during the pandemic. Meanwhile, as the labor economy touts nearly 11 million job openings and not enough people to fill them, HR experts say businesses that don’t offer any kind of flexible-work options are losing out on up to 70% of job-seekers.
2nd Nov 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew Research Shows Remote And Hybrid Workers Suffering Physical And Mental Health Dilemmas
The ramifications of the extreme lifestyle shift in 2020 through early 2021 resulting from the pandemic are far-reaching, likely to have ripple effects for many years to come. While mental health has been an undisputed health consequence for many, physical health challenges—given the significant decline in mobility for workers across the country—is an issue which may have long term consequences of which we’ve only just scratched the surface. To explore this topic further, the team at Upright Pose conducted a new survey of 2,000 remote and hybrid workers in the United States to glean insight into how mobility has changed during working hours and how these changes have impacted workers’ physical wellness.
1st Nov 2021 - Forbes
Flexible working, four-day weeks and working remotely most popular work perks Brits want
Office Furniture Online reveal that 65% of working Brit’s want their bosses to invest in its employees as opposed to infrastructure in the form of perks and benefits. The top three career priorities Briton’s want include salary, promotion, and perks. But what are perks, how do these differ from benefits and why do employees yearn for them? Since the COVID-19 pandemic, British workers and their employers have recognised the benefits of working remotely – a standout perk which has been offered out to baby boomers, Gen Z and millennials over the last 18 months. On top of this, employee discount, flexible working hours, four-day working weeks and free tea and coffee are amongst the favourite current benefits across all age groups.
1st Nov 2021 - HR News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullPeople with disabilities still face barriers finding work during the pandemic—here's how companies can help
For nearly 20 months, debates about the future of work have dominated meetings and Twitter feeds as the coronavirus pandemic upended every aspect of our jobs from commutes to office dress codes. These conversations continue to influence companies’ return-to-office plans and their remote work policies. But despite the pandemic taking a disproportionate toll on their job prospects and well-being, people with disabilities continue to be left out of many of these critical conversations.
30th Oct 2021 - CNBC
Working from home more popular in the UK than anywhere else in Europe, data shows
While Britons have mostly ditched mask-wearing, social distancing and other Covid-19 precautions, analysis by i shows the UK has maintained higher levels of remote work than most of Europe. One aspect that may be among the most important, but is also hard to quantify, is the social acceptability of working from home. The government has publicly generally encouraged people to return to the office when Covid rates are low. However, the high levels of office avoidance and busy cafes and pubs may suggest that working remotely is more acceptable in the UK than in the rest of Europe
30th Oct 2021 - iNews
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullMost Canadians want to keep flexible workplace, but many worry remote work will hinder career: survey
Canadians are eager to make remote work part of their post-pandemic lives, but many are concerned that being away from the office will limit their career opportunities, according to a new study. In a survey conducted by Angus Reid for Cisco Canada, nearly half of the 1,012 respondents — 46 per cent — expect those who go back to in-person work will have more opportunities for career growth than those who continue to work remotely. That concern is even more pronounced among younger employees, with 56 per cent of those in the 18-34 age range worried about the impact on their career.
28th Oct 2021 - CBC.ca
What do US job seekers want? Higher pay and remote work
Thanks to the massive disruptions wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, workers in the United States are in the best position in decades to pick and choose the jobs they want. And increasingly, they’re interested in working for employers who are offering fatter paycheques and opportunities to work remotely. That’s the finding of the inaugural Relative Job Seeker Interest metric from job-hunting site Indeed. The metric, which captures the kind of positions workers are looking at, reveals the kind of businesses that are falling out of favour – and in favour – with job hunters.
28th Oct 2021 - AlJazeera
Remote-first work is taking over the rich world
Most office workers remain steadfastly “remote-first”, spending most of their paid time out of the office. Even though a large share of people have little choice but to physically go to work, 40% of all American working hours are still now spent at home. In mid-October American offices were just over a third full, suggest data from Kastle Systems, a security firm. From Turin to Tokyo, commercial areas of cities remain substantially quieter, compared with pre-covid norms, than residential ones. Economists are trying to work out what all this means for productivity.
28th Oct 2021 - The Economist
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullPay cuts for remote workers are an ‘empty threat,’ HR experts say—here's why
As organizations chart out the future of their hybrid workforces, leaders are debating whether to adjust employee pay based on where they live or move to. Some of the first companies to announce new flexible-work policies, including Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google, were quick to remind workers of their existing policies that people who relocate to a less expensive market could see a pay cut — by up to 25% for some. But for businesses still figuring out their new work and pay structures, HR expert Jason Walker sees the option of cutting pay for remote work as “an empty threat.” And for leaders who’ve put salary adjustments on the table, he says they should expect employees to negotiate hard against them.
27th Oct 2021 - CNBC
How to Help Younger Coworkers Thrive While Working Remotely
Recent data suggests that younger employees don't enjoy remote work as much as their more senior counterparts — and that remote work might even be bad for ambitious young professionals. Surveys by Fortune and Survey Monkey, Microsoft, and PwC showed that junior employees felt less productive when working remotely, missed the social interaction found at the office, and struggled more during COVID-19 work from home mandates. But the fact remains: Remote work is here to stay. Fortunately, there's a lot that leaders can do to help younger employees thrive while working remotely.
27th Oct 2021 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullNo, working from home should not mean a pay cut
The pandemic has proven widespread working from home does not reduce productivity and potentially reduces costs for both employer and employee, so it would be a free kick for employers if they could also reduce their wages bill. In Australia, cutting pay for remote working is still little more than an idea that is being floated in various reports and surveys, but it’s already becoming reality in the United States. Australian labour laws prevent companies from imposing a pay cut unilaterally – though they can require regular attendance at an office unless a public health order stipulates otherwise. However, employment lawyers say location-based pay could be introduced for new employees by writing it into their contracts.
26th Oct 2021 - Sydney Morning Herald
More law firms use 'virtual internships' to recruit summer associates
Digital internships for undergraduates and J.D. students are catching on as law firm summer associate recruiting tools that can help build a firm's "brand awareness." Eight major U.S. firms now offer “virtual internships” through Forage, an online platform that provides simulated work experiences that employers can use to connect with and evaluate potential future hires. Online training program participants complete real-world legal tasks in specific practice areas and receive feedback, while getting an idea of day-to-day life at the law firm sponsor.
26th Oct 2021 - Reuters
Remote Workers Fear Missing Out on Promotions
Some 60 percent of remote workers fear that working from home could hinder their career development. As firms continue with hybrid working arrangements, employers risk making decisions about promotions and development based on who they see most often, rather than who is best for the job. Questionmark, the online assessment provider, warns employers to ensure managers are given the right tools, training and data they need to make fair decisions, and avoid unconscious bias, which may take many forms. "Proximity bias" is an unconscious tendency to favor those who we see regularly.
26th Oct 2021 - Yahoo Finance
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow to make remote and hybrid brainstorming less awkward
As companies are contemplating their return to office plans, one of the biggest arguments for in-person work is to regain the opportunity for spontaneous collaboration. That’s simply not how creative ideas are born, says Natalie Nixon. Nixon is the president of Figure 8 Thinking, author of The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation, and Intuition at Work. She talks here about how teams can work together to come up with creative ideas even when they aren’t in the same place.
25th Oct 2021 - Fast Company
The future of work is hybrid – here's an expert's recommendations for success
What can we expect as we eagerly anticipate a post-pandemic future. One thing stands out: Hybrid work arrangements – that is, employees who do some tasks in the office and others virtually – is clearly going to be a big part of the picture. One survey from April 2021 shows 99% of human resources leaders expect employees to work in some kind of hybrid arrangement moving forward. Many have already begun. Listening to employees is critical to making sure the hybrid environment is working. Continually seeking feedback, through one-on-one conversations, focus groups or human resources surveys, is important too.
25th Oct 2021 - The Conversation US
As Many Return To the Office, Will WFH Stigma Remain?
Prior to the pandemic, many companies did not offer employees the option to work from home, and for those that did, there was often a stigma around employees who worked remotely. Although working from home has become the norm over the past year and a half, many Americans think that there will be a stigma attached to those who continue to do so once there is an option to return to the office. In fact, a recent LinkedIn survey found that 52% of professionals think there is still a stigma associated with working from home. But is this really the case?
25th Oct 2021 - Yahoo Finance
Young employees worried remote working will impact on their career and earnings potential
Young professionals and students have greater concerns about the rise of remote working than their senior counterparts, according to a new report from employer branding specialist, Universum. The report, which surveyed over 18,000 people in the UK, suggests in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit, a remote-working ‘leadership gap’ could contribute to future skills shortages as junior and senior professionals have different views on being out of the office. The number of senior professionals with no concerns about working remotely is almost double that of younger workers (23% to 12%) and while 79 per cent of all professionals were interested in remote working, the data leans in favour of senior professionals.
25th Oct 2021 - Daily Record
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home: 90% of disabled workers want to continue remotely when Covid pandemic eases, survey finds
Ninety per cent of disabled employees want to continue working from home once the Covid crisis eases, according to a new survey. Nine out of 10 office workers surveyed by YouGov for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) want to work from home for the foreseeable future, with many fighting for the right before the pandemic began. Twenty six per cent of the 2003 workers polled said flexible working had improved their mental health, while 40 per cent said it had reduced their tiredness and fatigue. Nearly two-thirds – 63 per cent – said that it gave them greater control over their working hours. More than one in five – 21 per cent – said that working from home had helped them better manage their caring responsibilities.
24th Oct 2021 - MSN.com
Remote work might solve the family care crisis for immigrants
Emma Zang, PhD, is an assistant professor of sociology at Yale University. She writes: "For immigrant workers whose aging parents live abroad, the feasibility of working remotely will provide more opportunities to travel home, which, in turn, will allow them to more fully participate in the affairs of their family while maintaining their professional options. In fact, I know many fellow immigrants who have moved back to their native homes to be with family while continuing work in the U.S. We see this pattern within the U.S. as well: people moving back to smaller cities to reunite with family, thanks to remote work. This trend also has been happening worldwide — Eastern Europe, for example, has experienced an influx of returning workers, driven in great part by those telecommuting abroad."
24th Oct 2021 - The Hill
Where does return to offices stand after Covid spike?
In Ireland, the full return to offices has been delayed until next spring leaving many employees and businesses adrift trying to navigate through the changed plan. So where does the Government policy on return to workplaces stand now and what about the right to request remote working? Before the recent spike in cases, the official advice was for employees to return to the workplace on a "phased and staggered basis" from 20 September. Employers have spent lots of money and time investing in the return to work, while also developing hybrid work policies to facilitate the move to remote working where possible.
24th Oct 2021 - RTE.ie
Walmart touts 'flexible' work, asks employees to return to the office
Walmart asked its corporate associates to return to the office next month, saying in a note to employees "there is no substitution for being in the offices together." The note, posted on the company's website, stated that associates who work in the company's campus offices will return on November 8 as part of a "new, more flexible way of working" after operating remotely for most of the coronavirus pandemic. Walmart's return to in-person working will vary by area, a company spokesperson told Insider in an email. Walmart's Global Tech team will continue working remotely, while expectations for other associates will vary.
24th Oct 2021 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullRural digital hubs popular among remote workers
The way people work has radically changed during the course of the pandemic, with thousands of people working from home, and many living in remote areas working from shared space in rural digital hubs. But for some time, large employers in bigger industrial and technological companies have been working on strategies about how they will work in the future, harvesting the lessons, both beneficial and negative, they have learned from the pandemic. Rural digital hubs have provided huge advantages for remote workers living in remote areas where broadband services are not up to the speeds required to work and communicate successfully.
21st Oct 2021 - RTE.ie
Covid means remote workers can live anywhere. So where's 'anywhere'?
In spring 2020, just as the first Covid-19 surge was peaking and businesses, schools, and whole countries were shutting down, a young couple named Elizabeth and Anton made a bold move. Little did they know it would put them in the vanguard of a pandemic-enabled geographic dispersion that demographers, economists, employers, developers and local governments are still figuring out. “Remote work is the biggest shift in the nature of work in decades,” says the University of Toronto’s Florida. “It gives some workers more flexibility. And in these cases it shifts the balance of power from companies to workers.” And, to various degrees, from New York to upper New England and the Hudson Valley, from the Bay Area to Boise and Billings. In this way, the world is becoming flatter; remote work is leveling the field of opportunity.
21st Oct 2021 - Politico
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullArticle: Remote work and online learning can spread the opportunity of economic recovery: Raghav Gupta, Coursera
Today, there are three broad trends that are at play. Firstly, remote work is not going away after the pandemic and we will see more and more hybrid work being adopted. Secondly, as skills change due to digitization and technology, all working professionals like us need to learn these new skills. The pandemic has forced everybody to get used to online learning. All of this is opening new opportunities for individuals irrespective of where they are located. And for the company, the reverse is also true. It does not need to limit the talent that it wants to attract within one hour of its offices. The entire region becomes its talent pool. Thus remote work and online learning can spread the opportunity of economic recovery of the country a lot.
20th Oct 2021 - People Matters
Most businesses are wrong: Hybrid and remote work are better for innovation, not worse
Fear of losing their innovative edge pushes many leaders to reject hybrid and virtual work arrangements. Yet extensive research shows that hybrid and remote teams can gain an innovation advantage and outcompete in-person teams by adopting best practices for innovation, such as virtual brainstorming. What explains this discrepancy between leadership beliefs and scientific evidence?
20th Oct 2021 - Yahoo Finance
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullAmEx Remote Work Policy to Allow Four Weeks a Year Away From Office
American Express Co. will allow employees to work from wherever they want at least four weeks a year as part of the company’s push to offer greater flexibility even after the pandemic subsides. AmEx will place employees into one of three groups: hybrid, on-site or fully virtual, Chief Executive Officer Steve Squeri said in a memo to staff on Monday. A “large majority” of workers will likely work hybrid schedules, with 80% of employees having told the credit-card giant they’d like to come back to the office at least some of the time, he said.
19th Oct 2021 - Bloomberg
Young Professionals Have Worries About Remote Working
A new report from Universum shows that younger professionals and students are more concerned about remote working positions than their older counterparts. The annual Most Attractive Employers report finds that a remote work “leadership gap” could hinder upskilling opportunities for young professionals. Of the 18,000 respondents, 12% of senior workers had virtually no concerns about remote working, compared to 23% of young workers. Even more, 57% of young professionals and 56% of students said they had worries about feeling isolated and missing out on connecting with their colleagues, compared to just 40% of older workers who felt the same.
19th Oct 2021 - AllWork.Space
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullEmployers must be alive to the challenges presented by the hybrid working model
Managers need to put in place procedures to make the return to the office as streamlined as possible, and ensure those who return to the office more frequently are not treated more favourably. There is an unconscious tendency to favour those who we see or work closely with on a regular basis. This could be to the detriment of those who work permanently or more frequently from home. This is now being referred to as “proximity bias”.
18th Oct 2021 - The Scotsman
'Hours of my life I'm never going to get back': As offices reopen, workers resist bringing back the commute
As many offices reopen after being shuttered during the Covid-19 health crisis, roughly 40% of workers say they want to continue working remotely according to a Harris Poll survey for USA Today. And for some, not having to commute on crowded trains, slow-moving buses, or in their cars, is one of the biggest perks of working from home. In a survey of 2,100 remote workers taken between March and April, 84% said shedding their commute was the most significant benefit of working outside the office, while 58% said they would seek a new job if they couldn't continue doing their current job remotely, according to FlexJobs
18th Oct 2021 - USA Today
Should Remote Work Pay Be Based On Location?
The coronavirus pandemic was a wake-up call for many employers and employees that the old way of doing work wasn’t working ― at least for everyone. One July survey of Americans who began working remotely during the pandemic found that 65% said they’d be willing to take a 5% pay cut in order to keep doing so full time. Companies including accounting firm PwC and big tech firms including Facebook, Microsoft and Google took note of this demand. They’re now allowing employees the opportunity to continue working from home where they like, but have made potential salary adjustments a condition of doing so in less expensive markets. But a growing number of companies are also taking a location-agnostic approach to pay. Last year, Reddit eliminated geographic compensation zones for U.S. employees, announcing it would instead tie pay ranges to high-cost areas such as San Francisco and New York, regardless of where U.S. staff members live.
18th Oct 2021 - Huffington Post UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullEmployers must adopt remote work, reduce barriers to counter labour shortage: HR specialist
As the COVID-19 pandemic impacts how some workplaces operate, a Halifax human resources specialist thinks employers will have to adapt to the situation to handle increasing labour shortages across Canada. Statistics Canada's latest job vacancy data shows the labour shortage is widespread across the country in several sectors. At the top is the accommodation and food services industry at 12.7 per cent. "Look at all the pundits and experts, no one thinks this is going to go away soon," Gerald Walsh, an HR specialist at Halifax's Gerald Walsh Associates, said. "The passage of time just won't fix this problem, this shortage of labour. Employers are going to have to get a lot more innovative in attracting workers. Everyone falls toward money or financial incentives."
17th Oct 2021 - HalifaxToday.ca
Covid Forces Video Game Makers to Rethink Remote Work
Like many industries, especially in the creative and entertainment fields, game production had an entrenched office culture pre-pandemic, where artists, writers and engineers collaborated in person to produce visually stunning content. The hours were often long and the lifestyle grueling. People complained, but not much changed. Then Covid-induced lockdowns forced a rethink in the video game business, which is slowly conceding that a way of life long considered sacrosanct could see some advantages with change. The pandemic initially significantly hampered the production of video games as developers struggled to get accustomed to inferior equipment and lagging VPNs at home, leading to widespread delays in releases. But companies adapted, buying new computers and improving their infrastructure so creatives and programmers could transfer large files more quickly. Now many video game makers say they’re just as productive as they were before the global shutdown in March 2020, even those who have not yet returned to their offices. Studies have shown that once companies can properly support their production pipelines, remote work makes people even more efficient.
17th Oct 2021 - Bloomberg
Flexibility has emerged as central ingredient of the post-pandemic workplace
As companies prepare their return-to-work plans, employers and employees must include in the equation the unique mental health benefits offered by each work style. Any and all plans are weighed against the health risk. But although the pandemic has proven that some workplaces can successfully function remotely, some workers, nonetheless, still crave the collaboration and socializing that comes from reporting to an office. Other workers never want to return to commuting and enjoy being able to do a load of laundry between meetings. If there’s one conclusion that can be drawn thus far about the post-pandemic workplace, one size does not fit all and flexibility is key.
17th Oct 2021 - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Can Be Better for Innovation Than In-Person Meetings
Fear of losing their innovative edge pushes many leaders to reject hybrid and virtual work arrangements. Yet extensive research shows that hybrid and remote teams can gain an innovation advantage and outcompete in-person teams by adopting best practices for innovation, such as virtual brainstorming. What explains this discrepancy between leadership beliefs and scientific evidence? After interviewing 61 leaders on a strategic return back to the office, Gleb Tsipursky, a behavioral scientist, discovered the root of the problem: The vast majority of leaders tried to pursue innovation during the lockdowns by adapting their office-based approach of synchronous brainstorming to videoconference meetings. They found that videoconferences aren’t well suited for traditional brainstorming and thus feel they need to go back to the office.
14th Oct 2021 - Scientific American
Majority of employees comfortable asking their manager to work remotely, think tank finds
The majority of workers are happy to speak to their employer about remote and hybrid working, research has found, with experts advising firms to listen to their staff’s needs. A poll of 1,000 UK workers, conducted by the Work Foundation and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), found that the vast majority (88 per cent) wanted to continue working remotely at least one day a week. The research also found that, of the employees whose line managers were responsible for deciding their working arrangement going forward, three in five (59 per cent) said they were comfortable asking their manager to work remotely. A similar proportion (54 per cent) also indicated that their line manager’s support was the main reason they were comfortable asking for remote working.
14th Oct 2021 - People Management Magazine
The working from home debate is complex, so don’t treat employees like children
The question of remote working is nuanced, with evidence for and against, and unique reasons why particular companies and individuals could benefit or suffer. We should acknowledge there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The reasons why people might or might not want to return to the office are legion, yet their voices are drowned out by so-called thought leaders shouting at the top of their lungs about what everyone else wants: a presumed aggregation of the personal preferences of those most vocal.
14th Oct 2021 - Marketing Week
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe Leadership Gap: Young workers most concerned remote work will impact career success
Young professionals and students have far greater concerns about the rise of remote work than their senior counterparts, according to a new report. The report suggests in the wake of the pandemic and Brexit, a remote-working ‘leadership gap’ could contribute to future skills shortages as junior and senior professionals have vastly different views on being out of the office. The number of senior professionals with no concerns about working remotely is almost double that of younger workers (23% vs 12%) and whilst 79% of all professionals were interested in remote working, the data skews in favour of senior professionals.
13th Oct 2021 - fenews.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow to stay active and healthy during long-term remote work
During 2020, our gyms shut down, mandates were placed to stay inside, and many watched their physical health and stamina decrease due to increased stress and time spent being sedentary. Previously, experts have declared “sitting is the new smoking.” And while the last couple of decades have seen a huge boom in health and diet-conscious lifestyles, due to COVID-19, this past year has pushed many workers home and into remote positions. This article gives tips for staying active and healthy while remote working.
12th Oct 2021 - Fast Company
Employees working at home will be allowed claim back 30% of their energy bills against tax
In Ireland, employees working at home will be allowed to claim back 30% of their energy bills against their tax. In his Budget 2022 speech, the Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said many have experienced remote working during the pandemic, stating that it can become part of a better work/life balance. The government wants to facilitate and support remote work, he said, confirming that an income tax deduction amounting in 30% of the cost of vouched expenses for heat, electricity, and broadband.
12th Oct 2021 - TheJournal.ie
Amazon to allow employees to work remotely indefinitely
Amazon said it will allow many tech and corporate workers to continue working remotely indefinitely, as long as they can commute to the office when necessary. The new policy was announced in a blog post and is a change from Amazon’s previous expectation that most employees would need to be in the office at least three days a week when offices reopen from the COVID-19 pandemic in January. The Seattle Times reported Monday’s message was signed by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and said company directors will have discretion to allow teams that they manage to continue working remotely.
12th Oct 2021 - Associated Press
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullAmazon to take team-wise approach on remote work policy
Amazon.com will let individual teams decide for how many days corporate employees would be expected to work from office in a week, CEO Andy Jassy said in a message to employees. Earlier, Amazon's policy required for employees to return to office from Jan. 3 for at least three days a week. In his message that was posted on Amazon's blog, Jassy said the company's corporate employees will be permitted to work up to four weeks per year fully remotely from any location within the country of employment.
11th Oct 2021 - MSN.com
How to Establish Successful Hybrid Working for Your Employees
As employers search for the right work arrangements after months or more spent largely remote, employees are making it clear they overwhelmingly prefer hybrid scenarios. In a recent Institute for Business Value survey of more than 14,000 people around the world, one in four employees said they were planning to change companies in 2021, citing the need for a more flexible work schedule or location as a top reason. Given such strong sentiment, it's easy to see how a well-conceived "work from anywhere" option could soon become a competitive advantage for employers. Establishing hybrid working may seem daunting, but there are a handful of steps any company can take to improve the infrastructure and operations of hybrid work that will make for a more successful transition.
11th Oct 2021 - Business Insider
How to get a promotion when working remotely
As many of us grapple with how, when, and if we should return to the office, there is another question you may be considering: Is it possible to get a promotion or even a new job if you continue to work remotely? Dorie Clark, an author and professor of business at Duke and Columbia, and a contributor for the Harvard Business Review and Fast Company, says if you are in the position to make a decision about if you will return to the office, the first step is understanding what the culture of your company is turning into. According to Clark, the most important consideration in advancing your career is building and maintaining relationships. That looks a little different in a hybrid or remote work situation.
11th Oct 2021 - Fast Company
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe UK cities that rejected calls to ‘get back to the office’ despite Covid restrictions easing
Despite Government overtures, the end of the summer break did not signal a mass return to the office for the UK, renewing concerns about the future of city centres. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged workers to “get back to work in the normal way”, warning them that if they continue to work from home, “you’re going to be gossiped about and you’re going to lose out”. Those responsible for running Britain’s city centres had been waiting anxiously to see data for September. There were hopes that, after Covid restrictions were relaxed and the summer holidays were over, commuting patterns might start approaching pre-pandemic normality. One month on, statistics from Google indicates that this has not happened.
9th Oct 2021 - iNews
ACCA calls for remote working fund for SMEs
In Ireland, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is calling on the Government to introduce a remote working fund for SMEs in Budget 2022, to support small businesses in adopting a remote working model for employees. As employers adopt a hybrid working model post-pandemic, the ACCA said additional costs associated with purchasing equipment, technology, and cyber security protection to support their staff to work remotely will put "considerable strain" on SME's financial resources. It said both the Government’s new remote working legislation along with the uplift in tax credits for remote workers, which is expected to be part of the budget, will help transform the new hybrid working environment.
9th Oct 2021 - RTE.ie
Remote Workers Can Live Anywhere. These Cities (and Small Towns) Are Luring Them With Perks.
Shara Gaona didn’t know much about Topeka when the pandemic struck. But the remote-working United Airlines analyst, untethered from her Chicago office, decided to move to the Kansas capital and collect $10,000 in local government incentives. Topeka is on a growing list of locations—from Bemidji, Minn., to the state of West Virginia—dangling incentives to entice remote workers. Many companies are offering office-free jobs, and some workers are willing to relocate for cash, cheaper housing or other perks.
9th Oct 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Imagining the Hybrid College Campus
The pandemic undoubtedly inflicted real pain on higher education during the past year, but it also brought about clarity for what’s next. Much has already been written about how Covid-19 forced schools to accelerate their blending of in-person and online learning. While this abrupt shift created significant challenges, this hybrid model will in the long run greatly enhance the classroom experience. New digital tools, for instance, can help educators better assess student engagement, thus providing instructors with a clear road map for how to refine and improve their courses and teaching methods.
10th Oct 2021 - Harvard Business Review
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullU.S. employers look to prioritize well-being of remote workers- survey
Several U.S. companies are looking to prioritize employee well-being by offering perks such as home delivery of meals and subsidized furniture to meet the rigors of working from home, a survey showed on Wednesday. One of five employers have such plans for next year, according to early results from a national survey. With a majority of people working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are looking for at-home alternatives for offerings such as subsidized healthy food choices in cafeterias or onsite gyms.
7th Oct 2021 - Reuters
Aussie company pays more than 1,000 employees $1,200 each to work from home - admitting 'we are renting space in people's homes'... so will others follow suit?
Employees at one of Australia's biggest private health insurers will get paid $1,200 on top of their annual salary to stay at home, as the firm pivots into a post-Covid remote working model. The announcement by CEO Mark Fitzgibbon comes as newly-appointed premier Domonic Perrotet is desperate to rush workers back into the struggling CBD as NSW vaccination rates surge. Mr Fitzgibbon says those days are 'long gone' and that other companies should get onboard a more flexible working model which could even mean an end to the five-day work week.
7th Oct 2021 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullOver two thirds of final year students and graduates are prioritising hybrid working over salary in perspective jobs
A survey was commissioned by www.nationalgraduateweek.co.uk to over 2,200 final year university students and recent graduates from UK universities to find out what they’re looking for and prioritising when looking for future work. It was found that over two thirds of recent graduates and final year university students are looking for opportunities that offer hybrid working options (68% of respondents). Just over half of final year students and recent graduates (52%) have said that they are looking for roles that boast mental health support, with many priortising this over a high starting salary (11%).
6th Oct 2021 - fenews.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Has Vastly Improved the Black Worker Experience
Working remotely has its downsides: Cramped apartments, endless Zoom calls, juggling child care duties. But for many Black workers in white-collar jobs, getting out of the office has resulted in a vast improvement in their employee experience. Over the past year, Black workers in so-called “knowledge” roles, like graphic design or data analysis, are more likely to say they’ve been treated more fairly, value their co-workers more and feel more supported by management, according to a survey by the Future Forum. The findings support longstanding research that shows Black workers, especially Black women, feel less valued and respected by colleagues.
5th Oct 2021 - BloombergQuint
Citadel’s founder says those early in their career ‘are making a grave mistake’ if they work from home
Employees just starting out are risking their career advancement by continuing to work remotely, hedge fund manager Ken Griffin said. “If you are early in your career, you are making a grave mistake not being back at work,” Griffin said in a conversation with Bloomberg’s Erik Schatzker. “It’s incredibly difficult to have the managerial experiences and interpersonal experiences that you need to have to take your career forward in a work-remotely environment.” Griffin, who runs Citadel’s hedge fund business and Citadel Securities, also said working outside the office hinders innovation and indicated it may hurt the country’s competitiveness.
5th Oct 2021 - Fortune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullGoogle’s regional pay cuts for employees who work from home may backfire
Many companies that employ the estimated 13 percent of US workers who are still working from home due to the pandemic expect to open their offices back up in January. Google is one of several notable tech companies, including Facebook and Twitter, that has enacted controversial plans to lower pay for remote workers who’ve moved away from the expensive areas where their headquarters are located. But there are signs these policies may backfire. While potential repercussions for cutting workers’ pay may not be immediate, humans are highly susceptible to loss aversion — losses are more painful than gains are pleasurable — and pay cuts could cause workers to either leave or resent the company. Alienating your existing workforce is always a bad idea, but it’s especially bad when tech companies are already struggling to find the workers they need.
4th Oct 2021 - Vox.com
Irish workers fear pay cuts for working remotely
More than half of Irish workers are concerned that choosing remote working will create inequality and impact their career progression, a new survey has found. Of those workers who fear there will be a negative impact, almost 40% are concerned that they would be asked to take a pay cut if they work remotely full time and 60% worry that it could impact their career progression. The survey found that 52% are fearful that they will be forgotten about during meetings if they choose to work remotely full time, with 48% worried their employer will consider their decision to work remotely a reflection of their commitment to the company.
4th Oct 2021 - Irish Examiner
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullThis Company Is Letting 40,000 Employees Work Remotely Indefinitely: 'Evolution of Flexibility'
The accounting and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is letting thousands of its employees work remotely after the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the concept and feasibility of the virtual office. According to Reuters, the company will allow 40,000 of its U.S. client services employees to work virtually and live anywhere. PwC's deputy people leader, Yolanda Seals-Coffield, told the outlet that the change will be for the long term. "We have learned a ton through the pandemic, and working virtually, as we think about the evolution of flexibility, is a natural next step," Seals-Coffield said, Reuters reported. "If you are an employee in good standing, are in client services, and want to work virtually, you can, full stop."
2nd Oct 2021 - Yahoo News UK
Work From Home Forever Means No More Kids on Office Zoom Calls
The children who unexpectedly guest starred on so many pandemic video conference calls will play a much smaller role in the post-Covid work-from-home world. With hybrid schedules and remote work expected to continue even after the pandemic ends, U.S. companies are moving from Covid stopgaps to setting parameters for employees seeking flexibility. Chief among them, according to labor attorneys, are rules ensuring that someone else will take care of the kids during the workday. Parents were forced to juggle child care and work for a large portion of the last 18 months as schools and daycare centers shut down during Covid waves. Now that those facilities are more likely to be open — even as child care is more expensive and harder to find — companies are trying to assess how quickly they should require employees to formally split parental duties from their jobs.
2nd Oct 2021 - Bloomberg
Working from home? The best ergonomic gadgets for remote workers
In 2020, 37 per cent of adults worked from home, and a report from the Office for National Statistics suggests 85 per cent of remote employees want to adopt a hybrid of home and office work. A potential problem with this is workers setting up home offices without due consideration for sound ergonomics. RSI (repetitive strain injury) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) are no laughing matter: the TUC reports RSI costs the UK about 5.4 million work days a year. Fortunately, if your office is still insisting you work from home, there is plenty of high-end ergonomic tech to help alleviate this issue
2nd Oct 2021 - Metro.co.uk
24 hours from London: the best travel choices for remote working within a day’s reach of the UK
Before the coronavirus pandemic, “working from home” was often disparaged as a euphemism. But increasingly many enlightened employers accept that people whose jobs allow flexibility are often more productive. With a commute limited to bedroom-to-kitchen and more flexibility for family commitments, time is freed up and stresses are eased. The natural extension for those whose work can be conveyed as hand luggage is “working from away”. As autumn decays into winter, the prospect of a bright backdrop for those online meetings becomes ever more alluring. Last weekend, speculation began about the options for Unilever staff, after it was reported that the Anglo-Dutch giant would allow employees to be anywhere they wished as long as they could return for an urgent meeting within 24 hours.
2nd Oct 2021 - The Independent
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullWhy millions of Americans are quitting their jobs in the Great Resignation
Since 2020, in addition to massive unemployment from pandemic-induced business shutdowns, the United States has seen a surge of voluntary job departures. In a recent Washington Post Live webcast, Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at Texas A&M University credited with coining the term the “Great Resignation,” attributed the departures to four main causes: a backlog of workers who wanted to resign before the pandemic but held on a bit longer; burnout, particularly among frontline workers in health care, food service and retail; “pandemic epiphanies” in which people experienced major shifts in identity and purpose that led them to pursue new careers and start their own businesses; and an aversion to returning to offices after a year or more of working remotely.
30th Sep 2021 - The Washington Post
From the Caribbean to coffee shops, alternatives to the city centre office are on the rise
2020 will forever be known as the year shifted our workplace solar system. The office’s gravitational pull is the weakest it has ever been, and the past 18 months has proven that most workers truly can work from anywhere. And with many of us enjoying the flexibility that affords, it’s no surprise that the majority (86 per cent) of employees want to continue working remotely at least once a week. As we move towards a more hybrid approach to the workplace, every organisation, team and individual will have to map out what hybrid working actually means for them: where should you work and how often?
30th Sep 2021 - iNews
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work has finally made me — a legally-blind person — feel like I can thrive at my job. I'm sad it took this long.
Rachel Christian is a journalist and personal finance writer based Central Florida. As someone who is legally blind, Christian says remote work has been a game-changer for her career. At home, she can control her work environment and not worry about transportation or feeling self-conscious in front of coworkers.
29th Sep 2021 - MSN.com
Remote Work Projections Are on the Rise in U.S Managers Survey
An increasing number of U.S. professionals anticipate to be fully remote from an office in the next five years, signaling a permanent shift in the workplace and a greater use of freelancers by companies. A survey of more than 1,000 hiring managers implies that 40.7 million Americans expect to be working remotely by 2026, or almost 28% of respondents, according to a report by online freelance company Upwork Inc. That’s 4.5 million more than in a previous poll in the third quarter of 2020 -- and about 21 million above prepandemic levels.
29th Sep 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullTech companies keep asking employees to take pay cuts to work remotely, but workers are rejecting the idea they should be paid differently based on where they live
In a hyper-competitive job market that favors specialized workers like those focused on technology, it is shortsighted for companies to consider cutting salaries of those who want to make permanent remote work arrangements prompted by COVID-19. But a new Dice survey finds that one in 10 technologists say they have been asked to take a pay cut if they don't plan to return to the office. Facebook and Twitter have reportedly reduced salaries for employees who've moved to less expensive areas, and Google is considering a similar plan. On the flip side, Reddit and Zillow are among employers encouraging workplace flexibility, and a separate Dice survey found that 28% of companies have increased salaries to attract technologists from high cost-of-living tech hubs.
28th Sep 2021 - Yahoo News
Japan telecom NTT eyes remote work as norm for all 320,000 employees
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said it is considering allowing all 320,000 employees of the telecom giant group to work remotely as the norm and abolishing job relocations, in a drastic shake-up of its management style for a post-coronavirus society.
28th Sep 2021 - Kyodo News Plus
Is Going to the Office a Broken Way of Working?
A technology entrepreneur named Chris Herd posted a thread on Twitter. “I spoke to 10 x Billion $ companies who canceled return to the office due to the delta variant,” he began. “A few predictions on what else is going to happen.” His first salvo was titled “Office Death,” and claimed that “by the time people can return to the office a lot of companies will no longer have space to return to.” In Herd’s vision, which he calls a remote-first strategy, relevant teams gather less frequently—he suggests once a month as a good interval—in varying locations that suit the work that’s being done. Because these meetings are relatively infrequent, there’s no need for employees to live in the same region.
28th Sep 2021 - The New Yorker
Personality Predicts Adjustment to Remote Work
Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a debate about whether workers are happier and more productive at home or in the office. A recent study examined changes in job outcomes during the transition to remote work. Two personality traits, extroversion and conscientiousness, predicted decreasing performance and lower well-being over time.
28th Sep 2021 - Psychology Today
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullVideo chat BlueJeans aims to bring virtual watercooler talk to remote workers
Companies are struggling to recreate the serendipity of office interactions as many teams continue to work remotely due to the pandemic, but they could soon have a new option to try close the gap. Verizon's video chat app BlueJeans announced that it will begin testing a feature called Spaces, or virtual rooms where people as 3D cartoonish avatars can hang out, overhear conversations and join them. Rivals, including Zoom and Microsoft also have been developing features to foster spontaneous conversation in their chat tools.
27th Sep 2021 - Reuters
Four leading employers form remote working alliance
Four of Ireland’s leading employers have formed a “remote working alliance” to embed remote working within their organisations on a long-term basis. Vodafone, ESB, eBay and Liberty Insurance announced details of the Remote Alliance on Monday. Established by social enterprise Grow Remote, the initiative is designed to “lead the way for other Irish employers to commit to long-term remote working”. The purpose of the alliance is to build an Ireland where employment is accessible no matter where people live, it says.
27th Sep 2021 - The Irish Times
‘It’s awkward’: how UK workers hired remotely feel returning to the office
Lockdown policies introduced to mitigate the pandemic had profound effects on the labour market. When the UK fell into recession in August 2020, employment fell by the largest amount since the 2009 financial crisis. But for those determined to find new jobs, opportunities existed: in the first three months of 2021, the British Chambers of Commerce found that 40% of businesses were looking to recruit, compared with the pre-pandemic 2019 average of 55%. But what is the return to office life like for those hired remotely during lockdown, who have never visited their new workplace, seen their colleagues face-to-face or met the boss who hired them?
27th Sep 2021 - The Guardian
Employees are accepting pay cuts to keep working from home. They shouldn’t
Aside from the fact that remote work simply makes workers’ lives easier, it seems like it’s just a more sensible alternative for most employers. Companies save serious money in overhead like office space and other administrative costs. And aside from being able to physically monitor their workers during work hours, is there any real reason why bosses have to hover over their employees day in and day out? Thankfully, many workers are seeing this bigger picture, and choosing to do what’s best for them. According to the GoodHire study, 45% of Americans would either quit their job or immediately start a remote-work job-search if they were forced to return to their office full-time. And it’s already happening.
27th Sep 2021 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullStarting a new job is hard enough. Here's how to do it when you're remote
Starting a new job is nerve-wracking: You're trying to remember everyone's names and roles, and learn the culture, all the while trying to put your best foot forward. And for new hires who are joining a company remotely during the pandemic, the onboarding process can be even more difficult. This article explains how to make a great first impression
26th Sep 2021 - CNN
Worker surveillance rises as more companies offer remote work options
The spread of the delta variant has kept many of America’s office employees working from home and fueled a rise in surveillance technologies by employers — in finance, law, technology and other industries — eager to keep tabs on their remote workforce. Facial recognition monitoring offers one of the stranger examples of America’s massive work-from-home experiment, because it relies on a glitchy and, to some, quite creepy camera system built to ensure workers don’t lose focus or break the rules. Workers have little power to control how and when they’re being monitored, especially if they are using work-issued devices. Experts advise workers to assume they are being monitored if they’re in the office or using company equipment, and recommend they read the fine print when in comes to employee contracts.
26th Sep 2021 - The Washington Post
Covid and remote work changed the workplace. Now let's change the work week — to 4 days.
Matthew Gallagher, founder and CEO of Watch Gang, writes: "There is an inconvenient truth about modern employment: Many people hate their jobs. Even before the pandemic, a global Gallup poll found that approximately 85 percent of people were not engaged at work.Two-thirds of Americans reported feeling negatively about their work, while 25 percent of British sick days can be traced back to stress generated in the workplace". "To boost employee satisfaction and increase productivity, to make my business better and my customers happier, I’m going to pilot a four-day work week starting in the new year. For 32 hours of work, my employees will receive the same pay and benefits they have been getting for 40. Once implemented, we will track a number of metrics, such as employee and customer satisfaction and overall work completed."
26th Sep 2021 - NBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow has remote working provided a jobs boost for young workers?
As another University year begins, research by Bright Network, a platform connecting graduates to employers, has highlighted how the pandemic and remote working has opened up new career opportunities and better social mobility for graduates in regions around the UK. Remote working has enabled graduates to accept employment opportunities in areas they were perhaps unable to access or afford in the past, with almost a third of young people accepting jobs they couldn’t before, because of a long commute to the office, and almost a quarter (24%) of graduates saying the main benefit of working remotely is flexibility in where they live. The research shows the opportunity for universities and government to capitalise on remote working as a way to level up the UK and improve social mobility for young people
23rd Sep 2021 - Business Leader
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullEmployees working from home four days a week slashes pollution by 10%, study finds
As companies debate whether to allow workers continuing working remotely, come into the office or have a hybrid work week, workers that telecommute four days a week could cut nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels by as much as 10 percent, a new study finds. Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) looked at three different scenarios — telecommuting two, three or four days a week — and found that NO2 levels would decline by 4 percent, 8 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
22nd Sep 2021 - Daily Mail
Making an office of a makeshift desk at home
While remote working allows for greater flexibility and can contribute to more productivity, it also comes at the expense of social contact with colleagues. This can prove challenging at times, but can be more pronounced for younger workers and graduates especially when the downsides can include workplace disconnect, less one-on-one time with a manager or colleagues and the dangers associated with overworking. To get a broader perspective on what it was like to transition from student life to working life under these unusual circumstances we spoke with three graduates who each began their placement during the pandemic.
22nd Sep 2021 - The Irish Times
The hidden aspects of (hybrid) work you should consider
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to remote and hybrid work. From tech companies in Silicon Docks to your yoga studio around the corner, most companies seem now convinced that remote and hybrid work are not just work arrangements for global teams in high-tech. Quite the contrary, the future workplace - across industries and countries - entails combinations of on-site presence and working-from-everywhere opportunities. To confirm this tendency, a recent study from Ipsos for the World Economic Forum has revealed that 66% of the 12,500 employees surveyed across 29 countries want employers to offer flexible work arrangements post-pandemic.
22nd Sep 2021 - RTE.ie
How to manage employees who work remotely
As employees increasingly demand flexibility and desire the hybrid-work model, employers need to think seriously about what they can do to make this happen while still getting the results they want – and this means prioritising staff happiness and autonomy and stepping back from micromanagement. It may be tempting to micro-manage when most of your employees are working remotely, but now is not the time to prioritise process – or even results – over the wellbeing of your workforce. Research shows that healthier and happier people are more productive, and that workers who feel their employer cares about their wellbeing are more likely to work better and harder.
22nd Sep 2021 - Stuff.co.nz
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullHere’s why flexibility, not hybrid, is what employees say they want
After more than 18 months of workers managing career responsibilities and their lives — and experiencing just how much flexibility is needed to do both — the idea of having to adhere to a hybrid schedule set by an employer may not be the ideal solution. Instead, what workplace experts and some CHROs are now saying is that what workers really need is flexibility — the ability to figure out for themselves which days are in the office and on which days remote is best. The distinction may sound like mere verbiage, the experts acknowledge, but the difference could mean keeping valuable workers or watching them walk out the door
21st Sep 2021 - CNBC
Advantages of remote working should not be lost - Forsa
The largest public service union here will begin negotiations with the Government later this week on the future for working - post pandemic. The head of communications of Forsa, which represents around 80,000 public and civil servants, said the union wants to build on the momentum of remote working that was forced upon employees as a result of the pandemic. Bernard Harbor said despite some initial problems, it has been a very favourable experience for workers and employers have found that productivity has been maintained or improved through remote working. Mr Harbor said the advantages of remote working for workers, employers and the economy must not be lost.
21st Sep 2021 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote working is an opportunity for disadvantaged areas says new study
Remote working is here to stay and it will bring with it new development opportunities for disadvantaged areas, but also the risk of greater socio-economic and regional inequality, according to a new study. According to the researchers, these changes will continue to shape the way people live and work because remote working offers greater flexibility and autonomy, a better balance between work and private life and less time spent commuting. This could be an advantage for peripheral areas, leading to a better balanced distribution of employment and of the population. There is evidence to suggest this is the case.
20th Sep 2021 - ANSA
Working remotely and not commuting saving Irish workers an average of one hour per day
Working remotely and not having to commute is saving Irish office workers 58 minutes per day on average, according to new research. The survey, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of IT services provider Auxillion, found that the majority of the 500 people who took part (59%) said they were using this additional time to relax or to be with their families. The research found that more than a third of Irish office workers (35%) believe working remotely has improved their mental health.
20th Sep 2021 - Irish Examiner
How companies can make their remote working inclusive for the deaf and blind
As remote working takes a greater hold amid the coronavirus pandemic, a wealth of opportunities can open up for people that may not have existed before. For example, less of a focus on the office can draw more people with disabilities into the workforce. But for companies, there are still a great deal of considerations to take into account when creating an inclusive remote environment for blind and deaf people. Organizations like RNIB and the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Center at University College London have issued guidance to employers on best practices for remote working with people that are visually impaired or hard of hearing. But these guidelines are ever-evolving with the rapidly changing future of work.
20th Sep 2021 - CNBC
End of working from home 'fuelled England's third Covid wave': Government figures show infection rates were highest among white-collar workers after No10 dropped WFH guidance
There were some 235 cases per 100,000 person-weeks among white people during third Covid wave. Meanwhile, the figure was as low as 98 in other ethnic groups suggesting white people drove cases up. And cases were higher among office-based jobs during, Office for National Statistics data shows
20th Sep 2021 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullAustralians are working from home much more because of the pandemic – and it sucks
In Australia, a Productivity Commission report reveals the major changes in work habits since Covid arrived, including longer days. Prior to the pandemic around 20% of all businesses had staff working from home; since the pandemic that has increased to 44%. The commission argues it is unlikely that we will return to pre-pandemic levels. One study cited in the report found that the length of the average workday increased by around 8%, or almost 49 minutes, relative to pre-pandemic levels. This highlights that for any benefits of working from home there are many negatives. The report looked at how working from home affects an array of aspects, from productivity to congestion, workplace health and safety, and worker’s wellbeing.
19th Sep 2021 - The Guardian
We want to see remote working become a permanent fixture, Varadkar says
In Ireland, speaking ahead of the easing of restrictions, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said from tomorrow, the public health advice no longer requires working from home and a phased return to the office begins. “The pandemic has taught us what’s possible in terms of remote working. It transformed the world of work overnight. I hope we can learn something from what worked for workers and employers during that time and incorporate it post-Covid. We really want to see remote working become a permanent fixture of Irish working life."
19th Sep 2021 - Irish Examiner
COVID-19 was meant to start a remote work revolution in Japan — that didn't happen
The pandemic was expected to trigger a major shift toward working remotely in corporate Japan, where face-to-face meetings are valued and long hours are often considered a sign of loyalty. But 20 months since the nation reported its first COVID-19 patient, the concept appears to be losing steam — at least for now — as many workers remain bound to their offices, especially those working for small and midsize firms. As the delta variant raged across the nation last month, leading to record numbers of infections, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga asked the nation’s major business circles to help promote remote work in a bid to reduce the number of commuters by 70%.
19th Sep 2021 - The Japan Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullIs remote work ruining creativity?
It’s not hard to be creative while working from home, but creativity is slippery and can be quite fickle. The things that used to inspire you might not be working anymore. For managers hoping to inspire their teams, asking them to “be more creative” or to throw out ideas during your next Zoom call isn’t going to cut it. In fact, it can backfire by making employees feel pressured. With remote work changing where and how many of us work, it’s essential to build habits and strategies that keep the creative sparks flying. This article offers five ways to recharge your creative juices from home and help your team do the same.
16th Sep 2021 - Fast Company
From Bend, Oregon to Tampa: How these 10 U.S. cities became remote work hotspots
In the wake of the pandemic, remote work has continued to surge in popularity, new data from LinkedIn reveals. According to the report, 30.2% of all applications to paid U.S. job postings on LinkedIn went to remote work opportunities in August, more than 3x the rate of remote job applications (9.8%) in August 2020, and up nearly 10-fold from January 2020, where remote jobs only made up 2.8% of applications before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the U.S. Certain cities are emerging as remote work hotspots faster than others. Bend, Oregon topped LinkedIn’s list for the small U.S. cities where remote work is the most popular
16th Sep 2021 - CNBC
Most workers do not expect full-time office return, survey says
Most people do not believe workers will return to the office full-time after the coronavirus pandemic, an exclusive survey for the BBC suggests. A total of 70% of 1,684 people polled predicted that workers would "never return to offices at the same rate". The majority of workers said that they would prefer to work from home either full-time or at least some of the time. But managers raised concerns that creativity in the workplace would be affected.
16th Sep 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullECB to Work Remotely Through January Amid Delta Disruption
The European Central Bank will let its employees work remotely until early next year, the latest sign that the delta variant of the coronavirus is derailing the return to the office around the world. The “default solution is remote working, still today, and probably until the end of January, and then we will see,” ECB President Christine Lagarde said on “The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations” on Bloomberg Television. Major corporations and institutions like the International Monetary Fund have been forced to delay returns to the office after the delta variant of the coronavirus caused infections to rise.
15th Sep 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullDoes Your Employer Trust You? Why Surveillance Is The Dark Underbelly Of Remote Work
With retail giant Amazon considering intensive monitoring of its customer service workers—down to the level of keyboard and mouse strokes—it seems that workplace surveillance is going mainstream. But why? Amazon’s confidential document cites security concerns as the impetus for this level of employee monitoring (and no doubt all of us who purchase from Amazon appreciate the effort to safeguard our personal data). But imagine the emotions of Amazon’s employees, who may soon face daily scrutiny of—literally—their every move.
14th Sep 2021 - Forbes
Huge study suggests remote work creates silos, changes communication
People working from home in the pandemic spoke less frequently with colleagues outside their team and took longer to engage with new hires, compared to when they worked in the office before COVID-19, a study suggests. People did, however, spend more time communicating, and therefore built stronger connections with their immediate team members. The study looked at the communication habits of 61,000 Microsoft staff while the company was working remotely during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
14th Sep 2021 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullU.K. Office Revival Speeds Up With More Workers Back at Desks
There is increasing evidence that Britain’s cities are returning to normal. Employees entering offices in major U.K. cities rose last week to 90% of pre-Covid levels from 58% a week earlier, according to data from Metrikus, which installs sensors in office buildings to measure occupancy rates. The City of London seems markedly busier than even two weeks ago, with streets more crowded and workers flocking to pubs. The question remains whether the trend will continue, with many companies and employees now embracing hybrid working, and with the risk that variants could yet derail a recovery.
13th Sep 2021 - Bloomberg
Study Shows People Want To Keep Working Remotely Because Of Pets, Naps And Watching TV: There's Also A Deeper Reason
A new study of remote workers conducted by Digital.com reveals the main reasons why people want to continue working from home. They run the gamut. Some seem obvious, while other rationales will surprise you. They include pets, naps and exercising, watching TV, listening to music and podcasts, but also worries about looks, bad commutes, missing family and friends
13th Sep 2021 - Forbes
Who should return to the office?
The pandemic forced many companies into the future of work. Remote and hybrid workplaces were inevitable, but rather than slowly and deliberately arriving there in 10 or 15 years, many were forced into it amid a global crisis. But we are no longer in triage mode. As millions navigate what this next phase of work looks like, it’s time to be much more thoughtful and intentional than we were back in March 2020. For the first episode of the new season, I talked to longtime Fast Company contributor, Gwen Moran. Moran has been writing about the future of work, remote work, return to office, and all things Work Life for decades.
13th Sep 2021 - Fast Company
Don't Want to Return to Work After COVID? How to Negotiate Working Remotely
Whether you're currently scheduled to return to the office later this year or sometime in 2022, going back won't be easy, and those that felt hopeful at the end of 2020 may now be dreading looming office deadlines. A May survey conducted by the Harris Poll indicated that as many as 40% of employees indicated they'd prefer to work from home indefinitely, and that figure is likely growing as variants spread and vaccine models change this fall. For those experiencing anxiety about the return to work, mental health specialists say it's a completely normal and expected way to feel. Having reduced control over your own life is a hallmark symptom of anxiety, explains Charmain F. Jackman, Ph.D., founder and CEO of InnoPsych
13th Sep 2021 - Good Housekeeping
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home? Then expect a pay cut as nearly one in ten London firms plan to cut the salary boost for the capital
Nearly one in ten of the capital's employers has dropped – or has plans to remove – the London weighting allowance on salaries for remote workers. An exclusive survey of more than 22,700 companies found that 11 per cent will ditch the salary boost for London workers who continue to work from home. The research also found that 28 per cent of employers are planning to hire staff to work remotely on a permanent basis, which was more than double the number in a previous survey.
12th Sep 2021 - MSN.com
New and young remote hires need mentors more than ever
Beginning a job remotely can be stressful. When your interactions with new colleagues are only happening through a screen, the process of getting close to others, and learning the best ways (and people) to help you do things often feels overwhelming. Many Gen Z workers are starting their first full-time jobs completely remotely. This means they’re often lacking the guidance and casual interactions that happen naturally in an office—experiences that are especially important for career development. Research shows that mentors are not only helpful to new workers acclimating to a new organization, but also key to employees’ professional growth.
12th Sep 2021 - Fast Company
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work curbs communication, collaboration, study finds
When employees work remotely, lines of communication between colleagues, teams and departments get severed, according to new research. The study of 61,000 Microsoft employees -- published in the journal Nature Human Behavior -- found remote work led to more siloed lines of communication and fewer real-time conversations. While working remotely full-time, employees were also less likely to spend time in meetings, limiting the opportunity for collaboration and information-sharing.
9th Sep 2021 - UPI.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullSilicon Valley finds remote work is easier to begin than end
Technology companies that led the charge into remote work as the pandemic unfurled are confronting a new challenge: how, when and even whether they should bring long-isolated employees back to offices that have been designed for teamwork. That transition has been complicated by the rapid spread of the delta variant, which has scrambled the plans many tech companies had for bringing back most of their workers near or after Labor Day weekend. Microsoft has pushed those dates back to October while Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and a growing list of others have already decided wait until next year.
8th Sep 2021 - Associated Press
Coworking with friends can cure remote work blues
As coronavirus case numbers soar with the rise of the delta variant, many employers are delaying their return-to-office dates. And while that’s welcome news for a lot of people, some are dreading a stretch of colder months that could look a lot like last year: endless days spent inside, with human contact relegated to screens. Across the country, friends are devising another way forward. Now vaccinated, they are meeting up in each other’s homes and at coffee shops and co-working spaces. They are watching each other nail the important meeting and wrangle that stressful conversation with their boss. They are learning the names of their friends’ favorite (and least favorite) colleagues. These friends have discovered the ultimate pandemic life hack: Working remotely need not mean working alone.
8th Sep 2021 - The Seattle Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullGen Z are the most uncomfortable returning to the office
When it comes to heading back to the office this fall, some workers are getting a reprieve as companies postpone return-to-work plans or switch to hybrid setups that allow for more remote work. And that’s likely a relief to many Gen Z employees, those ages 18 to 24, who say they’re uncomfortable heading back into the office. Although the youngest generation is potentially less prone than older workers to life-threatening COVID-19 infections, Gen Z is the group most likely to say they're uncomfortable returning to work fully in-person, according to a recent survey from the Harris Poll.
7th Sep 2021 - Fortune
Deutsche Bank Calls End of Honeymoon Phase With Remote Work
Deutsche Bank is calling the end of the honeymoon phase for employees’ relationship with remote work. A growing number of workers report feeling isolated from colleagues, Deutsche Bank said in a report to clients. Workers are increasingly likely to develop musculoskeletal problems due to inadequate remote-work setups. Nearly 40% of workers in the U.S. say they feel exhausted after a full week of virtual meetings. Even so, a proprietary survey conducted by the firm showed people expect to continue working from home two to three days a week once the coronavirus pandemic is no longer deemed a threat.
7th Sep 2021 - Bloomberg
Return to Office: Delays by Apple and Google Accomplish Nothing
The planned autumn 2021 return to the office is being delayed. Until January, purportedly. That’s when Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Alphabet subsidiary Google, Microsoft and some other major employers of knowledge workers now say they expect people back at their desks, 22 months after sending everybody home at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the current high U.S. levels of Covid cases, hospitalizations and in some places deaths, it’s understandable that companies don’t want to do a big return-to-office right now. Less clear is why they all thought early fall would be such a great time for RTO in the first place, or why they think the coast will be so much clearer in January.
7th Sep 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullBosses turn to ‘tattleware’ to keep tabs on employees working from home
Remote surveillance software like Sneek, also known as “tattleware” or “bossware”, represented something of a niche market pre-Covid. But that all changed in March 2020, as employers scrambled to pull together work-from-home policies out of thin air. In April last year, Google queries for “remote monitoring” were up 212% year-on-year; by April this year, they’d continued to surge by another 243%. These software programs give bosses a mix of options for monitoring workers’ online activity and assessing their productivity: from screenshotting employees’ screens to logging their keystrokes and tracking their browsing. Employers are also reportedly drawing on in-house IT departments to monitor emails for flagged phrases at an increased rate compared with before the pandemic.
6th Sep 2021 - The Guardian
UK workers on returning to the office: ‘No point if I end up doing video calls’
Workers in the UK have gradually been returning to offices in recent weeks, after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions. While many firms have adopted a flexible arrangement that combines remote and office work each week, many others have called their employees back full time. For some, it is a welcome return to normality, but others have raised concerns about their health and working conditions.
6th Sep 2021 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in full"Allo bureau bobo": Documenting remote working from Bali to Europe
Loungers, sun, shorts, T-shirts and tropical plants ... another day at the office for some workers who have reconfigured their lifestyles to fit a world hit by the coronavirus pandemic. French photojournalist Jérôme Gence captured such changes in office mores in "Allo bureau bobo" or "Telework". His panorama of employees working from island paradises for companies around the world - the digital nomads - is on show in Perpignan in southern France as part of the Visa pour l'image festival.
4th Sep 2021 - Yahoo News UK
Employers preparing responses to staff's remote work requests
Employers need to have plans in place to respond in a timely and effective manner to employee requests to work remotely, says Moira Grassick, managing director at Peninsula Ireland. A specialist employment law consultancy, Peninsula Ireland is advising employers to have a written policy in place to ensure that employees understand their position on remote working. This advice follows the recent publication by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) of its findings from a public consultation to discuss the key points of the bill allowing employees to work remotely.
4th Sep 2021 - Irish Examiner
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullTurning off your camera for video meetings makes you more productive and less tired, according to psychologists
If you’ve spent too many remote meetings staring unproductively at the glazed-over expressions of your coworkers, a new study has a solution for you: Just keep your camera off next time. It sounds counterintuitive that turning off your camera leads to more productive meetings, but that’s what researchers from the University of Arizona Eller College of Management recently found during a four-week experiment. Taking away video freed people up to stop concentrating on their own faces, and instead focus more on the content of the meetings, according to the study’s authors.
2nd Sep 2021 - CNBC
UBS CEO Says Staff Who Don't Want Vaccine Can Work From Home
UBS staff who don’t wish to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus can apply to work from home, Chief Executive Officer Ralph Hamers said, signaling a flexible approach on a topic that’s disrupting banks’ effort to get workers back to their desks. “We have 25,000 employees alone in the U.S. and thousands more in Singapore and Hong Kong, and every country has a different legal framework around what you can and can’t make mandatory” with respect to vaccines, Hamers said at the Swiss Economic Forum in Interlaken. “The pandemic has delivered solutions to manage the risk of carrying the virus and passing it to your colleagues, and that is to work from home.”
2nd Sep 2021 - Bloomberg
Northern Ireland bosses 'get cold feet over remote working': survey
Bosses in Northern Ireland are becoming less enthusiastic about home working as they rediscover the benefits of the office, according to a report. The Global CEO Outlook by business advisory firm KPMG said there had been a “significant decline” in the numbers of chief executives here who were planning to downsize their office space. And overall, bosses on this side of the border were less likely than those in the Republic to have employees working remotely for more than two days a week.
2nd Sep 2021 - Belfast Telegraph
After Almost Two Years Of Working Remotely, It Will Be Nearly Impossible To Demand People To Return To The Office
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to his employees, “We are welcoming back tens of thousands of Googlers on a voluntary basis.” Pichai added, “We’ll extend our global voluntary return-to-office policy through January 10, 2022.” The date has been pushed back from a prior deadline. Similarly, Apple once again pushed back its timeline for requiring its employees to return to work. The tech giant told its worldwide workforce that they won’t be required to return to their respective offices until January—or even later. The decision was based upon concerns over the sudden surge of the Delta variant.
2nd Sep 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullZoom-Call Gaffes Led to Someone Getting Axed, 1 in 4 Bosses Say
Zoom-call blunders can be hazardous to your career. Nearly 1 in 4 executives have fired a staffer for slipping up during a video or audio conference, and most have levied some sort of disciplinary action for gaffes made in virtual meetings, a survey of 200 managers at large companies found. The survey also found that executives don’t fully trust a third of their staff to perform effectively when working remotely.
1st Sep 2021 - Bloomberg
How remote work is bringing life back to Spain’s rural villages
In Spain, small communities are trying to attract residents with initiatives focused on improving internet connection and cheap renewable energy. José María Carrascosa was born in Sarnago but left when he was three years old. Now, at age 57, he is back and wants to promote the village, which boasts an ethnographic museum and an old school that has been converted into a workplace with a good internet connection where people can work remotely for free. Amigos de Sarnago, which was founded 30 years ago, is also planning on reforming a space so that it can be used for affordable public housing.
1st Sep 2021 - El País
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work risks exploiting workers in low-income countries
The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated transition to remote work comes with profound positives for employers and employees. One report found that employers are saving as much as $22,000 per full-time remote employee, by shedding office-related costs. For workers in low-income countries—especially those in the rapidly growing professional class in sub-Saharan Africa—the unmooring of skilled jobs from physical locations offers unfettered access to previously unavailable opportunities. But it also accentuates their disadvantages relative to their peers in high-income countries, chiefly around compensation and labor protections.
31st Aug 2021 - MSN.com
The Winners of Remote Work
Some employees and freelancers who can work remotely will have vastly expanded opportunities and the possibility of significant increases in pay, but remote workers in general figure to face more competition and have a higher dependence on luck.
31st Aug 2021 - New York Times
Remote And Hybrid Work Is Here To Stay, And That’s Why Quality Of Worklife Matters
As we emerge on the other side of the Covid crisis, one thing is clear: remote work is here to stay. Employers were finally awakened to the advantages of enabling work-from-anywhere for knowledge workers, which includes access to a global talent pool without the hassles of relocation; the flexibility afforded employees that directly translates to productivity and job satisfaction; and the reduced need for corporate real estate. At the same time, full-time work-from-anywhere is not right for everyone — there’s a need to bond, have access to mentors, form friendships, and share in a workplace experience — especially if the office is a fun and collegial place to work. In short, we need hybrid workplaces, and companies need to support this new way of working.
31st Aug 2021 - Forbes
Spanish companies divided over employees’ return to the workplace
Spain’s biggest companies had marked September 1 as the day when their employees would return in large numbers to the workplace after nearly a year and a half of remote work. But it was not to be. The intensity of the fifth wave of the coronavirus has forced many employers to remain prudent and keep their existing protocols in place. While some companies have decided that staff will return to their posts in early September, in many other cases employers have yet to draft their roadmap for the return to normality
31st Aug 2021 - El País
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullHome truths about cutting pay for remote workers
In the UK, a survey found that more than two-thirds of 150 medium and large-sized employers are considering cutting the pay of remote workers. This even though 53% reported cost savings under the work-from-home model. The UK Government has also been championing a return to the office in a bid to revive flagging city centres, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak extolling the virtues of communal working. And in a media report earlier this month, an unnamed UK cabinet minister suggested that civil servants who don’t return to the office should receive a pay cut on the basis that they no longer incur the cost of commuting. The majority of those who want to continue working remotely will have valid reasons for doing so, be it caring responsibilities, disabilities or other health concerns.
30th Aug 2021 - heraldscotland.com
Lockdowns & remote work have hurt women's careers. Here's why we need to stop the negative trend
A recent report by the Grattan Institute revealed Australian women have suffered a “triple whammy” of job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic which will compound women’s lifetime economic disadvantage. Not only did women lose more work than men – almost 8 per cent at the peak of the crisis, compared to 4 per cent for men – but they took on more unpaid work and were less likely to receive government support. The new hybrid working culture that is likely to emerge may offer some advantages in flexibility, but also brings new types of potential discrimination. The most obvious it is working from home can easily result in a lack of visibility in the office
30th Aug 2021 - Women's Agenda
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe remote work argument has already been won by startups
The debate over remote work, office culture, how to manage teams of distributed staff and the like continues. With the delta variant of COVID-19 pushing back office return dates for many companies, there’s still a healthy argument over what the future of work will look like. But while large companies hem and haw their way through the present, it’s my view that the debate is largely over and that startups have won it.
29th Aug 2021 - Yahoo News
Google's Plan to Cut Remote Workers' Pay Is a Dumb Idea. Here's Why
Google may reduce the salaries of employees who choose to work at home full-time, based on the cost of living where they live, according to an internal calculator viewed by Reuters. It's an idea that's gaining traction in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. It may seem sensible, given that a salary that barely covers a San Francisco studio apartment might get you a mansion in, say, Topeka. That's the logic Google says it's using. "Our compensation packages have always been determined by location," a spokesperson told Reuters. But cutting pay for existing employees who opt to work from home is a terrible idea and it shows a complete lack of emotional intelligence. If Google is smart, it will shelve this idea. So will Facebook, Twitter, the UK government, and any other company considering a similar move.
29th Aug 2021 - Inc.
Thinking about a working getaway? Here are the world's top 10 spots for 'workations'
As telecommuting has proven necessary, practical and long-lasting for many amid the pandemic, a common thought’s been occurring to employees worldwide — why work from home when you could work by a beach, or at a Parisian café? Working while on vacation, or a “workation” — whether a long weekend, week, month or more —may be more popular and widespread than ever, and U.K.-based vacation search engine Holidu.co.uk has compiled a list of the top cities worldwide for “mixing business and pleasure.”
29th Aug 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullRegular communication with employees working from home key to success
With millions of New Zealanders currently working from home during lockdown, many employers have again had to pivot their business online to keep the wheels turning. Switching to remote working can often lead to a disconnect between boss and worker, where the lines of productivity might be blurred. However, for employers who effectively and correctly manage their employees who work from home during lockdown, it can generally lead to a more positive outcome for the business. There are a number of steps employers should take to ensure their business can run smoothly during lockdown
26th Aug 2021 - Scoop.co.nz
Pandemic pushes search for remote jobs up 460%
Interest in working remotely has surged during the Covid-19 pandemic and is lingering even as the economy reopens, a new study suggests. The share of online job searches for remote positions jumped 460% in the two years between June 2019 and June 2021, according to an analysis published by job site Glassdoor. That bump isn’t siloed in a handful of occupations, but is widespread across a host of different jobs.
26th Aug 2021 - CNBC
Why remote working throws up a risk of discrimination
The pandemic brought about the largest-ever experiment in remote working, reversing the long-held view that work meant being in an office. Now, from the largest corporates to the most agile small- and medium-sized enterprises, discussions about hybrid working are under way, with offices no longer the default venue. This has prompted questions: what if remote working leads to a two-tier system? And could it end up becoming a form, or a tool, of discrimination?
26th Aug 2021 - iNews
Will Remote Work Become the Norm? Hybrid Offices Are Transforming Economies
Today’s white-collar staff are living through a radical transformation of professional life, one economists say is already beginning to jump-start economic productivity and accelerate innovation. The pandemic has weakened the gravitational pull of city centers, with new forces now reshaping knowledge-based economies. Public transport journeys into cities are down, as are coffee shop sales, while demand for real estate in leafy suburbs is up. Americans spent more time on leisure and household activities in 2020, replacing commuter life with real life. While a more permanent transformation of working life will have painful consequences for many inner-city businesses, economists see a recalibration underway that can revitalize smaller towns and suburbs. New digital tools mean that retail and hospitality — as well as knowledge-intensive industries — are already undergoing far-reaching change.
26th Aug 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullSome People Worked From Home During Covid. These People Moved to a Tropical Island.
Throughout the darkest days of the pandemic, resorts in Tahiti, Bora Bora, the Maldives and other islands sought to attract visitors for extended stays with “Work From Paradise” marketing campaigns, showing beach scenes from a parallel universe. Some islands, hit hard by the plunge in tourism, went even further, offering new “digital nomad visas” for visitors to work remotely for up to a year or more, much longer than typical tourist visas, in places like Barbados, Bermuda and Anguilla. (Most of these visas require a hefty fee plus proof of income or a healthy bank account.) But how many people actually flew to remote islands and worked from thatched huts in the midst of the pandemic? And as the world starts to open back up, are they returning to their offices—or are they staying in paradise? How do bosses react when they figure out the Bora Bora background in a Zoom call is real?
25th Aug 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Workers would retire later if allowed to work from home, boosting UK growth
Older Britons will delay their retirement and give the economy a boost if they are allowed to continue working from home after the pandemic, according to the Office for National Statistics. An ONS survey last summer found that 11 per cent of those aged over 50 working entirely from home were planning to retire later compared with 5 per cent of those not working from home. A similar result was found for older workers with long-term illness or disability.
25th Aug 2021 - The Times
Remote work can put commuters back into the community
Perhaps one of the most unexpected highlights of the pandemic has been how much those who are able to avail of working from home enjoy doing so. Even when office workers were unceremoniously chucked into remote work in early 2020, bereft of home office or childcare facilities, high numbers reported satisfaction with the new arrangements. Depending on the country, between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of workers said they wanted to continue working remotely at least part-time after the pandemic. In Ireland, according to one large university study, this number increased from 83 per cent in early 2020 to 95 per cent as of mid-2021, with over 30 per cent of respondents stating that they would prefer to work fully remote.
25th Aug 2021 - The Irish Times
Could working from home hurt your career? Here's how to decide whether it's worth the risk
Many people have been working remotely since March of 2020. But at this point in the pandemic, some companies are finally starting to call their employees back to the office. If your employer decides to reopen, you may be asked to show up to work in person, but you may also get the opportunity to continue working from home. Some companies recognize that remote setups work reasonably well and are allowing employees to stay home even with office buildings reopening. But working from home on a long-term basis could do some damage to your career. Before you make that call, make sure to consider the drawbacks involved
25th Aug 2021 - USA Today
Two-thirds of employers do not trust their staff to work remotely, survey finds
Two-thirds of employers do not trust their staff when it comes to working remotely, according to new research. The survey by Ricoh Europe, which polled 1,500 business decision makers across Europe, found that 65 per cent did not fully trust their staff to do their jobs from home. Additionally, nearly two-fifths (39 per cent) said they believed their staff do not work as hard or effectively at home. This was despite just one in five (19 per cent) reporting a decrease in productivity since moving to remote working. “The challenge for business leaders is to remain mindful that remote and hybrid working are two different things,” said David Mills, CEO of Ricoh Europe. “It stands to reason that less commuting, a greater sense of flexibility, and having the trust of your manager are significant contributing factors to a more empowered and inspired workforce.”
25th Aug 2021 - People Management Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work to Cause 34.3 Million Tons of Greenhouse Gases, New Study by Alliance Virtual Offices Finds
While 34.3 million tons of emissions are projected to be produced in 2021 by working from home, remote work is still greener than working in an office, according to a new industry study by Alliance Virtual Offices. Companies that allow employees to work from home are experiencing customer base gains and positive boosts to reputations. In addition to positive financial gains, remote workers save approximately 16 trillion trees from deforestation, a leading cause of climate change.
24th Aug 2021 - Associated Press
These are the U.S. cities where managers are most—and least—likely to embrace hybrid work
Managers in certain U.S. cities are more likely to favor work flexibility for their employees than others, according to a new survey from staffing agency Robert Half. Boston ranked as the number one city to embrace flexible work, with 45% of managers saying they’d continue to allow their employees to work remotely part or full time even after the threats of the Covid-19 pandemic have subsided, followed by San Francisco (38%) and Philadelphia (37%). These cities top the list because they’ve been early adopters of hybrid work, Paul McDonald, the senior executive director at Robert Half, tells CNBC Make It.
24th Aug 2021 - CNBC
How to ask your boss to work remotely full time
Many employees who've been able to work remotely for more than a year have discovered the benefits of the arrangement — and a lot of them are hoping to continue doing so. But that doesn't mean their employers are on board. If you count yourself among those advocating for remote work and could use some advice on how to approach the conversation, you've come to the right place. TMRW asked several workplace experts to share their tips to help you head into a discussion with confidence about continuing to work from home.
24th Aug 2021 - Today.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullFrom ‘quarantine academies’ to virtual substitutes, how schools are teaching students in isolation because of COVID-19
Captaingate: Did Andrew Cuomo ditch his dog while moving out of the…
Take It from the Tinkersons by Bill Bettwy
As Illinois schools welcome students back to fully reopened classrooms this month amid another coronavirus surge, educators face a thorny question: How do you teach students who are quarantined by COVID-19? Remote instruction can be offered to students while they are under quarantine, Illinois State Board of Education Superintendent Carmen Ayala said earlier this summer. But despite pleas from some parents who want a full-time e-learning option to continue, districts including Chicago Public Schools are reserving their virtual programs for students who qualify as medically fragile and have documented health conditions.
23rd Aug 2021 - MSN.com
How to Gameplan Your Office Days: An Overachiever’s Guide to Hybrid Work
The rules for maximizing office face time with the bosses are about to get more complicated as many companies gear up to reopen offices in the coming months. With Covid-19 cases back on the rise and many employees uneager to give up remote work entirely, many employers plan to let staff decide what days—and how many—they come into the office. For the ambitious worker, that means strategizing what in-office days will get you noticed the most and how to maximize the time to your career’s advantage. The consensus among many managers and leadership coaches for companies where showing up to the office matters: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are shaping up to be peak office face time days.
23rd Aug 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work May Now Last for Two Years, Worrying Some Bosses
With the latest wave of return-to-office delays from Covid-19, some companies are considering a new possibility: Offices may be closed for nearly two years. That is raising concerns among executives that the longer people stay at home, the harder or more disruptive it could be to eventually bring them back. Many employees developed new routines during the pandemic, swapping commuting for exercise or blocking hours for uninterrupted work. Even staffers who once bristled at doing their jobs outside of an office have come to embrace the flexibility and productivity of at-home life over the past 18 months, many say. Surveys have shown that enthusiasm for remote work has only increased as the pandemic has stretched on.
22nd Aug 2021 - Wall Street Journal
How your employer may be tracking your remote work
The pandemic pushed many into work-from-home setups, and companies turned to employee data to keep tabs on their workforces. Your company can get access to almost everything you do electronically, and monitoring software makes that data easy to collect and analyze. As some employees see work-from-home time extended because of the delta variant spreading across the world, reliance on employee tracking is staying steady at lockdown-level highs, say executives at monitoring software firms. Your company may or may not be collecting data on your every move, but it certainly has the capability. The best way to know for sure is to ask, says Tom Kelly, CEO of consumer privacy firm IDX.
22nd Aug 2021 - The Washington Post
Leo Varadkar hails opportunity to make remote working part of normal life
Leo Varadkar has said Ireland now has an opportunity to make remote working a major part of working life. The Tanaiste said the Government will pass a law this year that will provide employees with a right to request remote working arrangements. The Government, Mr Varadkar said, will also introduce a legally admissible code of practice on the right to disconnect from work - a code that would cover phone calls, emails and switch-off time.
22nd Aug 2021 - Independent.ie
To Gen Zers Working From Home, the Office Is a Remote Concept
More than a year into the great remote-work experiment, a new breed of young professionals has emerged: those who have never worked in an office. Some young workers are disappointed they have yet to experience working side-by-side with colleagues and the spontaneous collaboration and coaching that can come from being in the same space. Others say they have gotten accustomed to the virtual world and don’t feel they are missing much. Regardless, some workplace and management experts say that missing out on an office experience so early in a career may hurt mentorship prospects and the development of interpersonal office skills, and that managers should make an extra effort to offset those risks.
22nd Aug 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullFacebook pushes VR for remote work but practicality, cost and nausea may stand in its way
Facebook believes it has developed a tool for the future of work: a virtual reality app that allows remote workers the chance to collaborate in the same virtual space. But it might take a long time for the social media company to convince massive numbers of workers to switch to VR for meetings, analysts say. On Tuesday, the company unveiled what it calls “Horizon Workrooms” on the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset. The app, which is still being tweaked, allows workers to create an avatar, collaborate with others on a whiteboard, stream what’s on their laptop, take notes and interact with co-workers who video conference into the virtual room — all while sitting at their real-life workspace.
19th Aug 2021 - Washington Post
Wall Street Return to Office: Coders Allowed More Remote Work Than Bankers
As Goldman Sachs's top brass sounded the alarm of a return to pre-pandemic office life, one group of workers was reassured they’d get to keep some of their treasured flexibility. The Wall Street firm’s coders can continue to work from home two days a week, according to people briefed on the firm’s plans. They’re not alone. Across financial services, the software engineers who have been at the heart of talent wars are winning more freedom than the bankers they work with. Wells Fargo & Co. told employees last month that work from home will be capped at two days a week for many roles, but said it would make an exception for most of its technology team. Citigroup Inc. chalks up some of its recent wins around tech recruiting to the firm’s greater flexibility around remote work.
19th Aug 2021 - Bloomberg
Can I work from...abroad? Flexibility is now top priority of senior London job applicants, survey reveals
Flexibility on working remotely – even from abroad – has become the top priority of senior London job applicants since the start of the pandemic, a new survey has revealed. The experience of working from home over 18 months of lockdowns and travel restrictions has brought about a dramatic change of thinking about what employees want from a job, according to the report from headhunters Hanson Search. A flexible working policy is now often valued more highly than salary, bonus structure, social responsibility and diversity and inclusion when looking for a new role.
19th Aug 2021 - Evening Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow to ask your boss for a hybrid-working set-up
Millions of people have found advantages to home working, swapping the stresses of commuting and office politics for increased productivity and a better work-life balance. But as pandemic restrictions ease, some companies are putting pressure on staff to get back to their desks, rather than automatically embracing the remote or hybrid-working future. Of course, each company’s needs will differ, but experts say that if you want some form of home working, there’s never been a better time to mount a case. The trick, says Sarah Cook, author of Making a Success of Managing and Working Remotely, is to “be clear about how to benefit the business, not just you”. Presenting a well-crafted argument will involve anticipating any concerns your boss may have.
18th Aug 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullBig Tech wants its workers back in the office
In the midst of a truly disruptive global trend, the world’s greatest disrupters are clinging on to tradition. Companies like Google may have delayed office reopenings but they have not given up completely. This conservatism contrasts with radical changes elsewhere in the sector. In May, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase declared that it would close its San Francisco headquarters for good. In-person gatherings would be arranged for collaboration but day-to-day work would be remote. “If we had let our office-based inertia carry us into the future of work, we’d still be where we were almost a year ago,” wrote Dominique Baillet, head of employee experience. Tech workers, like a lot of employees, do not want to go back to the office full time. Being evaluated on work rather than presenteeism is popular.
17th Aug 2021 - Financial Times
Cutting pay for remote workers is a risky move
The pandemic created a tempting opportunity for many urban workers who found themselves working from home: to move somewhere cheaper and take their big city salaries with them. There were hopes this could rebalance our economies too, by allowing good jobs to spread out of expensive and overcrowded cities into areas that could use the boost. But as employers begin to adjust their policies to a post-pandemic world, there is a possibility the dream will evaporate. If you move to cut your living expenses, your employer might cut your pay. Google staff who decide to work from home permanently after the pandemic will have their pay determined by their location, Reuters reported last week.
17th Aug 2021 - Financial Times
They'd rather quit than end the remote working dream
Not a day goes by without another company announcing a delay in its return to the office. Chevron, Facebook, McDonald’s, even JP Morgan have all pushed back their plans to later this year or even 2022. But pressing pause may only postpone the fallout from employees who have grown used to the perks of remote work. “I get to spend much more time with my family, at least three hours more every day,” says 43-year-old SEO manager Christian Hänsel, who quit his job in June to steer clear of the office. “To get to my last job, I’d have to drive an hour every day, which is not much but it was an hour that I couldn't spend with my family.” To avoid that commute, Hänsel found a new role at a remote-only business. Now, a job ad for his old position is online. “They wrote in the job offer ‘100 per cent remote’,” he says, “but you have to live within a range of 100 kilometres.”
17th Aug 2021 - Wired.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullMany summer interns are actually very happy to be working from home
A good summer internship can lead to the job of your 20-something-year-old dreams, assuming you have a few well-timed run-ins with your boss, make enough appropriate jokes at your team meeting, work harder than you ever thought possible and are blessed with a little (okay, a lot) of luck. When this rite of passage is remote, not only is a full-time offer potentially harder to secure, you miss out on free snacks, slightly awkward co-worker friendships and any semblance of what it’s like to work in an office. And many of this year’s interns are A-okay with that.
16th Aug 2021 - The Washington Post
Three, two, win? How to adapt to hybrid home and office working
As coronavirus restrictions lift, many companies whose staff have worked from home for 18 months are asking those workers to dust off their bras and smart trousers and return to the office part-time. While the majority of people will be given little choice about where they work (the proportion of people working from home more than doubled in 2020, but was still only a quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics), many companies that have used remote working are now expecting staff to work more flexibly. Recent research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found that about half of managers expected staff to be in the office two to three days a week, while 48% of managers feared team members could quit if they could no longer work remotely.
16th Aug 2021 - The Guardian
Work From Home: Computer, Mathematical Workers May Never Return to the Office
In July, 13% of the employed Americans surveyed for the government’s monthly jobs report responded “yes” to the question “Did you telework or work at home for pay because of the coronavirus pandemic?” That’s down from 35% in May 2020, when the question was first asked. Both then and now, those with white-collar jobs were more likely to work from home than others. But one group stands out: the 5.8 million people in what the Bureau of Labor Statistics calls computer and mathematical occupations, of whom 49% were still working remotely because of the pandemic in July, even as only 25% of those in other non-health-care management and professional occupations (my proxy for white-collar workers) were.
16th Aug 2021 - Bloomberg
Remote Work Is All Gen Z Knows. But Are They Satisfied?
One recent survey from Slack suggested that as few as 12% of workers want to return to the office full-time; another from Citrix, looking at Millennials and Gen Z workers specifically, estimated that 51% wanted to remain working from home the bulk of the time. Meanwhile, a different poll from research firm Generation Lab showed that as many as 40% of college students and recent graduates would actually prefer fully in-person work. And another survey from workforce engagement platform Ten Spot showed that only 30% of Gen Z wanted to stay remote full time, while 34% said they were “more productive and engaged” when working from the office. This confusion over what the workforce’s newest employees want—and the tension with more established workers—shows how complicated work’s place in our lives has become, especially for Gen Z as they settle into their new roles.
16th Aug 2021 - TIME
Leaders must stop blaming their bad management on remote workers
There is never a great moment to launch an anonymous public attack on the people who work for you. Still, some sort of award for bad timing should go to the faceless UK government ministers and officials who chose the late stages of an exhausting pandemic to complain about the output of remote-working civil servants. “There must be the suspicion that some people have spent the last 15 months working from home but haven’t actually been doing very much,” one cabinet minister told The Times last week. “It’s hard to know who is deserving of a promotion when people are working remotely,” added another source. Such comments, part of a cack-handed effort to coerce and cajole staff back to their offices, say less about the workers, and much more about their bosses. If after 15 months, you have only a “suspicion” about what your people are up to, and find it “hard to know” who are your top performers, you are guilty of neglect at best, mismanagement at worst.
16th Aug 2021 - Financial Times
More than one-third of remote workers are still waiting for their employer's return-to-office plan
The resurgence of Covid-19 cases due to the delta variant is casting uncertainty on future plans yet again, including the return to offices. Some 36% of people currently working from home say they’re still waiting to hear from their employer about whether they’ll stay remote or be expected to return to the workplace anytime soon, according to a survey of nearly 3,000 American workers conducted by LinkedIn in July. Avoiding a premature return is a good idea to safeguard workers’ health and safety, but not giving any indication of future plans can be stressful and frustrating for employees.
16th Aug 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home gives women route back into paid jobs
Women with children are emerging as among the big winners of remote working as fewer are dropping out of the labour market because of caring responsibilities. In a sign that greater flexibility is boosting participation, the number of women who say they are unable to work because of domestic and caring responsibilities has fallen by 200,000. Before the pandemic struck, there were 1.6 million women in Britain who were not actively seeking a job because of domestic or caring responsibilities. In less than a year and a half that number has fallen to 1.4 million. That represents 27.4 per cent of the economically inactive, down from 32 per cent in November to January 2020.
14th Aug 2021 - The Times
Remote tech workers are likely saving their companies money -- so why are some of them facing pay cuts?
Google staffers could see pay cuts if they choose to work remotely and live in areas with lower costs of living than their former offices. The company has released an internal calculator for staff which was seen by Reuters, showing the pay cuts employees can expect based on where they live. Other tech companies have also reduced the salaries of employees working from home in more affordable areas, according to the report. For example, a Google employee working remotely in Lake Tahoe would, according to Reuters, take a 25% pay cut for not working in San Francisco, even though the cost of living in some places in Tahoe are nearly as expensive. The Reuters article also points out that a staffer working remotely from Stamford, Connecticut, would take a 15% pay cut for not working in the New York City office.
14th Aug 2021 - CNN
These People Who Work From Home Have a Secret: They Have Two Jobs
A small, dedicated group of white-collar workers, in industries from tech to banking to insurance, say they have found a way to double their pay: Work two full-time remote jobs, don’t tell anyone and, for the most part, don’t do too much work, either. Alone in their home offices, they toggle between two laptops. They play “Tetris” with their calendars, trying to dodge endless meetings. Sometimes they log on to two meetings at once. They use paid time off—in some cases, unlimited—to juggle the occasional big project or ramp up at a new gig. Many say they don’t work more than 40 hours a week for both jobs combined. They don’t apologize for taking advantage of a system they feel has taken advantage of them.
14th Aug 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Research Shows Working From Home Doesn’t Work. Here’s How Employers Should Tackle the Problem
The pandemic will not be ‘the death of the office,’ as some have suggested, but working from home also won’t become entirely a thing of the past. Many workers wouldn’t want it that way because they enjoy the freedom and flexibility it gives them. The solution for the future is a structured hybrid model, acknowledging that working from home doesn’t work long-term for most jobs, while still giving workers flexibility. One way to do that would be to allocate time slots—perhaps specific days—of in-office working for all employees to maintain workplace productivity and collaboration, while also allowing working from home to continue outside those hours.
14th Aug 2021 - TIME
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullGoogle staff could see pay cut if they opt to work from home
Google employees could see their pay cut if they switched to working from home permanently in the wake of the pandemic, according to a company pay calculator seen by Reuters. It is an experiment taking place across Silicon Valley, which often sets trends for other large employers. Facebook and Twitter cut pay for remote employees who moved to less expensive areas. However, Google’s pay calculator tool – which allows staff to see the effects of a move – suggests remote employees, especially long-distance commuters, could experience pay cuts without moving. A Google spokesperson said: “Our compensation packages have always been determined by location, and we always pay at the top of the local market based on where an employee works from,”, adding that pay will differ from city to city and state to state.
12th Aug 2021 - The Guardian
Can businesses cut remote workers’ pay?
Employment lawyers have warned against cutting the pay of remote workers as Silicon Valley's Google becomes the latest firm to announce that staff who choose to continue working from home could see their pay packets shrink. While Facebook and Twitter are planning pay cuts for US employees who have moved to less expensive areas, Google is offering a ‘Work Location Tool’ calculator that allows staff to see the effects remote working would have on their wage, Reuters reported. One anonymous source shared that commuting to the Seattle office from a nearby county would likely see their pay cut by about 10 per cent if they worked from home full time.
12th Aug 2021 - People Management
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work to Remain—But Only for Some
More than half of Canadian companies will allow existing employees to work remotely, even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, but most employers will only offer it to employees meeting certain criteria, according to a new survey from The Harris Poll, commissioned by Express Employment Professionals. The survey found 54% of companies will allow existing employees to continue to work remotely. Of those companies, 2 in 5 (42%) will allow all existing employees to work remotely even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. But the majority (58%) will use criteria to determine which employees can work remotely and which cannot.
11th Aug 2021 - Yahoo Finance
Working from home job adverts rise
There has been a rise in jobs that advertise working from home compared with before the Covid pandemic, recruitment firm Reed has told the BBC. Prior to the pandemic, 1% of recruitment firm Reed's job vacancies advertised remote working, but this rose to 5% in 2021. Many office workers shifted to flexible working during coronavirus lockdowns. Reed said applications for jobs with remote working shot up, and outpaced the number of vacancies. But the number of flexible working adverts peaked at the beginning of the year, Reed said.
11th Aug 2021 - BBC News
Google may cut pay of staff who work from home
Google employees in the US who opt to work from home permanently may get a pay cut. The technology giant has developed a pay calculator that lets employees see the effects of working remotely or moving offices. Some remote employees, especially those with a long commute, could have their pay cut without changing address. Google has no plans at this time to implement the policy in the UK.
11th Aug 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullGoogle considers cutting pay to staff working from home permanently
Google is considering cutting pay for US-based staff who opt to work permanently from home after the pandemic, in a move that raises the stakes in the global debate over the future of the office. Two staff who worked in the same office before Covid-19 but now intend to work remotely are set to face significant changes in remuneration, according to an internal calculator. The tool, developed by the technology giant, suggests that those based further afield could be hit harder should they choose to work from home instead of return to the office.
10th Aug 2021 - The Times
Ocado staff can work remotely anywhere in world for a month each year
Employees of online grocer Ocado are being given a month to work wherever they want in the world every year. The option allows them a potentially more glamorous makeshift office than a typical ‘work from home’ set up provides. Staff requests to work internationally became a ‘top question’ over the pandemic and the offer of remote working for a month is in response to that, Ocado’s chief people officer Claire Ainscough said. She hopes the offer will prove popular with staff who want to spent time with their families overseas but without using their annual leave
10th Aug 2021 - Metro.co.uk
Remote work made life easier for many people with disabilities. They want the option to stay
In the United States, 26% of adults have some kind of disability, according to the CDC. For many, remote work has been more accessible as offices often lack situation-specific accommodations. These can include wheelchair ramps and certain types of accommodating furniture, safety from allergens, and easy access to medications and bathrooms. The National Organization on Disability supports flexible work policies above all, said Charles Catherine, associate director of special projects for the organization. "There will be companies where people will have very little choice, and there will be a lot of peer pressure," Catherine said. "And there will be other companies for which work culture is a top priority, where there will be more leeway. And so the question is, do you want to be an employer of choice?"
10th Aug 2021 - CNN
Half of professionals working longer hours at home, poll finds
More than half of Brits worked longer hours when working from home than before the pandemic, a poll has found. The survey of 8,301 professionals and employers conducted by Hays found that 52 per cent reported working longer hours when working remotely than before Covid. Of these, a quarter (25 per cent) reported working more than 10 extra hours a week, while another two in five (41 per cent) said they put in between five and 10 extra hours a week.
10th Aug 2021 - People Management Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid: Home-working officials won't get paid less, says minister
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has rejected the idea that civil servants should be paid less if they continue working from home. It comes after an unnamed cabinet minister told the Daily Mail it was unfair for those returning to the office not to be paid more. But Mr Kwarteng said this would set colleagues against each other. And he added that flexible working - with people working from home some of the time - was "here to stay". The government says it is aiming to "gradually and cautiously" increase the number of officials in its offices, as Covid restrictions are relaxed.
9th Aug 2021 - BBC News
Move here, get paid: Small towns offer up to $20K just to get you to live there, work remotely
Northwest Arkansas is among a growing crop of cities, states and regions offering as much as $20,000 to entice newly remote workers to move to their areas. Some, like the Ozarks, are trying to create a pool of high-skilled workers to help fill job openings. Others aim to build up a skilled workforce to attract companies. Still, others are combating longstanding population declines or are looking to fill new housing complexes. The efforts are turning the traditional building blocks of economic development upside down. Typically, cities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars offering tax breaks and other incentives to lure companies.
9th Aug 2021 - USA Today
Minister suggests civil servants should face pay cut for working from home
Ministers could face a battle with unions over a drive to get more civil servants back into Whitehall. One Cabinet minister has suggested that officials should have their pay docked if they refuse to return to the office after working from home for so long during the pandemic. The comments were described as “insulting” by a civil service union chief, who said ministers should focus on whether public services are being delivered, rather than where civil servants are sitting. The unnamed minister’s comments came as the Government stressed it would follow a “cautious” approach to civil servants returning to their offices, with departments able to be flexible in how the process is managed.
9th Aug 2021 - Evening Standard
Amazon delays office return until 2022 as Covid spreads
Amazon has told its US corporate staff not to return to the office until next year as Covid continues to spread. The online shopping giant previously asked staff to work from home until 7 September, but will now extend this until 3 January 2022.
It comes as new Covid infections surge across America, with with daily cases at an average not seen in months. Two US financial institutions, Wells Fargo and Blackrock, also said they would push back their office returns. "As we continue to closely watch local conditions related to Covid-19, we are adjusting our guidance for corporate employees," said Amazon.
9th Aug 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullReturn to Work: Will Delta Variant Spell the End to 5 Days in the Office?
They control how much you make, what you do and even when you need to be on the internet. But if this week proved anything, it’s that America’s largest companies — on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley and everywhere in between — are struggling to keep their grip on a previously sacrosanct part of working life: Where you need to be to do your job. Within just the past few days, Amazon.com delayed its office return by four months — corporate staff won’t head back until January. For BlackRock and Wells Fargo & Co., the delay was a month, from September to October. This comes on the heels of recent postponements at Apple and Lyft, Alphabet’s Google and the video-game company Roblox. All were responding to the rapid spread of Covid’s delta variant.
8th Aug 2021 - Bloomberg
Covid-19 Threatens to Blow Up Law Firms’ Intense Office Culture—for Good
Between 100-hour workweeks and all-nighters at the office, young lawyers climbing the partner track have long been expected to put in copious amounts of face time. But the Covid-19 pandemic is changing that, in ways that may be permanent, many in the industry say. The legal sector has been among the fastest to race back to the office this year. Amid a rise in vaccinations, occupancy rates for law firms are back up to 56%, compared with 34% of sectors nationwide, according to data from Kastle Systems. Yet the industry is facing an unlikely revolt. Many associates have grown accustomed to working from home. They say they’ve been just as productive, if not more so, claimed back time for themselves and their families, and want to choose how they work.
8th Aug 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Home working has led to low Covid-related absences – Capita boss
The boss of Capita, one of the UK’s largest employers, has credited its policy of allowing staff to continue to work from home for its low levels of absences because of Covid self-isolation alerts. Jon Lewis, the chief executive of the outsourcing firm, said on Friday that a large number of his staff want to continue working from home, either permanently or part-time, in the future. The vast majority of Capita’s 43,000 UK employees are still working from home, despite the removal of nearly all restrictions on gatherings in England and the dropping of the government’s guidance to work from home where possible.
8th Aug 2021 - The Guardian
Top tips: How to stay productive while working from home
With most of us having worked remotely for the past year it can be hard to replicate that office feeling at home. One thing we may struggle with is keeping ourselves motivated and focused throughout the workday with distractions around that you wouldn't have to consider in an office environment. Boost My Business spoke to Productivity Wellness Consultant Moira Dunne from Beproductive.ie about learning to separate our home life from our work and how to stay productive during the day while working remotely, particularly during the summer months when we’d all love to be outside enjoying the sunshine.
8th Aug 2021 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work is a breeding ground for corporate speak
Virtual work is leading employees to fall back on corporate jargon more often. Business lingo may let remote employees signal that they’re still part of the company’s “in crowd,” or help anxious, scattered workers regain some sense of professionalism. But it is also leading to frustration and misunderstandings. Some companies are even turning to AI-powered “writing assistants” for help, but these tools to curb so-called corporate-isms come with risks of their own. For many employees, the pandemic came with rapidly shifting expectations and blurred boundaries between home and the office.
5th Aug 2021 - The Washington Post
How To Improve Leadership Availability In A Time Of Remote Work
In many organizations, remote work was the great equalizer. Suddenly, "buttoned-up" senior leaders who struggled with authenticity were taking video calls from their bedrooms while kids screamed and dogs barked in the background—just like the rest of us. But while remote work may have made senior leaders more approachable, it hasn't necessarily made them more visible, accessible, or available.
5th Aug 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in full12 Ways To Beat Monotony And Stay Creative While Working Remotely
For some people, working from home is an ideal situation that allows them to thrive professionally while having more time to maintain a healthy personal life. However, without the variety that a daily commute and in-person interactions with colleagues provide, remote work can start to feel monotonous. When working remotely begins to negatively impact your mindset, it can also hinder your ability to innovate, make sound decisions and feel satisfied in your job. If you feel stuck in a dull routine that’s draining your creativity and energy, you’re not alone. Here, members of Forbes Coaches Council share 12 tips to help you beat the monotony and stay creative and energized while working from home.
4th Aug 2021 - Forbes
These Industries Added the Most Remote Jobs During the Pandemic, and Talent is Tight
Listing an open role as work-from-home may sway applicants to apply, but founders will still likely face stiff competition for talent in the fields that added the most remote positions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, the vertical for marketing, media, and design saw the biggest growth, with a 974 percent increase in remote roles paying six-figure salaries or higher, according to research from Ladders, Inc. The data looked at 50,000 North American employers to find which high-paying professional fields saw the most growth in remote work. Project and program management was the next fastest-growing, with an 801 percent increase, followed by accounting and finance with a 750 percent increase. Runners-up included human resources and legal (546 percent), technology (521 percent), and engineering and construction (410 percent). The availability of high-paying remote work across all fields grew more than 1,000 percent from March 2020 to today. In March of 2020, there were just over 7,000 jobs available, compared to 80,000 today.
4th Aug 2021 - Inc.
High-Salary Remote Work Opportunities Explode As Companies Re-Think Working From Home
If you’re looking for a remote work opportunity that pays at least $100,000, you’ve never had a better chance. Ladders, Inc., the career site for high-paying jobs, researched data from the top 50,000 North American employers to find which professional fields saw the most growth in remote work. In March of 2020 there were just over 7,000 high paying remote jobs available. Today, there are more than 80,000. The availability of remote work across all fields has exploded more than 1,000%. So, do you really need to go back to the office? The Delta variant, vaccine requirements and looming mask mandates have changed the enthusiasm for returning to work.
4th Aug 2021 - Forbes
Google Approves Most Staff Requests to Relocate or Work Remotely
Alphabet Inc.’s Google approved 85% of employee requests to work remotely or relocate once its offices fully re-open, the company told staff Tuesday. Google is one the largest companies trying a hybrid approach to returning from the pandemic. It will ask most of its staff to go back to work in their previous offices, but let others do their jobs elsewhere. Over the past few months, some 10,000 employees applied to transfer to a new office or work from home. The company rejected 15% of those applicants because their jobs required specialized equipment or face time with customers, Fiona Cicconi, Google’s head of human resources, wrote in an email to staff.
4th Aug 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullWork from home troubles many companies. Here's how to show the boss that you're on the job from anywhere
“Back to the office” may well be the most explosive executive decision a CEO can make right now. More employees are being asked — or forced — to return to their desks after months of working from home. But the surging delta variant of COVID-19 is giving employers second thoughts about how much time workers should spend in the office — or whether they should be there at all. Big technology companies, for example, are taking no chances. Recently Twitter shuttered its newly reopened San Francisco and New York offices while Alphabet’s Google and Facebook have made coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for their office workers, whenever they return.
Such corporate soul-searching is just fine for many employees, vaccinated or not, who aren’t eager to be confined to their cubicles even when some pre-COVID normalcy returns.
3rd Aug 2021 - MarketWatch
Americans Are Willing to Take Pay Cuts to Never Go Into the Office Again
What would you sacrifice to be able to work from home forever? A new survey shows that many Americans say they’d be willing to take reduced salaries, give up days off or put in more hours for a job that offers a fully remote option. Most people said they wouldn’t give up more than 5%, but 15% of respondents said they’d be willing to shave off 25% of their salary to be remote. Nearly half — 46% — said they would give up a quarter of their days off, and 15% said they would give up all paid time off to be able to work from home.
3rd Aug 2021 - Bloomberg
How to deal with screen time overload while working from home
Working remotely is here to stay, meaning much of our contact with co-workers will remain split over different digital platforms. This can make it difficult to maintain focus. Here are some tips to help to cope if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Linda Stone, consultant and former vice president at Microsoft, said one of the most important things people can do to combat a feeling of digital information overload is to focus on breathing. She pointed out that people tend to hold their breath when opening and reading an email, for example.
3rd Aug 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullAs Delta Variant Rages, More Workers Are on Edge About Return to the Office
With scores of U.S. companies planning to return to offices in full force in a few weeks, workers are trying to make sense of changing face-mask guidelines and rising virus cases, along with new research about how easily the virus strain can be transmitted. The calculations and recalculations of risk are leaving many stressed, upset or simply in limbo. New and at times confusing guidance from health officials and employers on wearing masks indoors, and questions about whether vaccines will be required or not, have workers grappling with what to expect at work, or even whether to come in.
2nd Aug 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Why remote work is a big problem for the economy
Americans are trickling back to their pre-pandemic workplaces, but most offices are still largely empty. And that's affecting local economies in a major way. Love it or hate it, commuting is good for the economy. You pay train conductors' salaries with your subway fare. The dry cleaner by the office and the coffee shop around the corner all count on workers who have been largely absent for nearly a year and a half. In 2020, the number of people working from home nearly doubled, to 42% of America's workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And although many workers may prefer that setup, staying home is likely to delay the recovery of the vital office-adjacent economy.
2nd Aug 2021 - CNN
Succeeding In The New Work-From-Anywhere World
Studies from around the world consistently show that companies see productivity gains after allowing employees to choose their work locations. Remote work offers many other benefits, too: “Commute times disappear, operational costs get slashed, you can tap talent in other cities and other countries,” Tsedal Neeley, the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, points out. Despite these upsides, however, shifting to working remotely is not without its challenges, especially when it comes to communication and coordination among managers and employees. “People can easily get into an out-of-sight, out-of-mind, out-of-sync, and out-of-touch mode,” Neeley says. Another challenge, especially during the pandemic: The lines between work and non-work times can get blurred, so managers should be concerned less about productivity dropping and more about employees working too hard.
2nd Aug 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Aug 2021
View this newsletter in fullFrom John Lewis to NatWest, employers bank on remote working
Millions of workers are expected to spend more days at home than they do in the office as the pandemic leads to a “revolution” in working patterns. The so-called “3:2” model, three days in the office and two at home during the working week, is expected to become the norm for many workers, while others adopt the “2:3”. The shake-up to the long-established five days a week in the office could not have been imagined 18 months ago but businesses said the pandemic, which forced millions to try home-working for the first time, had caused a permanent change in workers’ expectations.
1st Aug 2021 - The Times
LinkedIn allows employees to work fully remote, removes in-office expectation
LinkedIn will allow employees to opt for full-time remote work or a hybrid option as offices gradually reopen, Chief People Officer Teuila Hanson told Reuters. This new policy is a shift from the initial indication last October that Microsoft's professional social networking site would expect employees to work from an office 50% of the time when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions lift. The updated policy, offering the flexibility to work remotely full-time or work at an office part-time, will apply to LinkedIn's global workforce of more than 16,000 employees.
1st Aug 2021 - Reuters
How to Make Friends While Working from Home? Ask These Office Newbies.
Starting a remote job can be hard, but many people have found new ways to forge work friendships during the pandemic. There’s no longer a proverbial water cooler to generate casual encounters, and some younger workers have never had a physical office at all. But they’ve overcome the awkwardness of the digital chat box to initiate meaningful, if often distanced, friendships. Some online work friends have even found success taking their hangouts offline once the vaccine rollout made socializing and travel easier.
1st Aug 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Big tech companies are at war with employees over remote work
All across the United States, the leaders at large tech companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook are engaged in a delicate dance with thousands of employees who have recently become convinced that physically commuting to an office every day is an empty and unacceptable demand from their employers. The COVID-19 pandemic forced these companies to operate with mostly remote workforces for months straight. And since many of them are based in areas with relatively high vaccination rates, the calls to return to the physical office began to sound over the summer. But thousands of high-paid workers at these companies aren't having it. Many of them don't want to go back to the office full-time, even if they're willing to do so a few days a week
1st Aug 2021 - Ars Technica
Flex Work Leaves San Francisco Trailing NYC in Office Comeback
A fifth of all office space vacant. Tech companies looking to offload millions of square feet they’d previously leased. Rents down 14%. The San Francisco office market, once among the most expensive and sought-after in the U.S., fell harder than just about anywhere in the country during the pandemic. Now, it’s getting left behind as other major cities see faster recoveries. With a high proportion of employers allowing workers to do their jobs remotely, available office space in San Francisco keeps piling up -- with potentially huge ramifications for downtown small businesses, apartments and the local tax base. And, as the delta variant spreads, what momentum companies had in returning to the office is slowing.
30th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullCall for financial support to help employers encourage remote working
In Ireland, financial assistance and training supports should be provided to help public and private sector employers encourage staff to work from home or from remote working hubs, a report from an Oireachtas committee recommends. Each Government department and agency should include a metric on remote working in its annual report, actions to achieve the 20 per cent target and further actions to increase it thereafter, it says.
29th Jul 2021 - The Irish Times
Return to Office: Companies Test Remote, Hybrid, and In-Office Work
Sixteen months after the novel coronavirus upended white-collar work, corporate America is moving toward a shift that’s shaping up to be uncertain at best, or chaotic at worst. Vaccination campaigns are approaching their limits, and it appears Covid‑19 will become endemic. That’s led major U.S. companies to coalesce around September to put their new in‑office, hybrid, or remote working plans in action, even as the fast-spreading delta variant adds to the complexities. Beyond deciding where employees should be located, there are the thorny issues of maintaining culture, allowing flexibility, and updating policies so those already hit hardest by the pandemic—women and minorities—aren’t left behind. “Policies have absolutely not caught up with reality, and we don’t yet know what the reality is going to be,” says Laurie Bienstock, a director at consultant Willis Towers Watson.
29th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
Google, Facebook And Twitter Are Delaying Their Return-To-Work Plans And Requiring Vaccinations Due To The Surge Of The Delta Variant
Apple was one of the few tech companies reluctant to fully embrace remote work. Given its preference for in-office work, it was disconcerting that the iPhone giant announced it would delay its strict plans for workers to return to the office because of the sudden surge of the Delta variant. The tech giant wanted its staff back to the office at least three days a week by early September. The deadline, because of a growing wave of cases, was pushed back to October, at the earliest. At the time, I wrote, “Depending upon how the new wave plays out, Apple’s decision could cause other companies to reconsider their return-to-work programs as well. Corporate executives won’t want to be the lone holdouts and expose their staff to the virus. If a bellwether, such as Apple, says that they are concerned, by virtue of their decision, it's likely that others will follow suit.”
29th Jul 2021 - Forbes
Work-life balance: Will the future of work be remote?
The barriers to remote work seem to be falling. An Ipsos survey in 29 countries for the World Economic Forum found 66% of workers think that employers should allow more flexible working in the future. Those in favour aim at an average of 2.5 days of work from home. In Europe, the more reductants workers are in Belgium and in France. They are asking for an average of 1.9 days of home office. Experts say, from a European policy perspective, these trends show it's time to create conditions for hybrid work models within the single market, to avoid chaos.
29th Jul 2021 - Euronews
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow to Negotiate a Remote Work Arrangement
According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, 87% of respondents want the flexibility to continue some form of remote work, 33% of workers don’t want to work for an employer that requires them to be onsite full-time, and almost 50% will consider leaving a role without access to partial virtual work. The new work-life integration is having a significant impact on the future of the workplace. Not only do many employees prefer a hybrid schedule, but a recent survey from Harvard Business School Online showed that 27% hope to work remotely full time. How exactly should you ask for a work-from-anywhere arrangement when negotiating a job offer, or when you’ve been working virtually and don’t want to return in-person to the office?
28th Jul 2021 - Harvard Business Review
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19 reality shows it works to work from home. Make it last beyond the pandemic.
As a deadly virus swept across the nation last year, a vast and unanticipated social experiment was launched. Well more than half of American workers tried to see whether they could work just as effectively from home. Early indications show that it was not only a success, but there's even evidence productivity was actually boosted. It was nothing short of transformative for the American workplace, shattering timeworn notions that a business is a business only if people travel from miles in every direction to gather in one physical location because, well, that's the way it has always been done.
27th Jul 2021 - USA Today
This Irish start-up is helping firms avoid the pitfalls of work-from-anywhere policies
As more employees settle into remote work for the longer term, companies are faced with a great deal of complexity around tax and compliance with employment laws. The option for remote work is evolving from being a perk to a must-have option in recruiting talent. A recent report found an increasing number of professionals leaving their jobs if they haven’t been offered the option to work remotely. It means more possibilities for professionals, especially in the tech industry, to choose where they work and in turn, more pressure on companies to be nimble and responsive to workers’ demands and the responsibilities that brings.
27th Jul 2021 - CNBC
Work-From-Anywhere Perks Give Silicon Valley a New Edge in Talent War
Since the pandemic spurred leading tech companies to embrace “work from anywhere” policies, that advantage is fading fast. Now that a software engineer or marketing guru can work from a creekside cabin while still pulling down big bucks from Facebook or Salesforce, smaller firms far from the coasts are feeling the pinch. For online interior-design startup Havenly, landing new hires now means competing with companies all over the country, and hanging onto talent has been harder than ever. At one point, even members of Havenly’s executive team were a flight risk.
27th Jul 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullOne in three companies report an increase in productivity due to remote working
A new survey of Irish businesses has found that just over a quarter reported a decline in productivity due to widespread working from home arrangements over the past year. Following 16 months of remote working, 38% of businesses reported seeing no change in productivity, 36% seeing an increase and 26% seeing a decrease. In light of the continuing demand for flexible working arrangements post-Covid, almost three-quarters of respondents agreed that accelerating the move to a smarter office, which enables employees to work from home or in-person, will be crucial to their organisation’s future success
26th Jul 2021 - Irish Examiner
Hybrid Return-to-Office Plans: Infinite Possibilities—and Problems—for Employers
There are an infinite number of approaches employers can take to hybrid work arrangements, says Mintz employment law attorney David Barmak. But they also give rise to an innumerable set of legal and HR issues, many that lack clear answers, he says, including taxes, performance management, and workplace safety
26th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg Law
Covid remote work relaxed fashion and grooming, but not bias based on looks
It was reasonable to hope that focus on, and consideration of, physical appearances might have waned over the long course of the Covid crisis and its work-from-home side effect. Despite many months of remote office interactions, a widespread loosening of fashion conventions and virtual meetings distorted by electronic screens, lookism — discrimination based on a lack of perceived attractiveness — seems to be a hardy animal. Based on a sample of 2,000 office-based staff working remotely, U.K. law firm Slater and Gordon found last summer that, contrary to expectations, bias based on physical appearance seems to have weathered the pandemic unscathed. In fact, it may have even mutated. A third of both men and women respondents said that, because of the pandemic’s depressive effect on the job market, they had “put up with” comments about the way they look during video calls that they would not have tolerated in person. More than a quarter of women reported being asked to dress more provocatively for online meetings, while a third said they were told to use more makeup or fix up their hair.
26th Jul 2021 - NBC News
Managers view remote workers as 'more easily replaceable' than in-person employees
The ability to work from home may be the mother of all perks for some workers, but others worry it could stand in the way of advancing their careers — and managers seem to share their doubts. Nearly six in 10 workers said that permanently working from home would diminish networking opportunities, according to a report published by the Society for Human Resource Management. Some 55% said that working from home also causes work relationships to suffer. Among supervisors of remote employees, more than two-thirds agree — 67% admitted that they view remote workers as “more easily replaceable” than employees who work in person. Similarly, some 42% of supervisors said they “sometimes forget about remote workers when assigning tasks,” according to the SHRM report
26th Jul 2021 - MarketWatch
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullBank of Canada to Bring Back Employees, Allow 50% Remote Work
The Bank of Canada will allow most of its employees to work remotely as much as 50% of the time once public health guidelines allow it to fully reopen its offices. A limited number of staff are currently working in the central bank’s offices in Ottawa. The coronavirus pandemic has eased in Canada, with vaccinations rising and cases dropping, so the bank expects to bring back many employees after the summer. But it doesn’t see a return to normal conditions until 2022, an official said. “More employees will be allowed access over the fall, in line with federal and provincial public health guidelines. Based on current conditions, we are not anticipating full on-site staffing levels until the new year,” Chief Human Resources Officer Alexis Corbett said
25th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
I struggled with office life. Now others are alive to benefits of remote working
People with invisible disabilities have long asked for flexible options such as working from home. Then came the pandemic. "For years, people with invisible disabilities – including neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – have campaigned for accommodations that would allow us to do our jobs well. Chief among these is the flexibility to work from home. For many of us, the remote work era facilitated by Covid-19 has changed our lives for the better, despite the grief and anxiety of the pandemic. Now, as the world begins to reopen and offices throw open their doors, many are afraid the era of working from home – where they feel more comfortable, productive and safe – is coming to an end."
25th Jul 2021 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullMore than 100 digital hubs nationwide benefit from €8.8m fund for remote working
More than 117 digital hubs across Ireland have benefitted from an €8.8m fund to encourage remote working. People hoping to work from home in Kerry got the lions share of the funding with almost €750,000 going to hubs in the county. More than half a million went to projects in Donegal while digital hubs in Cork, Limerick and Tipperary received more than €400,000 from the Connected Hubs Fund.
22nd Jul 2021 - Independent.ie
Remote working: Do we need a legal right to disconnect?
The past 18 months have shown us that when it comes to disaster planning for business the biggest risk for many isn’t, surprisingly, something like a global pandemic, but the strength and integrity of their IT systems. The majority of businesses could not have survived the pandemic without remote working – and we have seen a rapid increase in the digitalisation of office working as a consequence. Studies show home-working increased by 30 per cent throughout lockdown. But while remote working and the use of more technology to support it has brought obvious benefits, it has also exacerbated a long-recognised problem: the so-called ‘always on’ culture. We are now starting to see demands for a legal framework.
22nd Jul 2021 - iNews.co.uk
How to keep working remotely when the boss orders everyone back in the office
For months, employers with remote workforces and their teleworking employees have been preparing their arguments for what the post-pandemic workplace should look like. Employers who want everyone back at the workplace argue that employees are more engaged, more efficient and more collaborative in the office. But teleworking employees who have adapted to online collaboration, and who find they have more mental energy without office distractions and draining commutes, aren’t necessarily buying those reasons. And with coronavirus variants threatening another surge in infection rates, safety is still a major concern.
22nd Jul 2021 - The Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking From Home Is a Risk for U.K. Public Finances, Watchdog Group Says
Britain’s public finances could take a hit from the a permanent shift toward working from home, the government’s independent budget watchdog said. “Our feeling is that it will be somewhat less government-revenue rich than office working,” said Andy King, a member of the Office for Budget Responsibility, said at a Parliament hearing in London on Wednesday. “If you think about spending less on commuting, cafes and restaurants and spending more on heating homes or buying fans during the summer, or spending more on your supermarket shop -- all of those things reduce the amount of government revenue per pound of activity.” The remarks are among the first to give an official assessment of how a shift in working culture will affect the economy.
21st Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
Remote work could save businesses millions of dollars a year
Workers are craving more work-from-home flexibility. A new study shows businesses that embrace the trend could see a significant impact on their bottom line. And they aren't the only ones that would benefit.
21st Jul 2021 - The Business Journals
Companies that make people return to the office will lose employees
After a year-and-a-half hiatus, many offices will open back up in September. Most companies are asking that employees return on a hybrid basis, meaning they come into the office at least some of the time. But what exactly that will look like is uncertain. What is certain is that more people will work from home than ever before, and this shift has the potential to disrupt everything from physical office space to the way people feel about work. And as US companies face a hiring crisis, companies that don’t offer remote work could find themselves at a significant disadvantage when it comes to recruiting new talent
21st Jul 2021 - Vox.com
What's the purpose of the office – and do we still need it?
Now that we’ve seen how we can do our jobs efficiently from home, and found methods that keep us connected to colleagues, what is the office really for – and is it possible to make employees want to be there? It’s a looming question companies are trying to answer. In terms of performance, says Ethan Bernstein, an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, an office isn’t necessary for productivity. But just because we don’t need to be in the office to effectively perform work tasks doesn’t mean it’s useless. There are several functions a physical office space can serve, he says, even if people are still getting a lot of their work done from home.
21st Jul 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullToo Many Zoom Meetings? ‘Core Hours’ Keep Some Remote Workers Productive and Sane
As a new era of remote and in-office work begins, some companies are trying to bring definition to daily schedules—by making some hours off-limits for meetings. The tactic, called “core hours,” sets times—say, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. or 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.—when bosses require employees to be online and available for Zoom meetings, project collaboration and other exchanges. Any other time is a meeting-free zone. By having certain hours, or days, when everyone is “on,” the idea goes, employees have more freedom and flexibility to do solo work the rest of the time. The approach was adopted by some bosses during the pandemic as a way to keep remote collaboration from bleeding into all hours of the day. Now, as businesses reopen offices or implement longer-term work-from-home strategies, some companies say they are making core hours standard practice.
20th Jul 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
The unspoken reasons employees don't want remote work to end
It’s no secret that employee-employer tensions about heading back to the workplace are growing. As more employers push to get employees back in-house, the workers themselves are taking a harder stand. An April 2021 survey by FlexJobs found that 60% of women and 52% of men would quit if they weren’t allowed to continue working remotely at least part of the time. Sixty-nine percent of men and 80% of women said that remote work options are among their top considerations when looking for a new job. The “official” reasons that they don’t want to head back to the workplace are well-documented. They’re more productive. It’s easier to blend work and life when your commute is a walk down the hallway. But, for some, the reasons are more personal and difficult to share. Who will walk the dog they adopted during the pandemic? They gained weight and need to buy new work clothes. The thought of being trapped in a cubicle all day makes them want to cry.
20th Jul 2021 - Fast Company
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullWhy returning to office will be 10 times harder than the transition to working from home
When the pandemic hit last year and companies and schools of all types scrambled to get people set up to work and learn from home, almost nobody thought about moving everyone back to the office. After all, the initial presumption was that this would be a short-term situation, and there was so much effort expended in making the transition outwards, that nobody gave a second thought to the process of coming back in. Nearly a year and a half later, the reality of returning to workplaces and schools is staring millions of people and hundreds of thousands of organizations straight in the face – and it’s looking to be a significantly harder problem than anyone originally thought.
19th Jul 2021 - USA Today
Back to the office: UK staff divided, from resisting ever going back, to hybrid setups and remote work burnout
Being told to work from home seemed like a dream for many office workers last year. No commute! Longer in bed! No need to dress up! And if you listen to some, it might seem like nobody ever wants to return, at least not full time. But are those loud voices drowning out people who are looking forward to being back in the office more often, now restrictions are easing? From concerns about isolation burnout to cravings for hanging out with colleagues again, there are many reasons why some employees are simply ‘over’ the WFH thing – or at least want to see if “hybrid working” can work for them. i has spoken with five office workers about their differing hopes and expectations.
19th Jul 2021 - iNews
Siemens embraces remote working in search for tech talent
Siemens, Europe’s largest industrial group, is turning to Asia and the US for top tech employees, underlining how remote working schemes pioneered during the pandemic are reshaping recruitment. “We have to go and find talent where they are,” newly installed chief executive Roland Busch told the Financial Times, adding that the €110bn company was now able to develop software for physical products from anywhere. “I know that for Asia, many, many of these guys don’t want to come to Europe,” he added. “They say: ‘I’m sitting in a huge growth market, why would I go to Europe’.”
19th Jul 2021 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullHere's what to do if you want to continue remote work (and not sabotage your career)
Even after the country emerges from the pandemic, many companies say they’ll continue to allow employees to work remotely. And that’s an attractive option — a downright necessity for some people. But it also comes with a catch. While no one should face pushback for choosing to work from home, “should” doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with reality. That’s something women trying to climb the corporate ladder know well. The fact is, many bosses still prefer to have their employees around them every day. Does this mean you should absolutely rush back to the office? No. But if you choose to work from home, I recommend being intentional and careful about it.
18th Jul 2021 - NBC News
Employers advised of benefits from hybrid working
Hybrid working can help businesses attract and retain staff as well as increase productivity, according to new advice for employers. The conciliation service Acas suggested training line managers to help them prepare for new ways of working and to consider a trial period to see if it works. It issued a new study showing that half of employers expect an increase in demand for flexible forms of working after the country comes out of the pandemic. Half of 2,000 employers surveyed predicted an increase in staff working from home or remotely all week.
18th Jul 2021 - The Independent
New Ways to Work Anywhere in the World
The world’s sudden embrace of all kinds of remote work has meant that a wider range of people, including salaried employees (not just freelancers or startup founders) and older workers (not just footloose young adults), can become digital nomads more easily. Plus, several countries introduced new longer-term visas and residence permits specifically for remote workers during the pandemic. Those trends suggest that there will not only be a greater number of digital nomads after the pandemic, but more ways to be one, says Steve King, a partner at Emergent Research
18th Jul 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Mediocre workers have nowhere to hide
Do mediocre workers thrive more when they work from home or when they are in the office? This is not a question I ever thought about much before the pandemic, though if I had, I might have guessed the second-rate preferred to clock on at home. That is certainly what some top executives have suggested, as the effort to refill Covid-emptied offices has gathered pace this year. But what if the reverse is true? Max Thowless-Reeves is a former UBS private banker who runs his own wealth management firm. Not long ago, he wrote a letter to the FT that made an arresting claim. “Mediocrity hides in offices,” he said, adding it was easier to identify which staff added the most value when all were working remotely.
18th Jul 2021 - Financial Times
Virtual internships: 'I never met my mentor in person'
With many offices still shut due to the pandemic, virtual internships are becoming the new norm for college students. But is it possible to get that first experience of corporate life over Zoom? We've been speaking to some students about their experiences of pandemic internships.
18th Jul 2021 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullBrex CEO on taking his company virtual-first and the right ways to think about remote work
While some employees are eager to return to the office, and many others simply want a choice between in-person and remote work, companies continue to grapple over which return-to-work strategy works best for them. Some companies are moving to permanent virtual models, and enjoying lowered office costs and increased access to talented employees, but most are planning some form of hybrid work, according to a recent CNBC survey. Brex, a financial services platform, recently announced its switch to a virtual-first model while getting rid of its physical headquarters.
15th Jul 2021 - CNBC
In Tech's Talent Wars, Remote Work Is the Hottest Office Perk
The next tech talent wars may be less about the free stuff, and more about the freedom to work from anywhere in the world. Those famously expensive Silicon Valley campuses that double as adult playgrounds, with their nap pods and herb gardens and bike-shares, are competing with a newfound love for the home office. Just ask the Google employees irked when a senior engineer was granted the privilege of setting up shop in New Zealand. His lower-level colleagues are waiting anxiously to hear whether their pandemic living situations are approved, or whether they have to race back to Mountain View, California. Why don’t the tech elite want to go back to their sprawling, full-service campuses? The answer isn’t just about Covid-19-era habits—it’s about a workforce that is aging, and that is now very rich.
15th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
Workers worried about return to office next week, study suggests
Employers are being urged to remain open to more flexible working arrangements after a study suggested many are worried about returning to offices. More than half of the 1,100 people surveyed by jobs site CV-Library said they felt anxious about returning to work when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted in England on Monday. Three out of four said they preferred the flexibility of working from home, while around two in five said they were more productive or did not want to deal with office politics.
15th Jul 2021 - Evening Standard
Microaggressions, work stress more manageable for women of color working remotely
Count many women of color among the workers not eager to return to the office post-pandemic. From microaggressions to pressure to adjust their style of speech or appearance, a negative workplace experience is more common among women of color than white women, Laura Morgan Roberts, professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, told The New York Times. Women of color are often subject to comments on their hair, or mistaken for a colleague of the same race. Over the past 16 months, remote work has eliminated many of those office interactions. And while working in a comfortable setting with a support network nearby, women of color have been better able to cope with work stressors, experts said.
15th Jul 2021 - The Business Journals
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullCapitalizing on remote work, U.S. cities draw in tech workers
About 30% of remote workers plan on moving, according to two recent surveys: an April poll of 1,000 tech workers by nonprofit One America Works and a June survey of 1,006 national remote workers for MakeMyMove, focused on intentions for the next 18 months. Facebook and Twitter are among the major tech companies allowing employees to work from home if their jobs can be done remotely. According to a Twitter spokesperson, embracing remote work is in part an effort to attract more diverse talent. Smaller cities typically aim to support dozens or hundreds of remote-worker moves annually. That does not threaten Silicon Valley's dominance of tech, but it could allow California companies to become more diverse, and it might make them try harder to keep workers.
14th Jul 2021 - Reuters
Remote work is expanding rapidly beyond typical white-collar worker industries
The number of remote job roles being advertised has risen, making remote work a possibility for more workers. But not all of these are in industries traditionally associated with remote work, with workers in transportation, retail and construction increasingly being offered a remote option. LinkedIn's UK Workforce report analyzed job postings on the site between June 2020 and June 2021. A job was classed as remote if it was explicitly labelled as such, or contained key phrases like "work from home." It generally found that the number of remote roles has risen across the board.
14th Jul 2021 - Business Insider
Londoners planning ‘nomadic working’ summer from UK holiday destinations, new report finds
Nearly half of the London white-collar workforce could be planning a so-called "nomadic working" trip this summer, a new survey has found. Of more than 2,000 city-based British workers polled by YouGov, 19% said they are considering making the most of their employer having a remote working policy in place this summer by toiling from rural or coastal holiday accommodation instead of at their home desk. Some of these respondents also said they are thinking about working remotely from family members' homes in more idyllic settings.
14th Jul 2021 - Evening Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullOne in five Scottish financial services firms favours fully remote working amid Covid future
A survey of nearly 200 Scotland-based financial services employees across banking, capital markets and insurance found that 21 per cent of workers would prefer to work entirely from home once a full return to office is possible amid the relaxing of coronavirus restrictions. The vast majority (70 per cent) said that they would prefer to work just two days a week or less in the office. Just 5 per cent would favour a return to five days a week in the office, according to the study by Accenture.
13th Jul 2021 - The Scotsman
Why Some People Should Stop Working Remotely And Start Returning To The Office
For some workers, it makes sense to go back to the office. It seems that a majority of people want to remain working remotely. If that works best for them, that’s great—and they should continue to do it. Returning to a headquarters is not for everyone, but there are solid career-enhancing reasons to go back to an office setting. For young adults, going to the office has positive social benefits. You will meet new people. Make friends and build a network of alliances that could help you throughout your career.
13th Jul 2021 - Forbes
Work from home fuelling cyber attacks, says global financial watchdog
Financial firms may need to bolster their defences in the face of rocketing cyber attacks after employees began working from home, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) said on Tuesday. The FSB, which coordinates financial rules for the G20 group of nations, said remote working since economies went into lockdown to fight COVID-19 opened up new possibilities for cyber attacks. Working from home is expected to stay in some form across the financial services industry and beyond. "Most cyber frameworks did not envisage a scenario of near-universal remote working and the exploitation of such a situation by cyber threat actors," the FSB said in a report to G20 ministers and central banks.
13th Jul 2021 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullGermany’s Banks Start Ditching Office Space as Remote Work Soars
Banks in Germany are rapidly cutting back on office space as a rising number of staff work from home, putting them at the vanguard of a global shift that could permanently change the way bankers work. Deutsche Bank AG is vacating several floors in a building housing about 1,000 employees, HSBC Germany is ditching six separate offices in Dusseldorf for one new one with less than half the space, and BNP Paribas’s unit in Frankfurt is cutting the amount of desk space to cover just 60% of staff. Regional lenders DZ Bank AG and BayernLB say they’re assessing similar plans. The pace with which the banks in Germany are transforming their real estate footprints is setting them apart even from European peers which have issued generous work-from-home policies for the post-pandemic world.
12th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
‘Dystopian nightmare’: The unlikely opponents of working from home
The flexible work revolution triggered by COVID-19 is set to endure in Australia long after the danger of the pandemic has passed. A survey of 50 of the nation’s biggest companies conducted by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald this week found that major employers are overwhelmingly planning to adopt hybrid work models permanently, and only seven respondents will require workers to be in the office a set number of days each week. But while the head of the Productivity Commission and other experts say increased levels of working from home are unlikely to hurt the overall economy, not everyone is enthusiastic about the phenomenon. Younger workers beginning their careers fear they are missing out on valuable lessons.
12th Jul 2021 - Sydney Morning Herald
The Uneven Odds for Promotions With Hybrid Work
For more than a year, remote employees at many firms were in good company: Everyone was at home. Now, some colleagues are returning to the office five days a week. Others are testing out a hybrid schedule, or opting not to go back at all. If you’re the one leaning into flexibility, how do you make sure you’re not unintentionally leaning out of your career? And what happens if certain subsets of the workforce, like mothers, are less likely to return to the office? “During the pandemic it was, ‘You’re forced to work from home,’ ” says Brian Kropp, who leads human-resources research at Gartner. “Now you’re choosing to work from home. You’re choosing not to be here.” Many of us have been dutifully plugging away from home, trading time in transit for longer work hours, office coffee breaks for boosted productivity. But the boss might not see it that way. Managers consistently label in-office workers higher performers and give them bigger raises and promotions, Mr. Kropp says, even though data shows there’s really no difference between the two groups.
12th Jul 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
At-risk prof sues school over return-to-work edict
A program director and associate professor at South University in Virginia has filed a complaint alleging the school unlawfully refused to allow her to continue working from home despite serious heart and lung conditions that place her at a high risk of death from COVID-19. Elizabeth Kostal, represented by Wigdor, told the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a complaint filed over the weekend that beginning in April she was forced to report to campus despite classes and meetings still being held remotely, and was surrounded by nursing faculty and students who were in daily contact with COVID-19 patients.
12th Jul 2021 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work may be leading to an uptick in harassment based on gender, race and age
Though the technology sector is by no means representative of all jobs, data coming out of the space can be helpful in predicting trends that may eventually spread to all industries. A recent report from Project Include, a U.S.-based non-profit committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, found that 25 per cent of tech workers surveyed globally experienced an increase in gender-based harassment during the pandemic, while 10 per cent experienced race-based hostility and 23 per cent over the age of 50 experienced increased age-based harassment. Remote work has been a breeding ground for new, different types of virtual harassment, according to Valerie Cade, a Canadian workplace harassment expert
11th Jul 2021 - The Globe and Mail
News organizations are taking different approaches to how often employees will come back to the office
Since the pandemic shutdowns in early 2020, reporters have adjusted techniques to break stories, shifting from in-person lunches and coffees to phone calls and zoom meetings. Editors and team leaders have managed remotely, relying on Slack, Microsoft Teams and content management systems for workflow and communication. Unlike many industries that have been crippled by the pandemic, newsrooms have adjusted and pumped out stories without much of a hitch. That’s led to a quandary among newsroom executives and human resource leaders in charge of getting employees back to the office. How much flexibility should be given to employees who have demonstrated they can produce stories while not in the office? Do newsrooms want everyone back in the office? Is a hybrid approach more appropriate? Or should employees be given total flexibility to work from home whenever they want?
11th Jul 2021 - CNBC
How to Achieve Sustainable Remote Work
Though many executives were relieved to discover that their companies could operate with shuttered office buildings, the shift to remote work was not always smooth. A longitudinal study of remote workers around the world, conducted last year during the pandemic, found that many managers expressed concern that the performance of telecommuters would be “lower” than those who work in an office setting. Meanwhile, more than forty per cent of these managers also expressed skepticism that remote workers can “stay motivated in the long term,” while a similar percentage had low confidence that they “can manage a team of remote workers.” America’s corporate workers could still get things done from home, but, at least from the managerial perspective, they weren’t necessarily doing so in a sustainable manner. The problem with these beliefs is that many employees working for these skeptical managers have come to value a professional life that doesn’t involve long commutes synchronized to rigid hours.
11th Jul 2021 - The New Yorker
Companies Cutting Office Space Predict Long-Term Savings
Companies expect to reap millions of dollars in savings in the years ahead as they scale back on office space after the coronavirus pandemic emptied workplaces around the country. However, some are paying in the short term for their decision to downsize. Online listings company Yelp Inc., consumer loan provider Affirm Holdings Inc. and drug distributor McKesson Corp. in recent weeks have disclosed one-time charges related to plans to shrink their real-estate footprint. They are among many businesses that are subletting office space, choosing not to renew leases or taking other steps to slim down after giving employees more flexibility to work from home.
5th Jul 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullJapan Tobacco to Allow Remote Work Part-Time in Post-Covid Revamp
Japan Tobacco International is offering its worldwide staff the option to spend more time away from the workplace, the latest multinational to adopt a more flexible approach in the wake of the pandemic. The Geneva-based company’s employees will be able to work as much as half of their time remotely each month, the maker of Camel and Winston cigarettes said. Other measures include being able to work as many as 10 days from abroad.
8th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
Forcing employees to return to the office? Prepare to face the consequences
Employees do not have to be together in an office five days a week to do their jobs well. In fact, given the global nature of many businesses today, it was already common before the coronavirus pandemic for employees to work a day or two outside the office. The pandemic has only strengthened the urgency for companies to adapt: We should not be forcing people back into the office. And with cases of the Delta variant rapidly multiplying, futuring-proofing your hybrid workforce is the prudent thing to do.
8th Jul 2021 - Fortune
Google exec will reportedly keep working remote, opposes it for staff
A senior Google executive has caused uproar at the company after reportedly moving to New Zealand to work remotely despite opposing remote work for the company's lower-ranking employees. Urs Hölzle, Google's senior vice president for technical infrastructure, told staff on June 29 that he's headed to New Zealand for a year to work remotely, according to reporting published Thursday in CNET. His move has fed claims of special treatment and a double standard in the company's stance towards remote work. He strongly opposed remote work for Google employees who didn't have a certain seniority level or wouldn't be assigned to an office, a resigning employee told CNET.
8th Jul 2021 - Business Insider
Companies Cutting Office Space Predict Long-Term Savings
Companies expect to reap millions of dollars in savings in the years ahead as they scale back on office space after the coronavirus pandemic emptied workplaces around the country. However, some are paying in the short term for their decision to downsize. Finance chiefs have spent months weighing the costs and benefits associated with getting rid of unused office space as businesses consider whether to return to the office. While companies such as Facebook are allowing some employees to work from home permanently, others are asking most of them to spend a few days a week in the office. A third group of businesses—among them Goldman Sachs —is asking employees to come back to the office full time.
5th Jul 2021 - Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote workers drive up UK productivity
Workers in industries that were able to rapidly pivot to remote working after the onset of the pandemic have driven up productivity levels in the UK, according to new figures released today. Estimates from the ONS show output per job, excluding furloughed workers, was 9.2 per cent higher on average in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, before Covid struck. “This indicates that furloughed workers were more likely to work in lower productivity industries, with higher productivity individuals and industries still working to a greater degree, pushing up aggregate productivity” the ONS said.
7th Jul 2021 - City A.M.
Exclusive: Workplace guru Ken Corish on how to create a positive work environment remotely
City A.M. reported last week that around two out of five people living and working in inner London could continue their roles remotely after the pandemic, despite the UK heading for Freedom Day on 19 July. London risks losing more than 835,000 jobs as the pandemic sparks a permanent shift to more flexible working patterns, and city dwellers are able to move out of the capital to other locations across the UK or even abroad. But are CEOs and business leaders prepared to let their staff work from home? And how do you maintain a positive and productive work culture remotely?
7th Jul 2021 - City A.M.
Is your boss ending remote work? As a CEO, let me tell you why they are wrong
Dan Price is CEO of Gravity Payments. In 2015, he cut his salary by $1m to enact a $70,000 minimum wage at the company. He writes about the shift to remote work: "Instead of making a top-down decision as a CEO, I asked our staff how they want to work. Just 7% wanted to go back to the office full time, while 31% wanted an office-remote hybrid and the remaining 62% wanted to work from home all the time. So I told them: sounds great. Do whatever you want. This stuff isn’t hard. Employees know how to do their jobs better than any CEO ever could. The shift to remote work can be life-changing for employees."
7th Jul 2021 - The Guardian
Companies navigate tensions over office reopening plans
Last year, companies around the U.S. scrambled to figure out how to shut down their offices and set up their employees for remote work as the COVID-19 virus suddenly bore down on the world. Now, in a mirror image, they are scrambling to figure out how to bring many of those employees back. Most companies are proceeding cautiously, trying to navigate declining COVID-19 infections against a potential backlash by workers who are not ready to return. Tensions have spilled into the public at a few companies where some staff have organized petitions or even walkouts to protest being recalled to the office.
7th Jul 2021 - Associated Press
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullAs office life beckons again, the pandemic's digital nomads weigh benefits of a return
Before the pandemic, the term "virtual nomad" applied to a privileged few who had found a way to finance perpetual travel — and seemed to do so effortlessly. But when Covid-19 forced employers to go remote, it opened up the possibility of a nomadic lifestyle to entirely new groups of people. Now, despite employers setting dates for full, in-person returns, many who took advantage don't want to go back. "People have experienced the power of work-life flexibility, enhancing the quality of their lives, their satisfaction," said Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School and author of the book "Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding From Anywhere."
6th Jul 2021 - NBC News
We Need Remote Work for Everyone
One promise of technology is that it is a great equalizer. But the reality hasn’t been quite that simple. The infusion of technology into more industries is one factor that has led to a division of the American work force between promising jobs with good salaries and low-wage work with less possibility of advancement. Ben Casselman recently wrote about the pandemic causing more companies to use automation, which could eliminate jobs and erode bargaining power, particularly for lower-paid service workers. Remote work could further widen the divide if it sticks around as another legacy of the pandemic. Professionals with desk jobs might have the option to untether themselves, at least part time, from a physical work location. But you can’t butcher cattle, take care of children or repave a highway by Zoom.
6th Jul 2021 - The New York Times
If working from home becomes the norm, housing inequality will deepen
It is easy to see why working remotely is viewed as an attractive prospect. Most of us like being in our own place, surrounded by our own things. By contrast, work is widely associated with stress and difficulty, at least some of the time. For some groups the gains are plain to see. The rise in online activity has meant the past year has offered opportunities to disabled people that were previously off limits. For those struggling with housing costs, including younger adults in the south-east where rents are highest, the switch to remote working offers the possibility of living somewhere cheaper while keeping the same job. It will take time to assess how such changes stack up against the downsides of shrinking workplaces.
6th Jul 2021 - The Guardian
Londoners Will Travel to Shop But Not to Work
London’s West End shopping area is almost as busy as it was before the pandemic, while the city’s financial districts remain only half full. That suggests more and more residents are comfortable traveling into crowded centers, but are in no rush to return to the office. Last week’s transaction volume at Pret A Manger Ltd. sandwich stores in the West End was 78% of what it was before the pandemic, the highest level since lockdown measures began easing in March, according to Bloomberg’s Pret Index. By contrast, in the cluster that includes the City and Canary Wharf, which employs thousands of bankers and fund managers, sales have been stagnating for the past four weeks at just over half of what they were in January of last year. The data suggest workers in London’s financial districts are slowing their return to the office as Covid-19 cases rise.
6th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote workers suffered most mental distress during pandemic, report claims
Working from home during the pandemic has led to increased levels of mental distress and isolation, according to new research. The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) found that those who lived alone and worked from home suffered the most, but also suggested that people that lived with others experienced similar feelings of loneliness. A lack of interaction between colleagues and a blurring of the lines of work and life were cited as the main reasons in the study, with a lack of new experiences and face-to-face interactions thought to be contributing to increased mental distress for home workers.
5th Jul 2021 - IT PRO
Credit Suisse Plans 'Maximum Flexibility' Remote Work Model
Credit Suisse said it’s planning to introduce a work model that gives the bank employees in Switzerland “maximum flexibility,” joining global peers in making remote working arrangements more permanent. The approximately 13,000 employees of the universal bank in Switzerland will, depending on their role, be able to decide with their teams and line managers how much of their time they want to spend outside the office and which days to be in, according to a statement from the bank
5th Jul 2021 - Bloomberg
These are the best cities globally for remote working
The Australian city of Melbourne has been found to be the best city globally for remote working, according to a ranking by on-demand housing platform Nestpick. Melbourne scored highly on livability factors such as safety, health care, culture and leisure activities, as well as its remote working infrastructure. It was also just one of 10 cities in Nestpick’s rankings to offer a “digital nomad” visa — a specific visa or equivalent document allowing self-employed and foreign-employed remote workers to enter and work in the country.
5th Jul 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullCould A Ban On Out Of Hours Emails Be More Than Just A Pipe Dream?
The rise of remote working has blurred the lines between work and personal time, with a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts finding that during the pandemic, the average workday has extended by 8.2 per cent – that’s an extra 48.5 minutes. The same study, which collected data from 3.1 million workers across Europe, USA and the Middle East, also saw an increase in the number of internal emails sent and received. The truth is, we’re working longer hours and it’s having an impact on our mental health. A poll by worker’s union Prospect found that 30 per cent of remote workers reported working more unpaid hours than before the pandemic, and 35 per cent of remote workers said their work-related mental health had got worse during the pandemic, with 42 per cent attributing it to their inability to switch off from work. Andrew Pakes, deputy general secretary and research director at Prospect, believes our new normal means legislation is more necessary than ever to make sure we don’t work ourselves to the point of burnout
4th Jul 2021 - British Vogue
Looking to work remotely from another country? 5 things you should know
For American workers transitioning to or continuing to work remotely full-time, the opportunity to do so outside of the U.S. may be appealing. And countries around the world are offering workers the option to do just that, through remote work programs. Similar requirements including proof of employment, a minimum income threshold and proof of health insurance must be met in order to qualify for all of the programs, but additional fees and documents may be required, as some programs vary by length and price. CNBC Make It spoke with remote work expert Brie Reynolds, career development manager and coach at Remote.co to get their best advice for workers interested in these programs.
4th Jul 2021 - CNBC
Wall Street Wants Bankers Back in the Office. Especially Gen Zers.
The life of a 20-something Wall Street number cruncher has always been a grind, marked by marathon workweeks and menial tasks. Working from home made it worse. Now bank leaders want the newbies back in the office. While many companies are hailing the Covid work-from-home experiment as a success, top Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs Group and JPMorgan Chase aren’t so sure. They hope that being back in the office will cure the malaise that many of their junior bankers are feeling. Remote work “does not work for younger people,” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit in May. “It doesn’t work for those who want to hustle.”
3rd Jul 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullA Single-Mother, Self-Taught Software Developer Living With Mental Illness Raises Concerns Over Apple’s Limited Remote-Work Policy
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, recently told his global workforce of 137,000 employees that they’d have to return to the office beginning early September. It's expected that employees will spend about three days a week at the office and the other two at home or remotely. In an open letter to Cook, some employees of Apple voiced their concerns about returning to an in-person office setting stating, “We feel like the current policy is not sufficient in addressing many of our needs.” The letter pointed out that workers delivered “the same quality of products and services that Apple is known for, all while working almost completely remotely.” Despite protests from workers, Apple is remaining resolute in its position. Remote-work positions will be limited and decisions made “on a case-by-case basis with any new remote positions requiring executive approval.”
1st Jul 2021 - Forbes
4 people share how being able to work remotely forever has changed their lives: 'I don't have to choose between work and family'
As remote work became widespread as a result of the pandemic, many people have found their lives changed for ever. Here, four of them explain how the new way of work has improved their life
1st Jul 2021 - CNBC
Remote working has a huge sexual harassment problem
According to the Rights of Women report there has been a surge in online sexual harassment as a result of the pandemic, with harassers taking advantage of the reliance on platforms such as Zoom to continue intimidatory behaviours they had already honed in physical workspaces. Almost half (45 per cent) of those reporting workplace harassment said it had happened remotely, with close to a quarter (23 per cent) saying it had escalated since they had started working from home. Nor does the harassment simply take the form of indecent comments and unwanted advances, a further report from London-headquartered law firm Slater and Gordon found that women are being discriminated against by employers, who think nothing of asking female staff to “look sexy” on video calls in order to lure clients.
1st Jul 2021 - Wired.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Jul 2021
View this newsletter in fullNHS staff to carry on working at home
Tens of thousands of NHS Scotland staff will be allowed to work from home as part of the “new normal” recovery from coronavirus. Guidance published by the health service says employees can stay away from the office for all or part of the week if they can show it will not damage services or negatively affect colleagues. Remote working has been adopted by thousands of NHS backroom staff during the pandemic as part of lockdown efforts. A draft home-working policy, which is due to be introduced formally in August, has been published by NHS Scotland as part of a consultation document.
30th Jun 2021 - The Times
How to spend a month abroad without missing work
New travel companies are making it easier for remote workers to live and work abroad without the long-term commitment. So-called “workcations” are on the rise, with 74% of Americans who are working from home saying they would consider taking one, according to a report published in March by The Harris Poll. But rather than booking a hotel room at the nearest beach, travel companies are enticing workers to venture farther from home with international itineraries and accommodations that are suited to their work schedules.
30th Jun 2021 - CNBC
Pay Up to Stay Home Is One Company's Approach to Remote Work
Disco Corp., a Japanese maker of semiconductor equipment, has a novel approach to remote work -- those who choose to stay home pay the colleagues who brave the commute to show up in the office. The company is unusual in that for the past decade it has used an internal currency called “Will” to create a micro-economy where sales teams pay factory workers to produce goods, who in turn pay engineers to design products. When the pandemic hit, Disco didn’t have the option of letting all its employees log in from home. Someone had to show up to keep the factories running. So the company set up a system where those working remotely paid a certain amount of Will to be divided among the employees who came in.
30th Jun 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work May Shift 835,000 Jobs Out of London, Report Says
Central London could lose as many as 835,000 jobs in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, with employees in service industries increasingly able to work remotely and flexibly, according to research by a consulting firm. The firm looked at 13 London boroughs plus the City of London, finding that many workers in the services sector are likely to be able to do their jobs outside the office. That could lead to a shift in where people choose to live.
29th Jun 2021 - Bloomberg
Uber to let office staff work up to half their time from anywhere -source
Uber Technologies will let employees work half their hours from wherever they want as part of its revamped return-to-office strategy, the transport app company plans to announce on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. In one of the most flexible policies offered yet by a big U.S. tech company as the COVID-19 pandemic eases, Uber plans to say that those working in offices need to spend at least 50% of their time there. But unlike many other companies the policy does not mean at least three days per week in the office, the source said. Instead, workers can show up five days one week and zero the next.
29th Jun 2021 - Reuters
Some 52% Of Employees Prefer Hybrid Work Models: How To Overcome The Challenge
In the US, 52% of employees said they would like their organization to adopt more flexible hybrid work models and work as per McKinsey research. Are organizations ready to accept the challenge? How can leaders overcome these issues to continue driving productivity, collaboration, and innovation? Current company cultures tend to favor employees who work onsite, and the skills required to lead in a face-to-face may not be the same in a remote or hybrid work model. Now that employees have tasted the sweet remote work for a long period, it is hard to accept an entirely onsite working model, given that they have seen how much time and resources are saved by working from home.
29th Jun 2021 - Forbes
'Great Resignation' gains steam as return-to-work plans take effect
The pandemic has caused a lot of people to reevaluate, particularly when it comes to work. After spending more than a year at home, some don’t want to go back to commuting, preferring the flexibility of remote work at least a few days a week. Others are simply burned out from logging long hours while also balancing child care and remote school, sometimes all at once. And nearly all employees are ready to see what else is out there. In what’s been dubbed the “Great Resignation,” a whopping 95% of workers are now considering changing jobs, and 92% are even willing to switch industries to find the right position, according to a recent report by jobs site Monster.com.
29th Jun 2021 - CNBC
‘Companies need to keep checking in with their staff’
Keeping people safe is part and parcel of an employer’s obligations. Ensuring a sense of wellbeing is important too. More than a year into the pandemic, the challenges of remote working are starting to show.
25th Jun 2021 - Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullVaradkar urges employers to make remote working bigger part of life after Covid
In Ireland, the Tanaiste has called on employers to make remote working a much bigger part of life after Covid-19. Leo Varadkar said the Government does not want to see working “drift” back to the way it was before the pandemic, and wants future arrangements to be based on “personal choice”.He made the comments as he launched the #MakingRemoteWork campaign at Government Buildings in Dublin on Monday.
28th Jun 2021 - Belfast Telegraph
This Company Is Redefining Remote Workspaces
Sticking to remote work where one’s spare bedroom becomes the backdrop to important business meetings is becoming quite passe. So, a new company has arisen which offers a compromise between the isolation of remote safety and the indulgence of immersive luxury within the realm of remote safety. FlOasis is a booking platform that will allow workers to perform their tasks from practically anywhere by connecting consumers (in this case, workers who are tired of working out of their homes) with local, domestic and international destinations for the ultimate in bleisure (a combination of business and leisure).
28th Jun 2021 - Forbes
Factors that will help make remote and hybrid work for parents
Prior to 2020, only 4% of U.S. employers enabled 40% of their workforce to primarily work from home. That’s despite the fact that flexible work arrangements (FWA) have been studied since W.K. Kellogg Co. deviated its staffing schedules in the 1930s. Common sentiment held that remote working practices helped most parents manage work and life; however, as we’ve seen with COVID-19, this was not always the case. Sixty percent of U.S. families have at least one child under age 18 and are dual-income households. We sought to explore the personal side of the parent experience and wonder how working parents forged through the new work territory to find success? Does remote work work for most parents?
28th Jun 2021 - Fast Company
Remote working v the office: four company bosses have their say
The global pandemic and lockdown restrictions forced many UK businesses to move employees to remote working, practically overnight. Four company bosses speak about the upsides and downsides of working from home versus the traditional office-based model as they consider what the future might look like for their businesses and staff.
28th Jun 2021 - The Guardian
UBS to let two-thirds of employees combine working from home with the office
UBS is planning to let up to two-thirds of its employees permanently combine working remotely with being in the office, in stark contrast to some Wall Street banks. A spokesperson for the Swiss investment bank said it was “committed to offering our employees the flexibility for hybrid working (a mix of working from the office and from home) where role, tasks and location allow.” “Hybrid work options will be introduced on a country-by-country basis, with timing dependent on the local pandemic situation,” they said.
28th Jun 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid: How do you feel about going back to the office?
Firms which have had most of their staff working from home throughout the pandemic are beginning to share their plans for when coronavirus restrictions end.
Almost all of 50 of the UK's biggest employers say they do not plan to bring staff back to the office full-time. However, Goldman Sachs has told its UK bankers they need to be ready to return to the office with boss David Solomon describing working from home as "an aberration". The UK boss of Citigroup has said "business works best from being together" but plans to have staff in offices three days a week.
27th Jun 2021 - BBC News
How Europe's biggest start-up hub shifted its support online
This new challenge pushed Varza to learn from Station F’s entrepreneurs. Crisis is often a good time to start a new business, but success means keeping operations lean and focusing on matching costs to whatever revenues you can generate.
“The message is the same for us as it is for the start-up teams, shifting from growth plans to crisis containment and remaining in operation until this passes,” Varza says. “We’re actually just doing the same thing but scaling down. We’re just really slowing down anything that’s not urgent at the moment and just trying to reorganise the team.”
26th Jun 2021 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking remotely could be lonely. What comes next may feel the same.
Working remotely has become an opportunity that many white-collar professionals don’t want to lose. Maybe we’re having a revolution. So says venture-capital bigwig and self-proclaimed technology optimist Marc Andreessen, who sees ahead of us “a permanent civilizational shift.” Or maybe this is merely a reprieve from the regular, a transition to a future with a smidgen more flexibility than what came before. The answer depends on whom you ask, because our society is cleaved between the returners and the stayers. Everyone has their reasons for wanting to return, or never to return — and much of that can be explained by our mutual, miserable experience of the past year’s pandemic.
24th Jun 2021 - The Washington Post
How PepsiCo is rethinking the office: More remote work. No assigned desks
When it comes to the future of work, PepsiCo is re-imagining the role of the office and giving employees more flexibility to choose where they work. It's all part of PepsiCo's new "Work that Works" plan. The office will no longer be the primary location for where work gets done, and corporate employees around the globe will decide with their managers which days they'll be in the office and when they'll be remote. "There are no limitations. There is no number of days you need to be in the office or a number of days you can be remote," said Sergio Ezama, PepsiCo's chief talent officer and chief human resources officer, Global Functions and Groups
24th Jun 2021 - CNN
Good things happen when governments work from home
Even before the pandemic, some governments had been extracting civil servants from overheated capitals. The UK had begun sending people out of London to a set of “regional hubs”. South Korea moved two-thirds of its government agencies out of Seoul. Norway put its peace-corps agency in Forde, a small town in the middle of nowhere, even by Norwegian standards. Portugal had set a target to foster teleworking for 25 per cent of its central-government employees by 2023; when the pandemic struck, it almost immediately hit 90 per cent. Bureaucracy is generally well suited to being administered from home. Once Portuguese civil servants entered their new digital co-working spaces, for example, organisational frontiers blurred and they began collaborating more.
24th Jun 2021 - Financial Times
Many people don't want to work unless it's from home
If you’re one of the approximately 50 percent of Americans who worked remotely during the pandemic, you’re probably wondering if remote work is in the cards after the pandemic is over. The vast majority of people say they’d like to work remotely at least part of the time, but that desire is running up against the reality of there being fewer remote jobs than there are people who say they want them. Only about 10 percent of jobs on popular hiring platforms include remote work. That’s a boon for jobs offering remote work.
24th Jun 2021 - Vox.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work doesn’t prevent innovation, experts say
People who study the issue say there is no evidence that working in person is essential for creativity and collaboration. It may even hurt innovation, they say, because the demand for doing office work at a prescribed time and place is a big reason the American workplace has been inhospitable for many people. “That’s led to a lot of the outcomes we see in the modern office environment — long hours, burnout, the lack of representation — because that office culture is set up for the advantage of the few, not the many,” said Dan Spaulding, chief people officer at Zillow
24th Jun 2021 - Chicago Tribune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullCanadian employees want workplace flexibility to continue post-pandemic, says survey
An Ernst & Young survey has found that Canadian employees have embraced workplace flexibility and want it to continue post-pandemic. The 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey found that 93 per cent of respondents said they would likely remain with their organization for the next year or more if they have control over where and when they work. But 54 per cent would be willing to quit if flexibility on schedule and work location is not maintained.
22nd Jun 2021 - CTV News
City chiefs reject remote working laws | Business
Legislative changes allowing people to work from home would be “inappropriate”, City figures warned yesterday. Speaking at City & Financial’s City Week event, business leaders said that policymakers should avoid interfering and instead should allow businesses to determine working patterns. The government is consulting on plans to give workers a right to work from home as part of a drive to promote flexible working. The proposals would change the law to make it difficult for employers to insist that workers attend the office unless it is essential. “This is going to evolve, clearly, and that’s why legislation would be inappropriate,” Bruce Carnegie-Brown, chairman of the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, said.
22nd Jun 2021 - The Times
Decision time: remote, office or hybrid working?
Businesses are preparing their return-to-the-office policies in preparation for the potential lifting of Covid restrictions on July 19 in what lawyers are describing as a period of “unprecedented” challenge for employer/employee relations. Small and medium-sized companies employ 12 million people, with the majority of those office-based, and they are grappling with how to set out policies that are in the best interests of their businesses as well as their employees. “For most businesses every employee will be affected in one way or another,” said Keely Rushmore, employment law partner at Keystone Law. The government is also preparing to launch a consultation on its manifesto pledge to make remote working a right in law, with the onus on employers to make the business case for why they need to work in an office or elsewhere
22nd Jun 2021 - The Times
For some LGBTQ employees, remote work is a 'game changer' for inclusion
Ali Fazal is the vice president of marketing at Grin. Fazal says the future of remote work could be a “game changer” for workplace inclusion for LGBTQ individuals like himself, who won’t have to choose between the place where they’ve built a supportive community and an employer located in a different city. Now three months into working for Grin, Fazal is glad the company embraced remote work and can see the inclusive benefits it can offer. As experts forecast the future of remote work, many say the accommodation can be a strategy for improved diversity, inclusion and belonging. Indeed, a physical workplace that replicates the power dynamics of society in general can be harmful for marginalized individuals, including LGBTQ people
22nd Jun 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow managers really feel about remote work
Many companies are becoming more flexible with when and where their employees can work, but it's the direct managers and supervisors who really set the tone on remote work for their teams -- and not everyone is crazy about it. While some managers are fine with their direct reports working remotely, others would prefer more on site "face time" with their workers. They already have been put through their paces after pivoting overnight in 2020 from managing an in-person team to an all-remote one. In a recent client survey by workplace consulting firm Gartner, more than 40% of managers said they'd been feeling higher levels of stress and were logging more hours than before the pandemic. So how are they really feeling about having to pivot yet again and manage a team that will only be in the office some of the time?
21st Jun 2021 - CNN
The problem isn’t remote working – it’s clinging to office-based practices
It took a pandemic to normalise remote working, and, despite the fears of many CEOs, most organisations saw no demonstrable loss of productivity. Now, the global workforce is demanding its right to retain the autonomy it gained through increased flexibility as societies open up again. Pre-pandemic, it was not uncommon for an employer to ask staff to justify their need to work from home. Post-pandemic, employees may ask employers to justify the need to come into the office. Yet many organisations are still resisting this more flexible future. They argue that employees’ wellbeing is compromised by remote working, and that unless they are brought back into the office, many more will suffer from “Zoom fatigue”.
21st Jun 2021 - The Guardian
CBI and City bosses warn against giving staff legal right to work from home
The heads of the UK’s largest business lobby group and two major City employers have warned against giving workers the legal right to demand remote working, claiming it would harm young employees and city centre economies. Lord Bilimoria, the president of the CBI, said that while employees should be able to request the option of working from home, flexible working arrangements must be allowed to evolve in their own way. “The worst thing possible would [be to] have any legislation that entitles people to the right to work from home,” he said, speaking at the City Week conference on Monday. “They should have the right to request it. But every employer should make that decision about the mix of working from home [and the office],” he said. Downing Street confirmed last week that the government was considering legislation that would make working from home the “default” option by giving employees the right to request it.
21st Jun 2021 - The Guardian
Why Remote Working Is Making You Paranoid (And What To Do About It)
Thanks to the sudden rise in work from home arrangements, imposter syndrome – the persistent belief that you’re a fraud despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary – is increasing. The good news: it’s possible to stop remote work paranoia in its tracks. By recognizing and acknowledging the increased risk of misunderstandings, missed communication, and the challenges of this new way of working, you can work towards bridging the gaps so you have exactly what you need to feel comfortable, confident, and empowered in your new working environment.
21st Jun 2021 - Forbes
Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently
The return to the office is well under way, just as summer in the northern hemisphere begins. Pretty soon, people will be able to resume the habit of staring wistfully out of the window, hoping it will still be sunny at the weekend. As many workers embrace a hybrid pattern, perhaps commuting 2-3 days a week, the experiment in full-time home-working is ending. At the same time, assessments of its effectiveness are proliferating. Early surveys of employees and employers found that remote work did not reduce productivity. But a new study of more than 10,000 employees at an Asian technology company between April 2019 and August 2020 paints a different picture. The firm uses software installed on employees’ computers that tracked which applications or websites were active, and whether the employee was using the keyboard or a mouse. (Shopping online didn’t count.)
19th Jun 2021 - The Economist
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullHawaii’s Remote Workers Discover Challenges and Rewards
For many professionals, Hawaii seems a dream spot for remote work. But pulling off remote work in the Aloha state takes more than a plane ticket and a laptop. As it is elsewhere, reliable Wi-Fi is the litmus test for many. Some areas of the Hawaiian islands, especially rural regions, lack robust broadband or cellular infrastructure. Tomasz Janczuk, a 45-year-old based in the Seattle area who owns and operates a software-development firm, chose the three Big Island hotels that he and his family lived in for a month based on Wi-Fi strength. Some workers find that Hawaii’s spectacular surroundings—which drew them in the first place—can be a distraction.
20th Jun 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
The New Trend Of Wanderlust, Work-From-Anywhere Digital Nomads
One of the most exciting things to come out of the pandemic is that companies accepted the fact that they need to listen to their employees and cater to their needs, especially as there’s a war for talent happening. The hybrid work model looks like it will be the new standard. Workers will be in the office two to three days a week and work remotely the rest of the time. There are now other new, different, fun and exciting ways to work. During the outbreak, there’s been a fast-emerging trend of workers taking residence in other countries, as a digital nomad. People have taken to doing their jobs at the beach or near ski slopes. Some decided to relocate to lower-cost locations within the United States to save money—while still receiving the same pay. Adventurous types traveled to other countries.
20th Jun 2021 - Forbes
Renault agrees deal with unions on remote working
Carmaker Renault has signed an agreement with French trades unions that will allow thousands of its staff to work from home for up to three days a week, the company said on Friday. The new workplace arrangements will be rolled out in several stages, starting in September 2021, Renault said, adding it would offer support and training on how best to work remotely. The hybrid system will be voluntary and based on two days of working from home per week, with an additional day at the manager's discretion, Renault added.
20th Jun 2021 - Reuters
As offices shut down for Covid, workers bought vans and hit the road -- and some don't want to return
Many workers with jobs that let them work remotely during the pandemic left behind their sedentary housing situations and moved full-time into vans. These remote workers drive from location to location in their homes, working from internet hotspots in their vans and spending their free time in nature and exploring new places. As vaccines roll out and states start to open up, some workers are returning to their offices. But many workers who’ve adopted the van life don’t want to give it up. “It’s become a lifestyle,” said Smriti Bhadauria, who lives in her van with her husband Kartik Vasan and their dog Everest. Bhadauria and Vasan have been traveling in their 1977 Dodge B200 Tradesman since leaving Toronto in August 2020.
20th Jun 2021 - CNBC
Office, hybrid or home? Businesses ponder future of work
The government could announce an end to its work from home guidance in England next month, leaving companies with three broad choices: bring everyone back to the office; introduce a flexible working regime; or allow people to work from their home office, kitchen table or garden shed permanently. Here we look at the pros and cons of each option.
19th Jun 2021 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullOffice Culture Is So Unwelcoming To Black Employees, They Don't Want To Go Back
A report released Tuesday suggests Black employees value remote work the most, and it may be because they face so many draining microaggressions in their office environments. The Future Forum, a research consortium surveyed 5,085 U.S. office workers and professionals who “work with data, analyze information or think creatively” from April to May, asking about their work lives during this stage of the pandemic. Although a majority of people surveyed said that they want to work at least part of the time away from the office, Black employees were the group most likely to want a flexible working experience, either through a remote-only or hybrid model that would have them in-office only part of the time. In the survey, 68% of Black workers wanted flexible work policies, compared to 56% of white workers.
17th Jun 2021 - HuffPost
Working From Home Two-Days A Week Should Be Made A Legal Right In The Post Pandemic World
Slowly, societies are reopening. Many employers are now calling back their workers to return to work from the office. Employers are concerned that organizational culture is eroding, workers are losing social connections, and the ability to think creatively as parts of teams. Already, governments are asking themselves how to approach this question. In the UK case, the government is thinking about making working from home a “default” right – a politically debated idea that could take many forms and shapes. Regulators and politicians are between a rock and a hard place. Governments want city centers and business districts to come back to life, for both the economy of those areas (usually full of coffee places and restaurants where salaries are being spent!), and support transport companies that take commuters from home to their work. They also want to lend a sympathetic ear to those businesses insisting on having their workers back in the office.
17th Jun 2021 - Forbes
Women with child-care needs are 32% less likely to leave their job if they can work remotely, according to new report
Over the past year, millions of women globally have left the workplace due to job loss or child-care demands, resulting in at least $800 billion in lost income in 2020, according to Oxfam International. As business leaders start to map out their plans for bringing employees back to the office, new data from Catalyst, a global nonprofit that focuses on building workplaces that are equitable for women, finds that long-term remote work options could be the key to retaining more women in the workplace. Moving forward, company leaders need to create an environment where “people don’t feel like they have to choose between remote or the office and that they don’t fear perhaps negative career consequences because of their choice.”
17th Jun 2021 - CNBC
Bank of America Says All Vaccinated Staff to Return to Office in September
Bank of America Corp. expects all of its vaccinated employees to return to the office after Labor Day in early September, and will then focus on developing plans for returning unvaccinated workers to its sites. More than 70,000 of the firm’s employees have voluntarily disclosed their vaccine status to the bank, Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said in a Bloomberg Television interview Thursday. The firm, which has more than 210,000 employees globally, has already invited those who have received their shots to begin returning.
17th Jun 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullFinland embraced remote working before COVID. Now it's designed the ultimate home office
Finland has long been an advocate for flexible working, even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies around the world to adapt their work cultures. Perhaps this explains why Finland has become such fertile ground for experimenting with remote working and home office design. From the earliest days of the pandemic, workers have had to adapt to living and working in the same space. For those without a dedicated office space in their home, kitchen tables and even ironing boards - in the first days at least - were pressed into service as office desks. In Finland, however, the transition to remote working has been eased with the help of ingenious interior design.
15th Jun 2021 - Euronews
Emerging Data Suggests Remote Employees Are Less Engaged
It was approximately a month ago that WeWork CEO Sandeep Mathrani sparked a backlash by stating confidently, “only the least engaged employees want to continue working from home.” The news cycle was relentless in pointing out that Mathrani’s comments were insensitive or inaccurate. I even pointed out in my recent column, that Mathrani had no data to back up his claim. However, a new, yet to be published study contains a surprising data point that backs up (at least partially) Mathrani's claim. According to the study, remote employees do in fact feel less engaged.
15th Jun 2021 - Forbes
Remote working hubs in small towns will help 30% of employees stay out of the office under Welsh plans
The Welsh Government is to set up “remote working hubs” to allow former commuters to work part-time in the office and part-time in their home towns even after the pandemic has passed. First Minister Mark Drakeford has set a target for 30 per cent of all work to take place outside the office, either in a hybrid setting or at home. But he said many workers would want to divide their time between different workplaces. After announcing the target in the Welsh Government’s “programme for Government”, to be implemented over the next five years, Mr Drakeford told i: “We are going with the grain of what businesses themselves are concluding. The future will be a much more hybrid, mixed model.”
15th Jun 2021 - iNews
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullFed-up young workers fear they need offices to save their careers
Managers hoping to lure employees into offices may find their youngest and newest staff are their strongest allies. Young white-collar staff feel caught between a rock and a hard place - they value quality of life over old-fashioned 9-5 commuting, but are even more worried about seeing their careers stall unless they head back into an office. That's encouraging many to be among the first to return to their desks. While experienced employees often have established professional networks and dedicated home offices, younger staff say the pandemic has left them under-informed and cut off from their teams. There are now growing concerns that they are missing out on career opportunities older colleagues took for granted.
14th Jun 2021 - The Straits Times
Winners and Losers of the Work-From-Home Revolution
This year, two international teams of economists published papers that offer very different impressions of the future of remote work. The first team looked at an unnamed Asian tech company that went remote during the pandemic. Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Working hours went up while productivity plummeted. Uninterrupted work time cratered and mentorship evaporated. Naturally, workers with children at home were the worst off. The second team surveyed more than 30,000 Americans over the past few months and found that workers were overwhelmingly satisfied with their work-from-home experience. Most people said it exceeded their expectations. This complexity makes more sense if we think of WFH as an invention that helps some people more than others. The remote-work revolution might be a good thing overall. But it will produce winners and losers.
14th Jun 2021 - The Atlantic
The Big Question: As pandemic subsides, is remote work here to stay?
With the pandemic subsiding in the U.S., the great workplace transition has begun. Many companies, particularly on Wall Street, are throwing open their doors and calling employees back to their desks. Other companies are embracing remote work or hybrid arrangements and cutting the size of their office footprints. You’re the former chief talent officer at Netflix and now a human-resources consultant and author of an influential book on workplace culture, “Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility.” A lot of employees who’ve been working remotely this year are now wondering, “Wait, what's the point of the office?” How do you answer that question?
14th Jun 2021 - Bloomberg
How To Negotiate Permanent Work From Home Arrangements
Despite Zoom fatigue, employees want to continue working from home. They value the flexibility and have concerns over going back to the office before everyone is fully vaccinated. According to a new Harvard Business School Online survey, most Americans enjoy working remotely and want the option to continue doing so after the pandemic. In fact, 81% either don't want to go back to the office or prefer a hybrid schedule going forward. Another survey from Hibob shows that only 13% of employees said they wanted to go back to working in the office five days a week. Yet many managers worry about employee productivity when working remotely—mainly because they feel a loss of control. So, how do you approach your boss to negotiate permanent work-from-home arrangements?
14th Jun 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullWhy Japan refuses to work from home—even in a deadly pandemic
In Japan, as a virus mitigation effort, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is urging people to work from home. His government’s goal is to cut the number of people heading to offices and job sites by 70% amid a fourth wave of COVID and less than two months before the Tokyo Olympics. But even with the government’s urging, a growing COVID outbreak, and a slow vaccination campaign, Japan’s workers continue to trudge into the office. The latest figures from Tokyo-based non-profit Japan Productivity Center (JPC) show that remote work has ticked up to 20% across Japan since the start of the pandemic, just ten percentage points higher than "normal." By comparison, 44% of Americans worked from home during the pandemic, up from 17%.
13th Jun 2021 - Fortune
Facebook’s remote work move means ‘floodgates have opened’
Facebook’s decision to allow employees at its Irish office to work from abroad will have major repercussions for Ireland Inc as many other companies follow suit, a leading employment law solicitor has warned. The move comes as the tech giant clarified that the remote working option will not be available to all staff at Facebook Ireland, and that plans for its Ballsbridge campus in Dublin had not changed. Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan told The Irish Times the “floodgates have opened” as a result of Facebook’s announcement. Other multinationals are likely to facilitate employees working remotely from other jurisdictions, he said, even though doing so is a “nightmare” from an employment law point of view.
13th Jun 2021 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullMaking Remote Working More Environmentally Friendly
Could remote working become the norm for current and future employees? It's clear that the pandemic has forced a shift in the way many of us experience work with more people than ever working from home. But with a greater awareness of 'the environment' and our individual impact on it, are there ways for remote employees to tailor their work life to improve their own carbon footprint
10th Jun 2021 - fenews.co.uk
Amazon relaxes return-to-work plans, will let employees work remotely two days a week
Amazon is giving its corporate employees greater flexibility to work remotely, the company said Thursday, in a significant U-turn from its earlier return-to-work guidance. In an internal memo sent to employees, Amazon said it expects employees to work in the office three days a week, leaving them the option to work remotely up to two days a week. Leadership teams will determine what days employees will be required to work from the office, the company said.
10th Jun 2021 - CNBC
Facebook remote working plan extended to all staff for long term
Facebook will let all employees who can work away from the office do so after the Covid pandemic is over. The company has told employees "anyone whose role can be done remotely can request remote work". Rival big tech firms Apple and Google have recently reversed pandemic working conditions, telling staff to return to the office in the coming months. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told staff he plans to spend up to half of 2022 working remotely. He had previously said that half of the company's 60,000 employees could be working from home within a decade.
10th Jun 2021 - BBC News
Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently
The return to the office is well under way, just as summer in the northern hemisphere begins. Pretty soon, people will be able to resume the habit of staring wistfully out of the window, hoping it will still be sunny at the weekend. As many workers embrace a hybrid pattern, perhaps commuting 2-3 days a week, the experiment in full-time home-working is ending. At the same time, assessments of its effectiveness are proliferating. Early surveys of employees and employers found that remote work did not reduce productivity. But a new study* of more than 10,000 employees at an Asian technology company between April 2019 and August 2020 paints a different picture. The firm uses software installed on employees’ computers that tracked which applications or websites were active, and whether the employee was using the keyboard or a mouse. (Shopping online didn’t count.)
10th Jun 2021 - The Economist
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullFacebook Lets More Employees Choose Full-Time Remote Work or Return to the Office
Facebook is giving most of its employees a choice: Seek permission to keep working at home or go to the office at least half the time. The social-media giant told its roughly 60,000 employees Wednesday that it will expand remote-work eligibility to all levels of the company, including early-career employees and entry-level engineers. The company said it would likely open most of its U.S. offices at half capacity in September, and then fully in October. Once that occurs, employees who haven’t received approval to stay remote will be expected to come into the office, at minimum, 50% of the time, according to an internal announcement. In a separate memo to employees, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said he personally planned to spend as much as half of the next year working remotely.
9th Jun 2021 - Wall Street Journal
Covid: Managers need to adapt for home working, boss says
Managers need to adapt if staff continue to work from home, a Welsh businesswoman says. Joanna Swash said the days were gone when workers had to leave their private lives at the office door, and employers had to admit they had bad days too. Office of National Statistics figures show a third of staff worked from home in 2020, up by four times compared with before the pandemic. But an academic warned it can leave some "stuck in a toxic environment". The Centre for Cities think tank does not think the changes will become permanent and it has argued that within two years it will become normal again to work five days in the office. However, the Welsh government has said working from home is a long-term ambition.
9th Jun 2021 - BBC News
Have you gone hybrid yet? It’s the new 9-5...
For everyone who has enjoyed the flexibility that working from home brings, there are those who have missed the office. At first it seemed that most people were itching to get back to their desk — at the end of April, nearly 66 per cent of respondents to a poll said they wanted to return to the office as soon as possible. And yet in the same poll, 84 per cent said they enjoyed remote work and found it more productive. Into these contradictions steps hybrid working. Whether we’re a home-worker at heart or a die-hard desk jockey, one thing we all want is the power to choose. A recent study from Microsoft found that 70 per cent of people want a more flexible way of working in the future and that 88 per cent of leaders are convinced that hybrid working is here to stay.
9th Jun 2021 - Evening Standard
Help! How Do I Make Friends When My Coworkers Are Behind a Screen?
You might think that the hardest part of starting a job—or even holding on to a job—while working remotely during a global pandemic is figuring out how to collaborate productively with your colleagues away from meeting rooms and drive-by brainstorming sessions that, let’s admit, no one really really likes. But what I miss the most is the unofficial communication: the smiles and gripes of my officemates; the people who pass by my desk to say "hi"; and that sense of camaraderie that makes the commute at least partially worthwhile. As long as we're working remotely behind screens, it will be tough for any of us to feel truly connected to each other. That’s true whether you started a job while everyone’s remote and haven’t had a chance to meet anyone in person, or you’ve been there for ages and your current work friends have left for new gigs. The only real solution is to do the thing everyone hates: put yourself out there and talk to people.
9th Jun 2021 - WIRED
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorkplace Harassment in the Age of Remote Work
Last spring, as offices closed across the country and kitchen tables became desks, contemplating the possible upsides of the new professional conundrum felt like a means of survival. There was much tumult, and there were many questions. Among them: Once we all became boxes on Zoom or text bubbles in a chat, and once we were physically separated from colleagues and clients, would incidents of workplace harassment drop? That flame quickly went dark.
8th Jun 2021 - The New York Times
Why you should work outdoors to liven up your remote workday
Approximately 5 million American workers worked remotely before COVID-19. These numbers quickly rose during the pandemic, and they haven’t slowed down. Global Workplace Analytics forecasts that 25% to 30% of the workforce will work remotely multiple days per week by the end of 2021. This means about one in four Americans would be able to enjoy the benefits of working from home. Up until now, I’ve been working remotely as a freelance writer for seven years. As someone who’s not new to working from home, I’ve come to realize that while this arrangement can be highly productive, it isn’t without its downsides. Sometimes remote working can be highly monotonous, which leads to a drop-off in efficiency, inspiration, and creative energy. However, I’ve learned that taking work outside can be the simple shift in scenery that reboots one’s productivity.
8th Jun 2021 - Fast Company
8 Travelers on What to Know About Working Remotely Abroad
The pandemic gave millions of people who had never worked outside of an office building a taste of the digital nomad lifestyle. But what’s it like working remotely, by choice? We put the call out through social media, and heard back from hundreds of remote workers. Freedom, flexibility, and autonomy were their top lures; others were just happy to kill their commute. Many remote workers noted that they’re more productive now than they ever were in a traditional office setting; others missed QT with their cubemates. As we sifted through everyone’s experiences, it quickly became evident that remote work is not without obstacles: Digital nomads bemoaned the lack of consistent Wi-Fi, juggling of time zones, anxieties about work performance, and myriad headaches of visas and taxes. But by and large, most were stoked to be working remotely, and hopeful for a future where jobs go to the best candidate—not just the best candidate in a particular place.
8th Jun 2021 - Condé Nast Traveler
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe 'Zoom towns' luring remote workers to rural enclaves
Although some urban centres across the world have also established programmes to entice workers to relocate, a taste for a slower, more outdoorsy option has recently emerged, especially in the US. A new study from the Pew Research Center found that one in 20 US adults have moved in response to Covid-19, with those younger than 30 most likely to have made the change. Many are urbanites from major coastal cities, like New York and San Francisco, who were spurred by the growing disconnect between stagnant wages and rising living costs as well as the prospect of bigger spaces and access to nature in the American interior. Now that influential companies like Facebook and Twitter have set the tone for long-term remote work even after the pandemic ends, this young talent has been emboldened to seek out new horizons.
7th Jun 2021 - BBC
Working from home post-pandemic could offer mixed results for women, researchers say
According to Statistics Canada, nearly a third of Canadians worked from home at the beginning of 2021, compared with just four per cent in 1996. An Angus Reid survey conducted in 2020 suggests that two-thirds of Canadians who work from home expect that to continue post-pandemic. Both surveys suggest most employees would prefer a hybrid model that would allow them to work remotely but occasionally pop into the office. As the number of daily COVID-19 cases declines across Canada and a return to more normal work life looms, some wonder what impact a hybrid workplace could have on employees — especially for women, who have traditionally sought out more flexible options to help them juggle work with family responsibilities.
7th Jun 2021 - CBC.ca
Working In Sweatpants May Be Over As Companies Contemplate The Great Office Return
Fifteen months into the pandemic, Brookfield's office buildings in Washington are only at about 14% occupancy, down from 80% in normal times. Companies that ordered their employees to work from home in March 2020 are only now starting to bring them back into the office. Some are waiting until fall to bring back workers in significant numbers, while others have no plans to return to pre-pandemic work arrangements at all. Navigating the return to the office is a delicate operation that has the potential to define a company's culture for years. What happens over the coming months could also have a profound effect on cities such as Washington. In survey after survey, an overwhelming majority of workers say they want flexible work options to continue.
7th Jun 2021 - NPR
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullBack-to-office blues: Is Wall Street tone-deaf on remote work?
Mark, a vice president at a global bank, has a sweeping view of his bucolic backyard from his home office in suburban New Jersey in the United States. In between virtual meetings, he takes quick breaks to connect with his two elementary school-aged children and talk dinner logistics with his wife. “Overall, working from home has been amazing for our family,” Mark, who asked not to use his last name due to job concerns, told Al Jazeera. “I feel like I’m even more productive because I don’t commute, and can step up in meaningful ways at home.” That newly achieved work-life balance will all end this summer, however, when Mark expects to be summoned back to the office like many in the US financial industry. The heads of big Wall Street firms have made it clear that remote work isn’t working for them, and employees are being forced to follow suit.
6th Jun 2021 - Al Jazeera
Apple Employees Wrote A Letter To CEO Tim Cook Saying Why They Don’t Want To Return To The Office
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, told his global workforce of 137,000 employees that they’d have to return to the office beginning early September. It's expected that employees will spend about three days a week at the office and the other two at home or remotely. Not everyone was happy with this decision. In an open letter to Cook, about 80 employees of Apple, according to the Verge, voiced their displeasure in being told to return to work, stating, “We feel like the current policy is not sufficient in addressing many of our needs.” The letter pointed out that workers delivered “the same quality of products and services that Apple is known for, all while working almost completely remotely.” The future of work will see battles between companies and their employees.
6th Jun 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullCalls for policy to help remote workers strike a balance between home and work life
The government has been urged to introduce a policy to help remote workers strike a better balance between work and home commitments. The British Chambers of Commerce, the Mental Health Foundation and trade union Prospect have all joined the conversation, with the latter calling for a ban on out-of-hours emails. Jane Gratton, head of people policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, believes a more sensible, agile working model would provide welcome flexibility for businesses and individuals alike.
3rd Jun 2021 - City A.M.
The empty office: what we lose when we work from home
In the summer of 2020, Daniel Beunza, a Spanish social scientist, organised a stream of video calls with a dozen senior bankers in the US and Europe. Beunza wanted to know how they had run a trading desk while working from home. Did finance require flesh-and-blood humans? Beunza had studied bank trading floors for two decades, and had noticed a paradox. Digital technologies had entered finance in the late 20th century, pushing markets into cyberspace and enabling most financial work to be done outside the office – in theory. But the digital revolution had not caused banks’ offices and trading rooms to disappear. “The tendency is the reverse,” Bob said. “Banks are building bigger and bigger trading rooms.” Why? Beunza had spent years watching financiers like Bob to find the answer. Now, during lockdown, many executives and HR departments found themselves dealing with the same issue: what is gained and what is lost when everyone is working from home?
3rd Jun 2021 - The Guardian
Employees looking to quit post-pandemic? Here's how to keep them.
Just as the country is opening back up, and companies are figuring out plans to return workers to the office, at least some of the time, they have a new worry on the horizon: a talent drain. A recent survey done by Morning Consult on behalf of Prudential polled 2,000 adults working full-time. It found that 87% of American workers who have been working remotely during the pandemic would prefer to continue working remotely at least one day a week, post-pandemic. Among all workers, 68% say a hybrid workplace model is best. But here’s the kicker: 42% of current remote workers say if their employer doesn’t continue to offer remote work options long-term, they’ll look for a job at a company that does. To avoid this wave of departures, companies need to rethink not only how they operate in a post-pandemic world, but what it’s going to take to attract and retain the best talent.
3rd Jun 2021 - CNBC
Apple Employees Will Return To The Office Three Days A Week Starting In September
Apple employees will be asked to return to the office from early-September for a minimum of three days a week, according to an internal memo seen by The Verge. While Apple was quick to embrace full-time remote working as a result of the pandemic, it looks like this flexibility will soon be coming to an end. Tim Cook has told staff that, starting September, most employees will be asked to come in to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with the option of working remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays. Teams that need to work in-person will return four to five days a week, according to the email. “For all that we’ve been able to achieve while many of us have been separated, the truth is that there has been something essential missing from this past year: each other,” Cook said. “Video conference calling has narrowed the distance between us, to be sure, but there are things it simply cannot replicate.”
3rd Jun 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullEmployees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home
With the coronavirus pandemic receding for every vaccine that reaches an arm, the push by some employers to get people back into offices is clashing with workers who’ve embraced remote work as the new normal. While companies from Google to Ford Motor Co. and Citigroup Inc. have promised greater flexibility, many chief executives have publicly extolled the importance of being in offices. Some have lamented the perils of remote work, saying it diminishes collaboration and company culture. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jamie Dimon said at a recent conference that it doesn’t work “for those who want to hustle.” But legions of employees aren’t so sure. If anything, the past year has proved that lots of work can be done from anywhere, sans lengthy commutes on crowded trains or highways. Some people have moved. Others have lingering worries about the virus and vaccine-hesitant colleagues.
2nd Jun 2021 - Bloomberg
Half of UK firms set to move office as shift to flexible working outlasts pandemic
Almost half of mid-to-large size UK companies plan to move offices within the next three years as the shift to flexible working outlasts the pandemic, a new survey suggests. The findings were described as a “watershed” moment for the future of office working and come as London’s army of property agents predict a busier than usual summer hunting new HQs for hundreds of businesses. Of nearly 500 senior executives at firms with at least 20,000 sq ft of leased space, 89% said they will be in a position to move out in the next 36 months due to lease expiries or break clauses.
2nd Jun 2021 - Evening Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work unlocks new talent markets for Ottawa employers
By now it’s clear remote work isn’t going away, even once the global pandemic is over and it’s safe for everyone to return to the office. While this shift opens a raft of questions for employers and their current staff, it also opens new opportunities for companies grappling with the city’s long-felt tight talent market. Ottawa companies are hiring employees who live outside the National Capital Region to work remotely as a way of addressing a skills shortage in the city. But abandoning a long-held mindset that an employee must live in the same region as their employer is raising new questions for companies.
1st Jun 2021 - Ottawa Business Journal
Remote working laws should include the ‘right to disconnect’, say experts
Plans by the Government to draft new laws giving employees the right to ask to work remotely should also include the ‘right to disconnect’, legal experts from Trinity College Dublin have said. In a new report, experts from TCD’s Covid-19 Law and Human Rights Observatory, said a new statutory code of practice on the ‘right to disconnect’ introduced earlier this year does not protect employees against the working culture of “constant availability”. The report, ‘A Right to Disconnect: Irish and European Legal Perspectives’, found that existing laws are “insufficient” to protect employees and recommends that the ‘right to disconnect’ is enshrined in binding legislation that includes a definition of ‘working’ and ‘leisure’ time.
1st Jun 2021 - Irish Examiner
Four Ways to Keep Working From Home When the Boss Wants You Back
As offices reopen, some companies are letting workers decide when—or whether—to return. A recent CBS News poll showed that 60% of employees want to keep working remotely, at least part time. But doing so can lead to anxiety: If you’re not in the office every day, will it start to become an issue? We asked experts for advice on how to ensure that a hybrid arrangement can continue to benefit you—and be valuable to bosses. Manage perceptions. “As a prospective member of the hybrid workplace, you want to distinguish between actual hours in the office and perception of presence and engagement,” says Alexandra Samuel, co-author of Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work … Wherever You Are. “They’re different things.” Samuel suggests spending 10 or 15 minutes answering important messages first thing in the morning, while your colleagues are starting their commute. “That extends the workday and can shorten feedback cycles and make people value you as somebody who’s out of the office,” she says. “It also creates the perception that you’re always working, always responsive.”
1st Jun 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Jun 2021
View this newsletter in fullWork is where your laptop is: meet the globetrotting digital nomads
The global shift to flexible working triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic means more people are considering ditching their long-term homes to flit around the world, working from their laptops, tablets or smartphones. Last week, a report from Airbnb entitled Travel & Living showed that 11% of the company’s long-term stay bookers in 2021 have reported living a nomadic lifestyle, and 5% plan to give up their main homes. Delia Colantuono, a 31-year-old freelance translator from Rome, became a digital nomad five years ago when it was not a “big thing”. She has now lived on all five continents and says the nomadic lifestyle is “not just for rich people – it’s for anyone who can work remotely and wants to do it”.
31st May 2021 - The Guardian
Working remotely helped FDA's CDER shape a new and improved workforce, director says. What now?
One surprising consequence of the coronavirus pandemic and its work-from-home zeitgeist? Biopharma companies have been compelled to rethink and perhaps even improve how they operate their businesses. And the same appears to be true at the FDA. The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research had a net gain of more than 100 employees in 2020 and is tracking to reach that number again this year. The two banner years of recruiting and retention follow a 2019 when CDER had a net gain of just 20 employees. The difference, according to CDER director Patrizia Cavazzoni? The pandemic. “We think that the greater flexibility with working remotely, not having people all have to move to Silver Spring [Maryland], has made a difference not only in our ability to hire talent, but also to retain talent,” Cavazzoni said
31st May 2021 - FiercePharma
Remote Work Evolves Into Hybrid Work And Productivity Rises, The Data Shows
The data now confirms it: the work-from-anywhere/work-from-home model works, and has passed its most crucial test ever, bringing organizations through the Covid crisis and now a key productivity strategy for the workplace of the 2020s. In a recent report out of Accenture, 83% of 9,326 workers surveyed say they prefer a hybrid model — in which they can work remotely at least 25% of the time. Tellingly, organizations that enable a resilient workforce to be more productive and healthier anywhere are also reaping financial benefits, the study shows. A majority of high-revenue-growth companies, 63%, have already enabled productivity anywhere workforce models, where employees have the option of working remotely or on-site. While the vast majority (69%) of negative or no-growth companies are still focused on where people are going to physically work, favoring all on-site or remote rather than enabling hybrid.
31st May 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullBosses putting a 'digital leash' on remote workers could be crossing a privacy line
With many companies working from home during the pandemic, managers and employers have found themselves in a difficult position with running scattered teams away from the office. Some have turned to technology to help, but they may be walking a dangerous path using tools like artificial intelligence and algorithms to track employees and their work throughout the day, or even facial recognition that can ensure that someone is at their desk. A recent report by the Institute for the Future of Work, a British research and development group, said that algorithmic systems typically used in monitoring the performance of warehouse workers or delivery riders have pervaded more and more industries.
27th May 2021 - CNBC
63% of high-growth companies have hybrid work models
A Fortune and NewtonX’s new CFO poll found many financial leaders prefer working remotely with flexible onsite workdays post-COVID. That echoes what Accenture finds in a new research report based on a global survey of more than 9,000 workers across industries. About 83% of respondents said a hybrid model—sometimes remote, sometimes onsite—would be optimal. A quarter of respondents, in fields such as healthcare and retail, worked fully onsite throughout the coronavirus pandemic and are likely to remain onsite, despite their personal preferences, the report found.
27th May 2021 - Fortune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullIf You Thought Working From Home Was Messy, Here Comes Hybrid Work
It took months for bosses and employees to adjust to working remotely in the pandemic. The next era of work might be even more messy. Companies are laying down new rules and setting expectations for hybrid work as some workers come back in and others remain out of office. At JPMorgan Chase JPM -0.01% & Co., employees on some teams can schedule work-from-home days, but not on Mondays or Fridays. At Salesforce.com Inc. offices that have reopened, Thursdays are proving to be the most popular in-office day, creating high demand for meeting rooms and collaboration spaces, and prompting the company to rethink its office design.
26th May 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
The Unintended Consequences Of The Hybrid-Work Model
The prevailing return-to-work hybrid model could turn to unintended disastrous consequences. Google, Microsoft, Citigroup and Ford Motors represent the gamut of companies that are offering employees the opportunity to work two or three days a week in the office, but also provide for a substantial amount of people solely working remotely. This balance, after over a year of working at home, seems reasonable. It's a comfortable segue back into the new normal. There’s a strong chance that serious problems will quickly emerge. Here are just some of the time bombs both management and staff need to navigate when returning to work at an office setting or continuing at home.
26th May 2021 - Forbes
New network of remote working hubs a ‘game-changer for rural Ireland’
In Ireland, plans to establish a national network of more than 400 remote working hubs are well advanced, with the State-backed initiative expected to launch next week. Responding to questions in the Dáil earlier this week, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys said over 300 hubs have been surveyed for possible inclusion in the network, with at least 40 expected to be included at the time of the launch on Monday next. More than 100 hubs are expected to be on board by the end of 2021.
26th May 2021 - Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullFive Keys For Building Company Culture In A World Of Remote Work
Remote work isn’t going away. In fact, I’d say that this past year has proven that the traditional model of everyone coming into the physical office isn’t really necessary. We haven’t found it necessary for productivity, and it certainly isn’t necessary for culture. You can build an excellent culture with nothing but Slack and Zoom and the occasional email. I know because we’ve done it, and our team is scattered across five time zones, three departments and 20-plus employees managing 30 accounts. In the process, we’ve developed a number of keys for maintaining company culture in a world of remote work.
25th May 2021 - Forbes
How more than a year working remotely has changed our bodies
It’s been a little over a year since many of us made the switch to working from home. In that time, it’s likely that your daily routine has changed significantly compared to when you would make the trip into the office every day. For starters, you’re probably not getting anywhere near as much physical activity as you used to. Even if you make a point of exercising a few times per week, you’ve likely still seen a significant dip in your non-exercise physical activity, what we call “NEPA” in the health and fitness industry. NEPA is the physical activity that happens as a natural part of going about your daily routine. It just means that we need to be a little more deliberate about our daily physical activity, both of the exercise and non-exercise varieties.
25th May 2021 - Fast Company
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullBiden to offer flexible working long-term to more federal employees: WaPo
The White House is considering making flexible working the norm for more federal employees after the pandemic, according to a report by The Washington Post. The Biden administration is likely to change flexible working rules permanently so that more people can mix working from home with some time in the office, per the report. President Donald Trump rolled back some remote-working policies introduced by Barack Obama.
25th May 2021 - Business Insider
How remote work brought my creative spark back
You might have heard the buzzwords remote-first, hybrid-only, and digital by design. These terms were borne out of the fact that the open-office experiment—with all its distractions—has failed. And companies are rushing for the exit as fast as they can. But it turns out that this began to unfold pre-pandemic; COVID-19 just accelerated the trend. Remote work is now here, broadly accessible, and will be a part of most office workers’ lives for the foreseeable future. Deciding just how remote, however, is already causing some controversy. This last year was a gift to creatives. We finally got a taste of quiet, solitary, disciplined work. And we’re not giving it back.
25th May 2021 - Fast Company
Finding right balance with remote work can reduce burnout, experts say
Recruitment agencies and workers say remote-working norms in a pandemic age were created pretty much overnight, and employers need to ensure they stamp out any unhealthy work practices as the pandemic drags on. Experts say it’s especially critical for retention: promoting a healthy work environment means fewer workers leave for another company or change careers altogether. A survey by Robert Half, another large recruitment agency in Canada, found that feelings of burnout were coupled with feelings of career stagnation, with 62 per cent of respondents saying the pandemic had made them feel stuck on career advancement and salary growth.
25th May 2021 - Toronto Star
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullBosses Still Aren’t Sure Remote Workers Have ‘Hustle’
More than a year into America’s great work-from-home experiment, many companies have hailed it largely as a success. So why do some bosses think remote workers aren’t as committed as office dwellers? Recent remarks of numerous chief executives suggest the culture of workplace face time remains alive and well. At The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit this month, JP Morgan Chase & Co.’s Jamie Dimon said remote work doesn’t work well “for those who want to hustle.” Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has called it “an aberration that we are going to correct as soon as possible.” Companies with largely remote workforces aren’t the norm. Research suggests remote workers lag behind office-dwellers in some kinds of career advancement Many bosses said they want people in the office—and thus prize workers who feel the same—because they worry about losing the creativity and spontaneous collaboration that comes with physical proximity.
23rd May 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
What will be the result of the remote work experiment?
Working from home seemed like a fanciful notion in 2018, but little did we know that many of us would take part in the ultimate remote working experiment in 2020 because of a global pandemic. The question now is, what will be the results of that experiment? We can gain some insights from a home working experiment carried out at the largest online travel agency in China, formerly called Ctrip, in 2013.
23rd May 2021 - RTE.ie
What if Remote Work Didn’t Mean Working from Home?
Professional authors are, in some sense, the original work-from-home knowledge workers. As we approach a post-pandemic world in which telecommuting will be more common, we might observe with concern how far these writers are willing to go to escape having to work in their actual homes. The retreat to eccentric near-home workplaces has been a common experience during the pandemic, and we’ve learned that performing useful cognitive work is a fragile endeavor, one in which environment matters. Here’s my proposal: organizations that allow remote work should not only encourage these employees to find professional spaces near (but distinct from) their homes—they should also directly subsidize these cognitive escapes.
23rd May 2021 - The New Yorker
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st May 2021
View this newsletter in fullCan the 'right to disconnect' exist in a remote-work world?
Although several countries, primarily in Europe, have enacted varying levels of past legislation on the right to disconnect, Ireland is among the first countries to try and introduce a code specifically centring the new, work-from-home era. Ireland’s post-Covid-19 rules are meant to preserve work-life balance and protect all workers, including those who work remotely and flexibly – something that past laws have not considered. However, the solution may not be as straightforward as it seems. In practice, it may actually be near impossible to combine the ability to log off with the freedom to work remotely, especially if that means creating timetables different to other colleagues. And, in a worse case scenario, some experts are also warning that mismanagement of these initiatives could compromise some of the flexibility workers have only recently been able to negotiate.
20th May 2021 - BBC News
How to find the perfect place in your home for a remote workspace
While home offices have been growing in popularity in recent years, they’re no longer just a trend, but the new normal. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced more individuals to work and study remotely. While working from home has its perks, it’s not always a glamorous option, namely because most homes aren’t designed to function as an office, too. The good news? You don’t have to ditch your current residence and relocate to create a functional home work area. Whether big or small, turning that room, nook or corner into a home office has never been easier when you have expert designers on your side.
20th May 2021 - USA Today
During remote work, men find communicating, collaborating harder than women
After a year-plus of remote work, women and men have varying takes on the experience. One of those? Men have found communicating and collaborating more challenging while working remotely than women have. FlexJobs polled more than 2,100 people this spring who’ve worked or continue to work remotely due to Covid-19. Nearly 7 in 10 women and men said they believe more remote work policies will benefit gender equality in the workplace. However, more than one-quarter of men believe their professional skills suffered during the pandemic, and 20% said remote work has hurt their chances of promotion or career advancement. By comparison, only 17% of women feel their professional skills have suffered, and 13% feel their chances of promotion have been affected.
20th May 2021 - The Business Journals
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th May 2021
View this newsletter in full'The DNA of work has changed': Many Americans want to keep working from home after the COVID-19 crisis passes
With the COVID-19 pandemic waning, a hybrid model that allows employees to work from home part-time seemed to be gaining favor among companies and workers. But a plurality of employees recently surveyed are effectively saying that if they want a change of scenery, they’ll pick up their laptops and amble from the living room to the den. Forty percent of Americans prefer to work from home full-time, compared with 35% who seek a home-office hybrid and 25% who want to go back to the office full-time, according to a Harris Poll survey. Workers cite a variety of concerns about going back to the office, including losing the flexibility they’ve enjoyed while teleworking, getting back to their pre-pandemic routines, health worries and having to make small talk again with co-workers.
19th May 2021 - USA Today
Can Working Remotely Hurt Your Career?
America’s CEOs have a message for people who love working from home: Your happy days are numbered. Remote work is “suboptimal,” Jonathan Wasserstrum, the CEO of the New York commercial-real-estate company SquareFoot, told me. “I believe that work is better when most of the people are in the office most of the time together,” he said. As if to prove his point, at that moment our phone connection grew fuzzy, prompting him to sarcastically add, “Oh, because remote is so great, right?” What really gets Wasserstrum’s goat is when people say no one should come into the office, because that would be more fair to the people who don’t want to come into the office. He said that although he wouldn’t fire someone for asking to work remotely full-time, SquareFoot is a real-estate company. “If somebody didn’t believe in the value of an office at least one day a week, they probably shouldn’t be at the company anyway,” he said.
19th May 2021 - The Atlantic
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullYounger workers might benefit from social perks of being in an office
As businesses decide what the future of the workplace will look like, including whether employees will need to return to the office, two prominent CEOs have voiced concerns. During The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council Summit on May 4, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said that working remotely "does not work" for young people or "those who want to hustle." And during The Journal's Future of Everything Festival last week, WeWork CEO Sandeep Mathrani said it was "pretty obvious that those who are overly engaged with the company want to go to the office two-thirds of the time at least." Dimon and Mathrani ruffled some feathers, but research suggests they might have a point. Three recent surveys found younger or early-career workers are feeling less productive at home
18th May 2021 - Business Insider
5 ways to bond with your boss when you're both remote
With so much remote onboarding happening, it can be hard to forge a solid relationship with a new boss. A recent PwC study found that roughly a third of employees say that onboarding and coaching new employees are worse than before the pandemic. It’s also a challenge for employees who want to build strong bonds, especially with the bosses who can be such important forces in their careers. After all, how can this person see your strengths and potential—not to mention advocate for you—if they don’t really know who you are or how you work?
18th May 2021 - Fast Company
Is remote working really here to stay?
Lockdown restrictions have proved to multiple industries that workers don’t have to be confined within the walls of their organisation to produce their best work. They can be trusted to deliver from afar. Some universities, for instance, have found sharing resources through online platforms has encouraged engagement, while students unable to attend lectures have been able to catch up on demand. I expect remote working and learning like this will continue to be a norm for many of us, even when the world begins to recover from the pandemic, mainly due to the benefits it has introduced. Many organisations have gained additional flexibility from introducing more tech-enabled processes. In turn, a better work-life balance and improved efficiency has been achieved
18th May 2021 - FE News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullMore Than 70% Of White-Collar Workers In U.S. Still Working Remotely, Poll Finds
More than half of the all adults employed in the United States were still working from home at least part-time as of last month, including 72% of white-collar workers, according to a new poll released by Gallup on Monday, but that number may start to drop following the CDC’s latest guidance. When employees working remotely were asked for their preference moving forward, assuming their employer leaves the decision up to them, 35% say that they would continue working from home as much as possible. In contrast, 17% said they would prefer to cease working remotely, including 32% of workers in the education field looking to return to classrooms for in-person education.
17th May 2021 - Forbes
COVID-19: People working from home in UK more than doubled as pandemic struck - but at what cost?
The proportion of people working from home (WFH) more than doubled last year as coronavirus crisis rules tore through UK workplaces, according to official figures. The data, compiled from a survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), showed 25.9% - or 8.4 million people - were completing duties from their place of residence at some point in the week they were spoken to. The figure compares with 12.4% in 2019. That was a time when COVID-19 was yet to emerge in Europe though the ramifications of the public health emergency have since sparked fierce debate over the future of the workplace.
17th May 2021 - Sky News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe Post-Covid Office Needs a Makeover to Get Its Workers Back
A quiet revolution has permeated global health circles. Authorities have come to accept what many researchers have argued for over a year: The coronavirus can spread through the air. That new acceptance, by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes with concrete implications: Scientists are calling for ventilation systems to be overhauled like public water supplies were in the 1800s after fetid pipes were found to harbor cholera. Cleaner indoor air won’t just fight the pandemic, it will minimize the risk of catching flu and other respiratory infections that cost the U.S. more than $50 billion a year, researchers said in a study in the journal Science on Friday. Avoiding these germs and their associated sickness and productivity losses would, therefore, offset the cost of upgrading ventilation and filtration in buildings.
17th May 2021 - Bloomberg
Ireland's remote workers find sanctuary in the sticks
As a child, award-winning artisan baker Patrick Ryan remembers visiting his grandparents in Wicklow town. Before Christmas he opened a second store there. Though Covid restrictions have posed social distancing challenges to Ryan’s new venture, they have also helped. While previously the town’s large commuter contingent were in Dublin all day, now they are working from home — and hungry for fresh bread and pastries. “The buying culture has changed, too. I think people now have more appreciation of the independent businesses on their doorstep,” Ryan says. He is not the only one to think so. A number of new businesses have opened in the town, including a café and a patisserie, changing a pattern of shop closures that stretched back to the recession
16th May 2021 - The Times
Here's the tech you should bring along if you plan to work from your vacation spot
Only 10% of employees want to return to the office post-pandemic, according to a Hibob survey, a people management platform. Employers seem to like this flexible work environment, too. A recent PwC report found 83% of companies said the shift to remote work has been positive. Naturally, there are exceptions on both sides – not to mention several jobs cannot be performed from home – but those who can (and enjoy it) can rely on technology to remain productive while away from a conventional office.
16th May 2021 - USA Today
Ireland wants pandemic-era remote working to revive its rural towns
In March, the Irish government unveiled a plan to revive the country’s rural economy by enticing more people to work remotely. A long-standing challenge for rural Ireland has been the migration to urban areas. With the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic and what can be achieved through remote working, the Our Rural Future plan aims to incentivize more people to stay in or move to non-urban areas. The plan commits to providing financial support for local authorities to turn vacant properties in towns into remote working hubs. This includes a plan for “over 400 remote working facilities” across the country.
16th May 2021 - CNBC
Death of the call centre? Workers ring in the changes during WFH era
A new message frequently punctuates the muzak as customers wait to speak to a call centre worker nowadays: a recording warning them to expect “home life noises in the background” once someone answers. “A friend of mine heard splashing water when she called her bank,” said consultant Ursula Huws, a long-term advocate for staff to be allowed to do their jobs from home and who coined the term teleworking in the early 1980s. “The agent revealed she was in the bath. For an industry historically so resistant to remote working, that speaks volumes about how far things have come in the past 12 months.” Before coronavirus arrived in the UK, only 3.8 per cent of the country’s 812,000 call centre workers were based at home, according to research group ContactBabel — below the 5.1 per cent average for the working population.
16th May 2021 - Financial Times
'Burning out': Remote workers report paying a price for increased productivity
Remote workers in Canada are logging more hours, experiencing more stress, and feeling less engaged with their work, according to a new survey. The online survey, conducted by ADP Canada and Angus Reid, asked 1,501 Canadians working remotely and in person to evaluate their experience working during the pandemic, including their work hours, productivity, engagement, stress levels, and quality of their work. The survey found that 44 per cent of remote workers reported they were logging more hours of work than they were in pre-pandemic times. Of those, one in ten reported working an additional day, or more than eight extra hours per week.
16th May 2021 - CTV News
Costa del Covid: Millennials swap UK drizzle to work remotely in Spain and gain post-Brexit rights
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to thousands of home working millennials to move out of small flats in the UK’s major cities and into large villas in Spain. According to research from European homes portal Kyero there has been a 446 per cent leap in younger British people looking for a life by warm Spanish seas in the past year, with the “corona nomads” revelling in the benefit of a UK income and the lower cost of living. Martin Dell, co-founder of Kyero, says: “Widespread remote working over recent months has had a significant impact on the types of people looking to buy property in Spain and the rest of Europe. Greater numbers of younger people, and those now working remotely full time – ‘Corona nomads’ – are considering a move abroad as we all become less tied to the office and are able to live, work and play where we really want to.”
16th May 2021 - iNews.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullA return to normal? Young people heading back to the office want anything but
Many of us have been working from home for over a year now. What was meant to be a temporary solution to what was at the time an unpredictable threat has turned into a way of life that looks set to continue way beyond Covid’s lifespan. But what this pandemic left behind is scarcely populated buildings with hefty rents and empty desks that some companies will inevitably want filling — and fast. Bosses and business experts have claimed that young people are the group that not only wants, but needs to be in the office. Goldman Sachs executive David Solomon said earlier this year that he doesn’t want “another class of young people arriving [remotely] that aren’t getting more direct contact, direct apprenticeship, direct mentorship.”
13th May 2021 - iNews.co.uk
Microaggressions at the office can make remote work even more appealing
For those of us lucky enough to have had a job that can be done from home throughout the pandemic, remote work offers certain freedoms that many of us are loath to give up after a year: freedom from the time, expense and effort of commuting and traveling; freedom from in-person interruptions and distractions (aside from cohabitants and dependents in our homes); and, in some cases, freedom from rigid business hours within which all tasks must be completed and all hands, busy or not, must be on deck. There’s another freedom that particular subsets of remote workers are experiencing: freedom from dealing with subtle, often unintended expressions of bias known as microaggressions. Individually, these incidents are seldom serious enough to merit HR confrontations. But experiencing them daily is like death by a thousand paper cuts, and processing internal reactions to them drains mental energy and satisfaction.
13th May 2021 - The Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Boris Johnson aims to end work from home guidance from 21 June
People in England should no longer be advised to work from home after 21 June provided the country remains "on track" in the fight against coronavirus, Boris Johnson has told MPs. The prime minister told the House of Commons on Wednesday it was his "intention" to end the work from home guidance in less than six weeks' time. And Mr Johnson predicted the "dynamism" of England's cities could return "remarkably quickly" once workers return to offices
12th May 2021 - Sky News
How Hybrid Remote Work Improves Diversity And Inclusion
Fewer than 20% of employees who currently work remotely want to return to the pre-pandemic model of commuting to work every day. Employees want flexibility to decide when it makes sense to go to the office. Research also shows employees are more productive when they have to option to work remotely. But for some employees, remote work is about much more than flexibility and productivity. It is about the ability to work at all. Requiring employees to physically commute to an office excludes many people from jobs they are capable and willing to perform. The option to work remotely is not just good for employees. It is a major step toward creating more inclusive organizations.
12th May 2021 - Forbes
How to lead a team you've never actually met
Remote working comes with many benefits, but starting a new managerial position entirely online can be tricky. With most interactions carried out over Zoom, Teams or on Slack, there are no face-to-face meetings, no coffee runs to get to know people better, and no opportunities to ask quick questions in person. “The challenges in leading a team who are managed remotely can be achieving rapport, getting a true understanding of their working styles and transparency of issues, as well as managing time zones, deadlines and complexity,” says careers, business and HR expert Laura Trendall Morrison
12th May 2021 - Yahoo News UK
Concern employers could monitor remote workers' mouse clicks per minute
Concern has been raised that remote workers could be forced to accept technology that monitors the number of mouse clicks they make in a minute. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has warned artificial intelligence tools could also be used to track the amount of time spent on social media. In a submission to the Department of Employment on the introduction of the right to request remote working, the ICTU urged the Government to develop clear guidance on how employers can monitor employees working remotely.
12th May 2021 - BreakingNews.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullWe've reached a pivotal point for mental health at work – let's not turn back
During the pandemic, about four in 10 adults in the US reported symptoms of anxiety of depressive disorder, up from one in 10 who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019. Now, more than ever, it is critical to reduce the stigma around mental health struggles, not only because of Covid, but because the stigma often prevents individuals from seeking help. It is up to us as company leaders to take charge, to lead by example and provide tools to support our employees. So how can employers help? Every employee’s journey will be different.
11th May 2021 - People Management Magazine
JPMorgan to bring all staff back to office in England -memo
JPMorgan will step up the return of all of its employees in England to working at least part of their week in its offices from June 21st, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The U.S. lender will still cap occupancy at 50% in its main London and Bournemouth hubs, it said, and the plans are dependent on there being no changes to government plans to ease remaining COVID-19 related restrictions.
11th May 2021 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullTrouble on the home front: remote working puts a strain on graduate recruiters
Increasingly, international companies are telling employees that they want them to return to the office. Last week Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JP Morgan, an American investment bank, predicted that its offices would “look just like” they did before the pandemic. Google, which had originally embraced remote working, has told staff to prepare to return to the office, or at least live within commuting distance of it. A recent survey by Sigmar Recruitment found that 52 per cent of employers expect either an office-based or hybrid model — where staff are given a choice about whether they work in the office or at home, or a mixture of both.
10th May 2021 - The Times
The time to negotiate an annual month of remote work may be now
In addition to on-site yoga classes and ergonomic desks, companies may have a new wellness initiative up their sleeves — granting workers an annual period of remote work. Remote work has proved popular with many workers, with 54% of employees saying they want to keep working from home after the pandemic ends, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. But that’s not likely to happen. Many more companies are expected to transition to hybrid work arrangements this year for the best of both working worlds — flexibility with the focus of an office environment, less loneliness yet less of a commute.
10th May 2021 - CNBC
Should You Go Back to the Office?
After months of experimenting with remote work, your company is calling you back to the office. Should you go? The calculus is complicated, even if you’re comfortable with your employer’s plans for Covid safety. Some companies will, at least ostensibly, give workers a choice; others will ratchet up the pressure or dole out ultimatums. How much do you push back? How do you decode corporate statements to tell you what you really want to know: Will it kill my career if I stay home? The other variables to analyze feel infinite, the stuff of life
10th May 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Remote working: Why some people are less productive at home than others
Has working at home during lockdown made people more productive or not? This has been the subject of some lively debate recently. Many companies do not routinely measure productivity. A large number will have traditionally assumed that they get the highest output when staff work longer hours or under close supervision, but remote working is clearly causing some to re-evaluate this.Major firms, for instance professional services group PwC, have been sufficiently impressed to make remote working a permanent option for their staff. On the other hand, some business leaders insist that remote working is compromising productivity and is therefore not workable in the long term. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, for example, has dismissed it as an “aberration that we’re going to correct as soon as possible”. So who is right?
10th May 2021 - Wales Online
These beautiful Italian towns will pay you to work remotely
Remote working has become a possibility for many during the pandemic, meaning the office can now be anywhere from a kitchen table to a sandy beach on the other side of the world. And while relocating to a picturesque Italian town might also factor on many people's lists, that prospect just got even better with two destinations offering to pay workers who make the move. In an attempt to lure newcomers, Santa Fiora in Tuscany and Rieti in Lazio will pay up to 50% of the rent of anyone who decides to move and telecommute on a long-term basis. Rents are already relatively low, so the deal is potentially very attractive, but make no mistake, this is no paid vacation. Applicants must have an "active" job, even if they can do it in front of a laptop on a panoramic terrace overlooking olive groves while sipping a glass of red wine.
10th May 2021 - CNN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullWashingtonian staff goes on publishing strike after CEO’s op-ed about remote work
Washingtonian magazine staffers launched a day-long protest on Friday in response to an op-ed written by their boss, who warned that continuing to work from home as the pandemic subsides could make employees less valuable and easier to “let go.” Cathy Merrill, chief executive of the D.C.-centered magazine, shared her concerns about the popularity of remote work in a Washington Post op-ed published Thursday, originally titled: “As a CEO, I want my employees to understand the risks of not returning to work in the office.” While some employees may want to “work from home and pop in only when necessary” after the pandemic, Merrill argued, the dynamic may create a “strong incentive” for bosses to convert full-time workers into contractors, who get paid by the hour or output and lack benefits such as health-care coverage and retirement accounts. Washingtonian staffers were shocked. Many perceived the op-ed to be directed in part to them — a veiled threat to their jobs.
8th May 2021 - The Washington Post
Pandemic proves employees can work from home, but will it last?
Within 10 days of the start of the global pandemic, 4.7 million Canadians made the shift to working from home — bringing the total number of Canadians working from home to 40 per cent. There was talk at the time of how the pandemic may force employers to revolutionize the workplace. A year ago, even Premier Blaine Higgs said government would look at what they learned in the early days of the pandemic to see how they could do things differently. That openness to change seems to have been short-lived. Only about seven per cent of provincial government employees are currently working from home, according to figures provided by the province. Compare that to the height of the pandemic when nearly all government employees were sent home.
8th May 2021 - CBC.ca
"Hybrid" return-to-office models could create subcaste of workers
More than a year after companies across the globe sent workers scurrying home amid the spread of COVID-19, some employers are encouraging — and even ordering — people back to the office. An estimated 80,0000 municipal workers in New York City went back on the job on Monday, while JPMorgan Chase, the country's largest bank, said it expects most of its U.S.-based employees to return to their offices come July. Goldman Sachs wants its U.S. and UK employees back at their desks by June. Despite the clarion call from employers, many people are reluctant to return to the office, saying they are more productive working from home and not eager to resume their daily commutes. And with COVID-19 still affecting schools, numerous parents with children in remote classes are still juggling their childcare duties with work.
8th May 2021 - CBS News
Remote working 'must not be enforced', experts warn, as large employers plan hybrid future
Employees must not be forced to work from home if they don’t want to, experts have warned, as research has shown almost all of the UK’s top employers have said they do not plan to bring their staff back to the office full time. A BBC poll of 50 of the UK’s largest employers, collectively employing 1.1 million people, found that 43 firms said they planned to use a mixture of home and remote working going forward, with employees encouraged to work from home two to three days a week. A further four companies said they were keeping this so-called hybrid approach under review.
8th May 2021 - People Management
Automaker Stellantis expects employees to work remotely most of the time under new plan
When employees of Fiat Chrysler, now Stellantis, make their expected returns later this year to offices, they will do so with a new company and a more flexible work schedule. The automaker is launching a hybrid work initiative called the “New Era of Agility.” The goal is to have a majority of the company’s salaried employees work remotely most of the time. The decision to create such a program comes after the company received feedback from employees, many of whom have been working remotely for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic
8th May 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullSocGen to Let French Staff Work Remotely Up to Three Days a Week
Societe Generale SA plans to allow its French staff to work from home for up to three days a week, joining peers including Deutsche Bank AG in providing one of the most flexible return-to-office policies among large international banks. The Paris-based lender has signed an agreement with its domestic union representatives on the remote work plans, Chief Executive Officer Frederic Oudea said. Banks around the world are adopting differing approaches to remote work as staff seek greater flexibility and a better balance between their work and personal lives after spending more than a year working from home. In the U.S., several lenders including JPMorgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are pushing for a more systematic return to the office in coming weeks.
6th May 2021 - Bloomberg
Remote working has led to managers spying more on staff – here are three ways to curb it
With so many more people working from home during the pandemic, employers have stepped up the extent to which they are monitoring them online. Not so many years ago, employees were having to adjust to having their work emails monitored; but that seems almost quaint compared to the digital surveillance we are seeing today. Employers can use specialist software to track workers’ keystrokes, mouse movements and the websites they visit. They can take screenshots of employees to check whether they are at their screens and looking attentive, or even use webcam monitoring software that measures things like eye movements, facial expressions and body language. All this can be checked against a worker’s output to draw conclusions about their productivity.
6th May 2021 - Yahoo News UK
How will the new world of work actually work for you?
The way we work may have changed forever. Almost 50 of the UK’s biggest employers are planning a hybrid model of working, with staff spending only part of their week in the office – and working from home for the rest. Most of them say staff would be encouraged to work from home two to three days a week once all the lockdown restrictions are lifted
6th May 2021 - The Telegraph
The remote work revolution isn't coming to the factory floor.
Last month, Ford announced it would allow staff who have been working remotely to remain remote — at least some of the time — long after the pandemic is over. "Must be nice for them," thought Marcie Pedraza, an electrician at a Ford plant in Chicago. Like many workers across the U.S., from factories to grocery stores, working from home has never been an option for her. And that presents a challenge for companies frantically rewriting their remote work policies: How do you make the change feel fair, when not all employees can benefit? This divide — between those who have to show up to work, and those who can log in to Zoom — didn't used to be so stark. Before the pandemic only 3% of workers logged in from home full-time.
6th May 2021 - NPR
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullBoston Prepares for a Glimpse of Remote Work as the New Normal
Boston companies won’t go “back to normal” after the lifting of pandemic lock-downs, the city’s acting mayor said. The comments come on the eve of a report, due this week, about the lasting effects of the shift to remote work in Boston. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has also been seeking a sense of how the rapid rise of remote work will affect local life, calling for study of potential effects on everything from transportation to taxes. Janey said some remote work will be permanent, challenging the city to attract people for other reasons.
5th May 2021 - Bloomberg
How To Get Noticed Working Remotely When Almost Everyone Returned To The Office
A recent study showing the results of working from home during the time period between 2011 and 2020 offers some insights, including the unpleasant fact that remote workers faced a number of challenges that their in-office co-workers didn’t have to contend with. People who mainly worked from home were less than half as likely to be promoted. Around 38% remote workers didn’t receive a bonus. Telecommuters put in six hours of unpaid overtime on average per week in 2020 and homeworkers worked well into the evening. With these statistics in mind, you need to be thoughtful and strategic with your approach to working.
5th May 2021 - Forbes
'I'm putting my entire life on hold': How workers are grappling with Covid burnout
Burnout has officially been defined as a workplace hazard for several years now, and the pandemic has only made it worse. People are more stressed out about their job security, taking on more responsibilities, working longer hours and having trouble finding meaning in anything in the 14th month of the pandemic. Somewhat ironically, Kristin Moss thinks more shared screen time with her colleagues would stave off her own burnout. The 29-year-old has been working her PR job from home in Toronto for over a year. She feels disconnected from her colleagues due to endless email threads and would like to have more face-to-face interaction.
5th May 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullZoom CEO: My advice for remote workers who are on video meetings all day
Eric S. Yuan is the founder and CEO of Zoom. He writes: "As with everything in life, moderation is critical, and when Zoom was founded 10 years ago, the intent was never to replace in-person interactions altogether. After all, the pandemic has shown how fatigue, especially video meeting fatigue, can impact productivity, job satisfaction and work-life balance. That's why leaders must find ways to make meetings more manageable as employees continue to work remotely. Here are some of my own practices to limit strain from a high volume of video conference meetings"
4th May 2021 - CNN
Sticking with remote work? Businesses are betting on it
U.S. businesses have been spending more on technology than on bricks and mortar for more than a decade now, but the trend has accelerated during the pandemic, one more sign that working from home is here to stay. Accelerated by the pandemic, the divergence between the two types of business spending is here to stay, says Stanford economics professor Nicholas Bloom. "This is the surge in (work-from-home) which is leading firms to spend heavily on connectivity," Bloom said. He and colleagues have been surveying 5,000 U.S. residents monthly, and found that from May to December about half of paid work hours were done from home.
4th May 2021 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th May 2021
View this newsletter in fullReturn-to-office fears: Remote workers worry about falling behind in careers
The latest CNBC|SurveyMonkey Workforce Survey reveals one key factor pulling workers back to the office even if they might otherwise be more comfortable at home: career advancement. More than half of workers (52%) expect those at their company who work in-person to have better career opportunities in the future than those who work remotely. New collaboration tools like Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams have made it possible for a dispersed workforce to collaborate on projects and attend meetings in much the same way that they would if they were all in the same building. Yet, there are some aspects of work that aren’t easily scaled digitally. Despite all the advances in technology, working remotely is clearly perceived to be a drag on career growth: just 15% of workers say they think remote employees at their company will have better career opportunities than those who work in-person.
2nd May 2021 - CNBC
Remote working: why some people are less productive at home than others – new research
Has working at home during lockdown made people more productive or not? This has been the subject of some lively debate recently. Many companies do not routinely measure productivity. A large number will have traditionally assumed that they get the highest output when staff work longer hours or under close supervision, but remote working is clearly causing some to re-evaluate this. Major firms, for instance professional services group PwC, have been sufficiently impressed to make remote working a permanent option for their staff. On the other hand, some business leaders insist that remote working is compromising productivity and is therefore not workable in the long term.
2nd May 2021 - The Conversation UK
Why It's The Right Time To Tell Your Boss You Want To Continue Working Remotely, Get A Raise, Promotion Or Search For A New Job
It feels like almost overnight the job market started heating up. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, the U.S. Department of Labor and Federal Reserve Bank chair Jay Powell all have pointed toward a strong “Goldilocks economy” and “jobs boom.” It now looks like workers will be in the driver's seat. The current corporate trend is for a flexible hybrid work arrangement. This would include people coming into the office two or three days a week. There will be a group who will only want to exclusively work remotely and some just desire to get out of their homes and go to the office everyday. This is a perfect time for workers to start asserting themselves. If you want to stay working remotely, you now have some leverage.
2nd May 2021 - Forbes
Future Of Work: What The Post-Pandemic Workplace Holds For Remote Workers’ Careers
What does the future hold for remote workers? And what will post-pandemic workdays look like—back to the office, working from home or a hybrid? While the light at the end of the tunnel seems within reach, companies across the globe are scrambling to create the future workplace. One way to predict the future of work is to understand people’s remote work experiences over the last year. And based on recent reports, one thing is clear: remote work has left an impression. The Limeade Institute’s Employee Care Report 3.0 found that 100% of formerly onsite workers said they’re anxious about returning to the office, 71% said they were concerned about less flexibility and 77% said they’re worried about exposure to Covid-19.
2nd May 2021 - Forbes
The loneliness of the modern office team member
Every other week or so, a number emerges somewhere in the world that I find both understandable and troubling. It is the percentage of people who consistently say they don’t want to go back to working full-time in the office. Nearly 60 per cent of British workers said this was how they felt back in September last year and also in March this year, even though more than a third of the UK population had had at least one Covid jab by then. In the US, the share of workers who would prefer to keep working remotely as much as possible went from 35 per cent in September to 44 per cent in January. More recent European research found 97 per cent of people who have been at home would prefer to stay there for at least part of the week once their offices reopen.
2nd May 2021 - Financial Times
Government taskforce urges permanent job flexibility for all workers
In the UK, millions of employees could be given the chance to switch permanently to more flexible working arrangements under forthcoming guidance designed to encourage firms to make long-term some of the emergency changes ushered in by the pandemic. The government’s flexible working taskforce is drawing up guidance – before the expected lifting of the remaining lockdown restrictions, including the requirement to work from home, on 21 June – to support the emergence of new, hybrid ways of working. For example, staff might come into offices only occasionally and work at home or at a neighbourhood cafe for the rest of the week. Peter Cheese, the co-chair of the taskforce, said the pandemic had demonstrated that people could work productively away from traditional workplaces, with 71% of firms reporting that home working had either boosted or made no difference to productivity.
2nd May 2021 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullNext Big Disruption in US Society Is Hybrid Work
Hybrid schedules could be the next monumental shift in the American workplace after last year's sudden move to remote work. More than 70% of workers want to hold onto flexible remote work options, according to a Microsoft study, but almost as many — about 65% — still want more in-person time with their coworkers. A hybrid schedule — where people are in the office some of the time while working at home for the rest — could meet both of those needs. Companies increasingly seem to be getting onboard with hybrid scheduling now that the pandemic has demonstrated that working from home can be productive. The study found that remote job postings on the professional networking site LinkedIn increased drastically — more than five times — during the pandemic.
29th Apr 2021 - Voice of America
Work From Home Is The New Normal For Workers Around The World
In recent talks with some C-level execs, most seem to see some form of a hybrid approach becoming the norm. To keep workers they are willing to develop more flexible work schedules where employees can work at home some of the time and come to the office on an as-needed basis. That as-need basis seems to focus on times when collaborating with co-workers is best done in person than over a Zoom call. Apple CEO Tim Cook stated in Apple's earnings call this week, "the hybrid approach to work that likely will exist when the pandemic is over will include working from home and will remain very critical." One flipside of people working from home has been the savings to companies on promotion, travel, entertainment. In a Bloomberg post, after digesting Alphabet's earnings this week, they found that the company has saved over $1 billion in 2020 from promotional, travel and entertainment expenses alone.
29th Apr 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullNovartis CEO Says Remote Work Hybrid Should Mean Access to New Talent Pools
Novartis AG Chief Executive Officer Vas Narasimhan believes that the hybrid of remote and on-site office work is the future. The Swiss pharma giant’s CEO said this will open up the possibility of working with new pools of talent that were inaccessible pre-COVID pandemic. If the Novartis boss is right, parents and women could particularly form a significant part of this pool. As it stands, the pandemic has led Novartis to expend considerably on the work-from-home set-up of employees, whose nature of work allows remote working. “We’ll be looking I think to adjust our overall footprint and then invest where appropriate,” Narasimhan said.
28th Apr 2021 - BioSpace
These digital nomads have worked remotely since way before the pandemic—these are their 7 best tips
Even as many offices start to reopen, remote work isn’t going anywhere as companies like Spotify, Twitter and Salesforce have told employees they can work remotely forever, if they choose. 54% of people said they want to work from home after the pandemic ends, according to a Pew Research survey conducted at the end of 2020 , while over half of employees surveyed by PwC at the start of this year, said they want to be remote at least three times a week once Covid-19 concerns ease. These long-term trends seem likely to inspire a surge of so-called digital nomads, or those who travel while working remotely. For some millennials, this lifestyle has been their routine for years before the pandemic upended many of our work routines.
28th Apr 2021 - CNBC
What Will the World of Work Look Like After Covid-19?
Hybrid working. Robot colleagues. Four-day weeks. Covid-19 hasn’t just changed the way we perform our jobs today — it’s also kickstarted a broader push to rethink the world of work. Lockdowns over the past 14 months have forced many employees into a giant work-from-home experiment, bringing in-person meetings and business travel more or less to a standstill. Now, as workplaces re-open around the world, businesses and their employees are asking to what degree they want to return to their pre-pandemic ways. Some firms are embracing — or at least accepting — a hybrid home-office configuration, allowing workers greater flexibility and reduced commuting time. Others have adopted a four-day working week, often successfully it would appear, with two-thirds of employers doing so reporting increased productivity.
27th Apr 2021 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow To Be(come) And Stay Visible In A Remote Work Environment
Now with more people working from home, there is one concern I hear more often, and that is: How do I get noticed by my manager? When you don't see each other every day, you have to put more effort into connecting and sharing your wins. For some, this comes naturally, but there's also a fear that you might come across as bragging. I get it, but since a lack of self-promotion has bitten me in my backside before, I cannot help but stress the importance of this: If you’re not your biggest cheerleader, no one else will be either. Still, there is a right and wrong way to do it. The following strategies will help you in your quest to become more visible and stay top of mind
27th Apr 2021 - Forbes
The Evening Read: Working from home just as effective, but it may hurt pay and promotion, HR execs warn
As the City is gradually coming out of lockdown, a range of large companies and financial institutions announced in recent weeks that hybrid working is here to stay. HSBC became the latest big financial services firm to confirm it is making some sweeping structural changes to its working pattern as it adjusts to the post-pandemic reality. The financial giant announced plans last week to scale its office space back by nearly 40 per cent as part of cost-cutting measures. CEO Noel Quinn said it is “not necessary” for staff to be in the office five days a week.
27th Apr 2021 - City A.M.
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullFeeling invisible? 4 ways you can be seen as a remote worker
Women have been hit especially hard by layoffs and job losses throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. On top of that, many moms have quit their jobs to keep up with the demands of taking care of their homes and their kids, creating economic insecurity for themselves and their families. It’s easy to see why women who remain in the workforce might feel tempted to keep a low profile until Covid-19 is under control … or the kids are back in school full-time … or they’re back at the office after a long stint of working from home. It all feels so tenuous, so why rock the boat? However, this may be the ideal time to tout your contributions to your workplace—and make yourself more visible and valuable. With tight budgets and streamlined staffs, employers need every worker they have left and are ready to listen to new ideas for boosting their bottom-line results. They’re also finally realizing that the flexible schedules and remote work options women have advocated for years actually benefit both employer and employee alike.
26th Apr 2021 - NBC News
Remote Work Study Shows The Possibility Of A New Corporate Two-Class System
As workers are allowed back in the office, management may feel that the people who choose to go back to the headquarters are more dedicated to their jobs. The flip side of the coin is that some managers may feel remote workers don’t possess the same passion as in-office staff. You can imagine how easy it will be for leadership to focus on employees who are physically around, and for the others, it's out of sight, out of mind. Bosses may even start feeling that it's a big inconvenience for them to have to manage a large group of people who are out of the office, live in different time zones or have hybrid schedules. You can easily envision a dual-class system arising amongst workers. There will be those in the room being first-class and those at home being second-class corporate citizens.
26th Apr 2021 - Forbes
How To Ask Your Boss To Work From Home Permanently
If you want to continue working remotely but aren't sure how to approach the conversation with your boss, implement the below suggestions. The goal is to engage in a productive dialogue with your boss that supports your goal of a more permanent work-from-home arrangement while also expressing its immense benefits to your employer.
26th Apr 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow to gain visibility when you're working from home
Being in the right place at the right time can lead to some unexpected career advancing moments. You might be making a coffee at the same time as your boss in the office kitchen, which leads to being asked to take on a new project. Or, if you work alongside your manager and they take note of your hard work, it can really help when it comes to promotions and pay rises. When you’re working from home, however, it can be easy to miss out on these opportunities. Although remote working can come with a huge number of benefits, working from home can feel like working in a void. So how can you get yourself noticed, without being physically in the office? Being proactive can help increase your chances of gaining recognition – leading to more opportunities for professional development.
25th Apr 2021 - Yahoo News Australia
Remote living has eroded our empathy and executives must find a way to understand their staff - CityAM : CityAM
It is difficult to count what we have lost during the pandemic. We’ve lost jobs, loved ones, incomes and our social lives. Living and working remotely has also meant we are losing our empathy for colleagues. This is especially true of business leaders and executives who need to be able to understand the problems their employees are grappling with as we leave lockdown. In order to understand the customers and people they are serving, business leaders need to be able to understand their staff. There is a huge array of experience just waiting to be tapped into to create a more empathetic work environment. Some communities are more tight-knit than others and have had better support systems throughout lockdown. Younger workers may have been more isolated and need more help and encouragement returning to the office.
25th Apr 2021 - City A.M.
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work really does make us more productive
The great work-from-home experiment occasioned by the pandemic has divided opinion in the corporate suite and sparked endless debates about whether employees work as effectively from the kitchen table as they do from the office. A new study finds that, in fact, remote work does indeed make us more productive. The work-from-home boom will lift productivity in the U.S. economy by 5%, mostly because of savings in commuting time, the study says. The findings suggest the rapid adoption of new technology amid the pandemic will offer lasting economic gains, helping to boost sluggish productivity that has long weighed on global growth.
22nd Apr 2021 - Al Jazeera
How to Boost Team Spirit When Working Remotely During Covid
Now that working from home is becoming a formality, it can be difficult for employers to build a team spirit and recreate the once strong social bonds colleagues enjoyed before lockdown. From an employers' perspective, fostering positive social interaction between colleagues can vastly improve the atmosphere of office space. Employee productivity and satisfaction are closely linked to how much they enjoy coming into work. Companies that have measured highly in employee satisfaction in this area have less staff turnover over time. A key way for employers to make staff feel appreciated is to hold regular social and team bonding events.
22nd Apr 2021 - The Jerusalem Post
Working remotely or not remotely working? Australia officials seek to ban casual wear — even on video calls
In a nation where top officials can be seen pounding through the surf in skimpy Speedo swimwear, a plan to force a strict dress code on Australian civil servants has the workers fighting for the right to bare arms. An 11-page “dress and appearance” code mailed to employees of one of the country’s largest government departments in February lists Ugg boots, flip-flops and sportswear such as football jerseys among the items deemed too casual even for Casual Friday. But for people working in hotter parts of the country, a directive banning sleeveless clothing — including dresses and women’s blouses — was the one that really worked people up into a sweat. The rules at the Department of Home Affairs apply even to those working from home and taking video calls, a move labor unions say is a blow to workers who have stuck it out through the coronavirus pandemic without air conditioning in their homes.
22nd Apr 2021 - The Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullMaintaining team productivity when remote working is no longer a novelty
Workplaces across New Zealand and around the globe are continuing to embrace the changes that were initially influenced by local lockdown scenarios – with flexible and remote work practices being the clear winner. A new McKinsey Institute report highlights that up to a quarter of workers may now permanently work from home at least three days a week, however, when the novelty of working from home has worn off, and it becomes a part of everyday working life, maintaining productivity in this setting for the long haul can have its own challenges. Here’s a few tips that might help boost both performance and morale amongst remote workforces.
21st Apr 2021 - Stuff.co.nz
Midsize US cities need to learn to woo remote workers post-pandemic
In less than a few weeks, the US will begin a post-pandemic era as vaccinations begin to confer a high degree of immunity to a majority of Americans. One of the lasting effects will be a result of the involuntary experiment of working remotely. The pandemic was a technological accelerant that forced the workforce and companies to adapt to work outside the office and in many cases far away. More than 33% of the US workforce continues to log onto VPNs and video calls from home. After the pandemic Upwork predicts tens of millions of workers will continue to work remotely, and Americans will continue to relocate to small and midsize US cities, reshaping these regions. For many of these urban and rural areas, welcoming this new type of resident is an opportunity for economic development and population regrowth.
21st Apr 2021 - Business Insider
Will working from home last forever? Not for law, finance, and other industries.
As the return to the office picks up, the extent to which American office workers are allowed to continue working from home — which the vast majority of them have done during the pandemic — stands to affect everything from their satisfaction at work to where they are able to live. This summer, offices are generally opening on an optional basis and will open with more expectations for workers to be present this fall. The most flexibility will go to knowledge workers. These high-skilled workers, whose jobs are mediated by computers, will be much more likely than before the pandemic to be allowed to work from home at least some of the time in what’s called the hybrid work model. But everything from which employees can work from home to the number of days they can do so will depend on a number of factors, including their job, company, and industry.
21st Apr 2021 - Vox.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Creating Barriers to Inclusion and Belonging as Pandemic Continues
Feelings of isolation and alienation are plaguing workforces across the world as remote work spurred by the global pandemic continues. Results of a recent research study revealed a multitude of employee concerns in regards to working from home. The research was led and released by Canadian-based partners, inclusive workplace learning company Dialectic and intranet software platform Jostle. Overarching results from the study, which sought to understand how remote work affects employee inclusion and connection, reveal social isolation, communication obstacles, technological challenges and work/life balance implications. These new barriers intersect with and may further compound existing barriers to inclusion, such as discrimination, underrepresentation and stereotypes.
20th Apr 2021 - Yahoo Canada Finance
Generation Z Law Students Want Remote Work Option, Survey Says
Sixty percent of the students born between 1995 and 2000 want total say over whether they work in or out of the office, according to a survey released Tuesday by legal recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa. Fifty-two percent of the 240 students surveyed would take a pay cut if it meant that their employer would be flexible about their geographic work location. “Whether remote work is here to stay is kind of still unanswered,” said Jacqueline Bokser LeFebvre, managing director at Major, Lindsey. “What the data clearly shows us is that this is something that this generation wants.” The survey, called “Post Covid Attitudes of Gen-Z,” aims to give Big Law firms clues as to what they need to do attract the generation as it begins to enter the workforce
20th Apr 2021 - Bloomberg Law
When workers want to stay remote, companies will have to rethink culture
Prudential Financial vice chair Rob Falzon cautions against companies bringing everyone back to the office full-time. Instead, he tells CNBC Make It that leaders should be thinking about how to reimagine company culture and connection for remote workers. For example, workers could spend half of their time working on individual tasks remotely, and gather in an office for collaboration and meeting times. Simply put, “if you’re an employer and you’re not being accommodating, you’ll lose talent,” Falzon says. Managers and senior leaders, whom employees say are responsible for connecting individuals to the company culture, should take a worker-centered approach to charting their path forward, says Derek Avery, a researcher and University of Houston professor in industrial/organizational psychology
20th Apr 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullBritons working at home spend more time on job in Covid crisis, ONS finds
People working from home during lockdown spend more time at their jobs and are less likely to be promoted or take time off sick, but are paid above average wages, according to an official study. Documenting the shift to remote work during the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics said the number of people who did some work at home in 2020 rose by 9.4 percentage points from a year earlier to 35.9% of the workforce – representing more than 11 million employees. However, there were substantial variations between occupations and parts of the country, reflecting the differing experiences of the pandemic for workers as some were hit harder by the crisis than others.
19th Apr 2021 - The Guardian
I Asked 2,000 People About Their Remote Work Experience. Here’s What They Shared
We’re now a year into massive remote work experiment driven by necessity and marked with trial and error. Now, as companies weigh their future with remote work, leaders must shift from helping their company survive virtual work, to helping their employees thrive while working from home. To take a pulse of the present state of remote work, and help predict the future of the model, I surveyed 2,000 professionals—including CEOs, department heads, managers and individual contributors—to learn about their remote-work experiences. Here are some of the key findings
19th Apr 2021 - Forbes
Remote Working has caused a surge in mental health problems with 828,000 workers in the UK currently struggling
As April is Stress Awareness Month, Instant Offices researched how the last year has affected employees mental health but also what business and individual employees can do to improve and support mental health. As remote working has been the new normal for the last year, self-isolation and health-related anxiety have created a general sense of unease for many people. A YouGov survey showed that Covid had impacted the UK's overall mood, with 41% of Brits feeling stressed and 38% feeling frustrated.
19th Apr 2021 - FE News
Remote workers flock to Spain’s Canary Islands: ‘It’s a dream come true’
The tourism industry in Spain’s Canary Islands has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. The streets of the main tourist destinations remain empty, with less than 40% of accommodation (around 17,000 beds) open for business. The Canary Islands is now the Spanish region with the highest level of unemployment and experts warn that this could spark a deep social crisis. But many businesses have been saved by the bid to attract remote workers. The professionals who arrive in the Canary Islands to work remotely have greater purchasing power and spend more. What’s more, they do not bring with them the negative impact of mass tourism.
19th Apr 2021 - El País
The Key To Being A Great Virtual Leader Is Empathy
While both organizations and individuals are unsure of what life will look like post-Covid-19, one thing is for sure: remote work is here to stay. A 2020 Gallup poll found at least 72% of office workers would like to work remotely at least two days a week, while one-third said they would prefer to never go to an office again. This means leaders will have to learn how to effectively manage their teams virtually. Leaders will be leading individuals in different time zones in various environments with little or no information about what’s really going on for their employees. As strange as this sounds, now that we’re all in different places, organizations need leaders who know how to create and drive connection and the best way to drive connection is by practicing empathy.
19th Apr 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work policies are here to stay, shaping the future of office space
The pandemic has ushered in a new normal for many American workers: working from home. While many jobs cannot be performed from home — including jobs in manufacturing, health care and hospitality — more than 70 percent of American workers were working from home last December, according to a Pew Research study. And 54 percent of American workers would like to continue to work from home after the coronavirus pandemic ends, the study said. The result is what may be a permanent shift to more remote work for a variety of companies.
18th Apr 2021 - Yahoo
How remote work sentiment differs across generations
New data finds there is a generational divide when it comes to feelings toward remote work. Further subdivisions related to a person’s position within the work hierarchy, with the lower paid struggling more. The study surveyed 1,000 U.S.-based full-time enterprise employees working remotely and found that many (4 in 5) senior employees feel they are more productive and enjoy the remote work environment, compared to only half of junior employees. As businesses settle into a more permanent remote work set up (and the social and cultural changes that come with this), they need to ensure all employees of all circumstances have what they need to get their work done. While working remotely has benefitted the top, workers struggle at home too.
18th Apr 2021 - Digital Journal
The pros and cons of working remotely
A great debate is raging in organizations over whether employees will return to their offices or continue to work remotely once COVID-19 is under control and most people are vaccinated. Gartner’s recent survey finds that about 70% of employees wish to continue some form of remote work. Twitter and Facebook have already given their employees permission to work remotely on a permanent basis. On the other hand, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon calls remote work an “aberration,” urging employees to return to the office to collaborate on ideas. Harvard Business School's Tsedal Neeley has written a timely, well-researched book called Remote Work Revolution that demonstrates how to make remote work most effective, taking on issues like building trust, productivity, working in agile teams, and leading virtually.
18th Apr 2021 - Fortune
Regulators keep watchful eye on remote workers
For financial services workers, lockdowns have brought freedom from commuting and office dress codes. But the basic protocols of finance work have remained unchanged. So, in March 2020, when employees began to handle sensitive transactions, client data and communications outside company premises, financial institutions suddenly had to adapt their oversight systems. They had to ensure that market abuse, anti-fraud, data privacy and conduct regulations were all adhered to, under remote working.
15th Apr 2021 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullLong-term remote work is sending many of us from the home office to the physical therapy clinic
Physical therapists in Massachusetts and Rhode Island told me that although business plunged during the lockdown in the first half of 2020, they soon saw a surge of patients complaining about head, neck, shoulder, and back pain linked to ergonomically unsound home office setups. “Beds and couches have become workstations,” said Don Levine, cofounder of Pappas OPT Physical, Sports and Hand Therapy in Middletown, R.I. “They put a lot of stress on the low back and neck. Even working at the dining room table can cause issues, as hard surfaces and poor posture will increase the pressure on structures in the back.”
15th Apr 2021 - MSN.com
“I Do Not Trust People in the Same Way and I Don’t Think I Ever Will Again”
The real problem, I suspect, is that in the past year, we’ve experienced a massive loss of trust in our institutions and in one another. After watching the government mislead and fail us on such a massive scale, with hundreds of thousands of people dying as a result of those failures, of course people are skeptical now. We’ve spent the past year not being protected by the institutions that were supposed to protect us and learning that we’d have to protect ourselves. So even at companies that have acted responsibly throughout the pandemic, employees are naturally anxious. When you’ve spent months watching businesses reopen while case numbers rose and governors giving that their blessing, as unsurprising new waves of infections followed, it’s pretty understandable to feel apprehensive of any new timelines for a return to “normalcy.”
15th Apr 2021 - Slate
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow remote working post pandemic could benefit disabled employees
When the coronavirus pandemic first hit the UK, figures showed that disabled people had been hit particularly hard. A survey by UK disability charity Leonard Cheshire Trust painted a grim picture in September 2020, revealing that 71 per cent of disabled employees had been adversely affected by the pandemic. And one in five employers said they would be less likely to hire someone with a disability.
14th Apr 2021 - People Management
What inspired digital nomads to flee America’s big cities may spur legions of remote workers to do the same
As remote workers of all ages contemplate their futures – and as some offices and schools start to reopen – many Americans are asking hard questions about whether they wish to return to their old lives, and what they’re willing to sacrifice or endure in the years to come. Even before the pandemic, there were people asking whether office life jibed with their aspirations. We spent years studying “digital nomads” – workers who had left behind their homes, cities and most of their possessions to embark on what they call “location independent” lives. Our research taught us several important lessons about the conditions that push workers away from offices and major metropolitan areas, pulling them toward new lifestyles.
14th Apr 2021 - Australian Times
We need to stop confusing home-working with days off
For home-workers, last year has been a blur of Zoom calls, late night emails and backache from being hunched over kitchen table laptops. Yet despite this, the prevailing view of remote working as an excuse to kick back and get stuck into daytime TV. Recently, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced criticism for suggesting people "have had quite a few days off" during the pandemic, as the government pushed for workers to prepare to get back to their workplaces. Tactlessness aside, the problem is that this simply isn’t true. Multiple studies have found that during the pandemic, remote workers are spending longer at their desks than before the COVID-19 crisis. In fact, the average length of time an employee spends working from home in the UK has increased by more than two hours a day since the coronavirus crisis, according to data from the business support company NordVPN Teams
14th Apr 2021 - Yahoo Finance UK
4 things you need to know about the future of hybrid and remote work
The post-pandemic workplace is going to look a lot different. Mostly, there will be fewer people in the office. As more Americans get vaccinated, companies are starting to think about what their reopening plans might look like. Some employers, like Spotify and TIAA have decided to invest in hybrid work models, giving employees the flexibility to work from the office, their homes, or another location. Insider compiled a guide with the four most important things to know about the future of hybrid work.
14th Apr 2021 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullEmployees Balk at End to Remote Work: 'Going Back to the Office Is Stupid"
As the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations accelerates and states loosen restrictions, employers have slowly begun calling their employees back to the workplace, with the pace expected to pick up sharply over the next few months. But what might have been a hopeful sign that life is returning to normalcy has instead become a source of friction as some workers push back. They are fearful of getting infected, worried about how to care for kids still learning remotely and resisting going back to the 9-to-5 in-office grind after tasting the flexibility of working from home.
13th Apr 2021 - Newsweek
On the home front: Remote work may widen inequality in Canada
As millions of Canadians embark on a second year of working from home in the pandemic, a new survey reveals that the advantages it offers are spread unevenly throughout the workforce. A majority report a mostly positive view of remote work but many grapple with the stress of juggling work and family life or worry that working from home will negatively affect their careers. More than three out of five people say working from home is easier than they expected, with the same number liking it better and find it less stressful than doing so at their usual workplace.
13th Apr 2021 - Yahoo Finance UK
Office manager denied remote working because boss 'knew what was best for her' wins £60k at tribunal
An office manager was discriminated against after she was told she was not allowed to work remotely from her son’s hospital bedside as he underwent treatment for cancer, a tribunal has ruled. The Leeds employment tribunal found that Lorraine Hodgson, who worked for Martin Design Associates until her resignation in July 2019, was directly discriminated against on the grounds of sex and was constructively unfairly dismissed after her boss denied her remote working request in part because of “his belief that he knew best for the claimant”.
13th Apr 2021 - People Management Magazine
Give remote workers right to disconnect, urges union
In the UK, employees who work from home should have the ‘right to disconnect’, a union has told the government as a survey reveals a third find it difficult to fully switch off from work. According to Prospect, two-thirds of remote workers want to see a new “right to disconnect” enshrined in law. It has written to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, urging him to launch a consultation on such a right in advance of the Employment Bill, which is expected to be covered in May’s Queen’s Speech.
13th Apr 2021 - Personnel Today
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullIs Remote Work Getting Stale? Here's How to Freshen It Up
For many years, remote work was an amenity. It was something startups and young companies offered as a way to attract top-flight talent and stand out in a crowded job market. Now? Remote work is an expectation that is transcending the traditional at-home setup. Just look at Hyatt’s “Office for the Day” package as evidence of this shift. The hotel chain offers workers a refreshing opportunity to change their scenery and work in a way that benefits their well-being. But better remote working isn’t just about being able to afford a private beach — it’s about subtly shifting your environment to boost your mood and creativity.
12th Apr 2021 - Houston Chronicle
Why Too Much Work From Home Could Be Bad For Your Career
There is a darker side to working from home and there’s a lot you’ll miss—and you may limit or damage your career growth. For one thing, you may be struggling with social isolation. A global study by Columbia University looked at the experiences of 226,638 people across North America, Europe and Asia. It found incidences of depression and anxiety across all regions. These are linked to the deterioration of relationships and the distancing we’ve had to endure. Work is a place where we can connect and enjoy relationships with colleagues, so it’s been tough to be away. And there are plenty of other reasons working from home may not be your best bet for your career or your happiness or fulfillment.
12th Apr 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullI'm a CEO who allowed my remote employees to set their own working hours. We're way more productive and much happier as a result.
Jesper Schultz is the CEO and cofounder of BasicOps, a San Francisco-based task and project management system. During the pandemic, he allowed his small team to adjust their preferred working hours. Schultz says the flexibility encourages workers to prioritize their own wellness and be more motivated and productive while working.
11th Apr 2021 - Yahoo
10 Solutions For Remote Workers To Maintain Balance And Mitigate Work/Home Clashes
After more than a year into the pandemic, the remote workforce still struggles to find a healthy work/life balance. After all, when you work in your personal space, instead of your usual professional environment, it’s only natural that the two clash. Unless you have water tight boundaries, distractions can easily disrupt your productivity. Here are 10 ways to hold the line between work and home responsibilities so conflict doesn’t crumble your balance and impede your productivity
11th Apr 2021 - Forbes
Is Remote Work Here to Stay?
Prior to the pandemic, about 5 million Americans worked remotely. But COVID-19 forced U.S. employers to allow telework on a massive scale, resulting in an estimated 75 million people working from home over the past year. Some experts say there’s no going back now that both employers and workers have learned that telework can be effective. Companies are now trying to figure out how a post-pandemic workforce will operate. That could entail a hybrid model where some people are in the office most of the time, some primarily telework and others do a mix of the two.
11th Apr 2021 - Voice of America
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullCan the self-employed teach us lessons about organising remote work?
As employers begin to prepare for staff to return to offices, what lessons should they and we as workers take from the past year? Stephen Carroll speaks to labour economist Milena Nikolova, an associate professor at the University of Groningen. She tells us that self-employed people could provide some useful ideas about how to organise remote work after the Covid-19 pandemic.
8th Apr 2021 - FRANCE 24
How can remote workers best manage work-home conflict? Remote work expert offers best practices based on more than 20 years of research
What are the secrets to maintaining a productive home office? Run a white-noise machine to mask household clatter, make sure your noisy neighbors know your work schedule, and resist the temptation to check work-related technology after logging off at the end of the workday. These are some of the tips that Timothy D. Golden, a professor in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has gleaned through more than two decades of research.
8th Apr 2021 - Science Daily
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullHalf of UK workers feel they have grown closer to their colleagues during the pandemic – despite being forced to work separately from their homes.
Research of 2,000 adults currently working remotely revealed 53 per cent believe they now have a better understanding of their colleagues as human beings.And 43 per cent think it’s easier now to actually connect with their colleagues than it was when they were in the same office.Over the past year, workers have bonded by virtually meeting their colleagues’ pets (44 per cent), and by learning about their interests through their backgrounds on video calls (40 per cent).Almost four in 10 (38 per cent) even feel they have become closer to those they work with after meeting their family over video calls, while 37 per cent have had more opportunities to message about personal interests.More than a third (36 per cent) also said informal communication has allowed them to see more of their colleague’s personalities, which has also helped them to get to know each other.
7th Apr 2021 - The Scotsman
Remote working: Where to set up desk space overseas
For more than a year now, many of us have been working from home, and even though many offices are set to reopen this summer, it looks like remote working – in some form or another – is here to stay. But why stick to loading up a laptop at home? In our increasingly connected digital world, it’s easy to stay in touch, opening up options to perform tasks from almost anywhere. Responding to an increasing demand for ‘workations’, hotels are offering longer stay packages and governments are even tempting tourists with extended visas.
7th Apr 2021 - The Independent
Remote working during Covid makes it harder to close deals, entrepreneurs say
Salespeople are struggling to close deals during the coronavirus pandemic because remote working has hindered their ability to build trust, research suggests. The problem is most acute for companies that sell to other businesses and where negotiations are complex, the study from the University of Edinburgh Business School and the Economic and Social Research Council found. It has become more difficult to build “mutual understanding” and trust, the research found, which is crucial to striking deals. With salespeople failing to convert leads, companies could see their cost of acquiring new customers increase, putting further strains on cash flow.
7th Apr 2021 - The Times
5 Ways To Improve Your Home Office For Productivity And Happiness
For many, a “hybrid model,” with some time spent working remotely and some time in the office, might be the best of both worlds. As study from last May found that 55% of workers would prefer a hybrid model. Company leaders also expect it to become the norm, with 80% believing that many workers will stay remote at least one day a week, even after the end of the pandemic. Whether you expect you’ll stay fully remote, or you will transition to a hybrid model, one thing is for sure, you’re probably going to get some more use out of that home office. So whether you’re hoping to boost your productivity, or just make your day at the “office” a little more pleasant, here are five ways to improve your home office experience.
7th Apr 2021 - Forbes
The hybrid office is here to stay. The shift could be more disruptive than the move to all-remote work
The post-vaccine workplace is taking shape, and for many it’s going to be a hybrid model, allowing more remote work but with clear expectations that some days a week will be in the office. Workforce experts are bracing for a whole new set of post-pandemic upheavals, in some instances more transformative than the unplanned move to working from home last March, with some making efforts to avoid pre-pandemic remote-work mistakes. “In a lot of ways it’s going to be more disruptive than when we went all remote,” said Brian Kropp, vice president of research at Gartner.
7th Apr 2021 - Seattle Times
A flexible-work expert's No. 1 tip for managers leading remotely
More than a year into working from home, many office professionals are eager to continue their flexible arrangements after the coronavirus pandemic. According to surveys from Gallup, Pew, PwC and more, workers and employers alike expect that the future of work will revolve around a hybrid schedule, where people are in the office some days and can work from anywhere on others. The flexibility opens up a lot of potential for workers, but it can also pose a new set of challenges for leaders and managers.
7th Apr 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullJump in remote working job adverts
The proportion of UK jobs advertised as “remote working” roles has more than quadrupled in the past year as the pandemic pushes employers to embrace working from home. As of February, 3.6 per cent of roles were advertised as being remote, up from 0.8 per cent a year earlier — before the government told Britons to work from home where possible. The number of remote working roles advertised more than trebled to 78,000, according to analysis by the New Street Consulting Group. It said that the roles generally involved remote working on a permanent basis and did not just reflect temporary arrangements while employers complied with government guidance for social distancing.
6th Apr 2021 - The Times
Remote working: Is Big Tech going off work from home?
On Wednesday last week, Google's Fiona Cicconi wrote to company employees. She announced that Google was bringing forward its timetable of moving people back into the office. As of 1 September, she said, employees wishing to work from home for more than 14 days would have to apply to do so. Employees were also expected to "live within commuting distance" of offices. The intention was very clear. Sure, you can do more flexible working than you did before - but most people will still have to come into the office. That thinking seemed to fly in the face of much of what we heard from Silicon Valley executives last year, when they championed the virtues of remote working.
6th Apr 2021 - BBC News
Rise & grind: Employers splurge on keeping teams caffeinated while working remotely
Employers kept staff fed and caffeinated while working from home during the pandemic, making up for the loss of coffee and sweets available at the office by expensing Starbucks and Deliveroo orders. Keeping teams fed and caffeinated while working remotely made up nearly 36 per cent of all expenses claimed during January to November 2020, new research found. The research, which looked at sectors in the UK and the Europe, found the healthcare industry claimed the most expenses, taking up 13 per cent of all claims made via the platform.
6th Apr 2021 - City A.M.
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Apr 2021
View this newsletter in full‘Our Rural Future’ includes firm commitments on remote work which could transform countryside
In Ireland, the Government has committed to introduce legislation this year to provide employees with the right to request remote work, and to mandate public sector employers, colleges, and other public bodies to move to 20% home and remote working this year, as part of the new Our Rural Future plan. Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys said: “The move to remote working, underpinned by the rollout of the National Broadband Plan has the potential to transform rural Ireland like never before. “It will allow people to work from their own local communities, revitalise our town centres, reduce commuting times, lower transport emissions and most importantly, improve the quality of life of our people.”
3rd Apr 2021 - Irish Examiner
Hostility and harassment against women and minorities increased with remote work during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a major shift in workplaces with many working from home, but that caused another shift: an increase in harassment and hostility toward women and minorities. Project Include, a nonprofit that analyzes the tech industry, surveyed 3,000 people on how workplaces have changed, and found an increase in harassment and hostility, harmful work expectations, and anxiety. "These harms draw from systemic issues of injustice and inequity, but also from specific outcomes of COVID-19, and they affect all workplaces, large and small, in all sectors, around the world," the report said. Remote work has created its own set of problems and amplified long-standing ones in the workplace, the report said, adding that "harassment and hostility are taking new forms since the pandemic."
3rd Apr 2021 - Yahoo News UK
Six in 10 Gen Z workers struggling in remote environment
While the pandemic’s work-from-home experience has gone smoothly for some workers, Gen Z employees are at risk and need re-energizing, a new report cautions. The past year has been uniquely disruptive for Gen Z workers, some of whom kicked off their career amid the pandemic and are struggling more than workers of other age groups, according to Microsoft’s recently released Work Trend Index, which included thoughts from 30,000 global workers. About 60% of Gen Z workers said they’re surviving or struggling, as opposed to thriving. Among new employees at a company for less than a year, 64% are surviving or struggling. The share of Gen Z workers who love remote work and have no issues with it is less than 15%, another recent survey found.
3rd Apr 2021 - The Business Journals
Returning to the Office Sparks Anxiety and Dread for Some
A year after the pandemic abruptly forced tens of millions of people to start working from home, disrupting family lives and derailing careers, employers are now getting ready to bring workers back to offices. But for some people the prospect of returning to their desks is provoking anxiety, dread and even panic, rather than relief. Amy C. Edmondson, a Harvard Business School professor who studies human interaction, has been advising financial firms, consumer products businesses and universities. She said many executives were spooked that they’ll lose their best people if they are not flexible. But she said some managers might now be going too far. Teams need to get together to get stuff done.
3rd Apr 2021 - The New York Times
Year-round sunshine, pool days and zero taxes: How to move to Dubai and work remotely for a year
As global business and travel hubs remain largely closed off to the masses, Dubai is making entry easier than ever for international visitors. The glitzy city, as well as the United Arab Emirates as a whole, has for years been opening up its once-strict residency and tourist visa rules, but has accelerated its changes in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the country announced a UAE-wide remote working visa program (similar to one announced in Dubai in October), in a bid to attract a growing global pool of digital nomads as temporary working-from-home situations become more permanent.
3rd Apr 2021 - CNN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Apr 2021
View this newsletter in fullMothers bear the cost of the pandemic shift to remote work
For many parents, the COVID-19 pandemic has made life's everyday juggling act--managing work, school, extracurricular, and household responsibilities--much, much harder. And according to a new study led by Penn sociologists, those extra burdens have fallen disproportionately on mothers. The research, shared in the April issue of the journal Gender and Society, investigated how shifts in work and school that arose due to the pandemic triggered changes in the division of labor in families. Using data on two-parent households from a nationwide survey conducted in April 2020, the researchers found that gender disparities in unpaid labor were most apparent when a mother was the only parent working from home, or when neither parent was able to work remotely.
31st Mar 2021 - EurekAlert
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullNorthern Ireland Civil Service in union talks about remote working for 23,000-strong workforce
The Northern Ireland Civil Service is in talks with trade unions about future remote working for up to 23,000 workers, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal. The Department of Finance, responsible for personnel matters in the NI Civil Service (NICS), said the remote working habit established in the pandemic was here to stay. Regional hubs are being prepared for workers in locations outside Belfast, such as Downpatrick, Craigavon and Ballykelly.
30th Mar 2021 - Belfast Telegraph
5 Ways Leaders Can Remotely Help Teams Adjust To The Future Of Work
While many organizations are preparing to return to the office this fall, if there’s anything this last year has taught us, it’s that the future is unknown. Whether you’re a remote worker, virtual learner, or a stay-at-home parent, you’re likely experiencing pandemic fatigue right now. The reality is there may be months of remote work ahead as we adjust to the future of work. Here are some ways you can beat the fatigue and ensure that you and your team are not only surviving but thriving remotely as you strategically prepare for what the new normal will be in the upcoming months for your organization and team
30th Mar 2021 - Forbes
The hybrid office is here to stay. The shift could be more disruptive than the move to all-remote work.
The post-vaccine workplace is taking shape, and for many it’s going to be a hybrid model, allowing more remote work but with clear expectations that some days a week will be in the office. Workforce experts are bracing for a whole new set of post-pandemic upheavals, in some instances more transformative than the unplanned move to working from home last March, with some making efforts to avoid pre-pandemic remote-work mistakes. “In a lot of ways it’s going to be more disruptive than when we went all remote,” said Brian Kropp, vice president of research at Gartner. New videoconferencing technology will be added to help in-person and remote workers feel as if they’re on a level playing field. Managers will undergo extensive training to fight against the instinct to give workers in the office preferential treatment. Logistics will be coordinated to ensure those who go into the office don’t get there and find the building empty, perhaps by setting core hours or days for on-site work.
30th Mar 2021 - The Washington Post
Remote Work Is Leading To More Gender And Racial Harassment, Say Tech Workers
Tech workers say they have experienced more harassment based on gender, age and race or ethnicity while working remotely during the pandemic, according to a survey from a nonprofit group that advocates for diversity in Silicon Valley. The increases were highest among women, transgender and nonbinary people, and Asian, Black, Latinx and Indigenous people. For example, more than 1 in 4 respondents said they experienced more gender-based harassment. That figure increased, when race and gender identity were accounted for, to 39% of Asian woman and nonbinary people; 38% of Latinx woman and nonbinary people; and 42% of transgender people.
30th Mar 2021 - NPR
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullIreland looks to pubs, derelict buildings to boost remote working outside cities
Ireland will turn vacant buildings in rural towns into remote working hubs and examine whether pubs could be used as workspaces during quiet afternoons in a bid to encourage more people to live outside big cities. Describing the pandemic-driven move towards remote working as a potential “game-changer” for struggling towns and villages, the government plans to establish a network of 400 remote working hubs as part of a five-year rural development policy. Local authorities will be given funding to add vacant properties to the network and ministers committed to exploring whether tax incentives and grants could be offered to employers and employees to encourage more rural remote working.
29th Mar 2021 - Reuters
87% domestic businesses considering flexible remote working models: Report
As countries around the world grappled with lockdowns, people rapidly adopted remote work and video conferencing solutions. Through the swift and effective implementation of remote work, businesses were able to save both money and jobs that may have been lost as a result of the pandemic. According to a BCG-Zoom report, while 47 per cent of businesses surveyed in India expect a third of their employees to work remotely after the pandemic, a whopping 93 per cent agreed that video conferencing tools will continue to be essential beyond the pandemic.
29th Mar 2021 - Business Standard
Most remote workers reject monitoring software, study finds
A majority of remote workers have said they would not choose a job where their employer used software to track their work, a new survey has found. About six in ten (59%) of those asked did not want to work for any company trying to use software that could spy on them, with only just over a third saying it was acceptable if used to comply with regulations. “Our study sends a clear message – employees in all sectors strongly oppose the use of monitoring software in their homes, even if employers claim that it is required for regulatory compliance,” said Vivek Dodd, founder of training provider Skillcast, which commissioned the research.
29th Mar 2021 - Evening Standard
FTSE 100 firms share latest London office plans following WFH year, with many set to embrace flexible working
The Evening Standard last summer contacted FTSE 100 firms to get an insight into how many UK-based office workers they have, how many were still working from home or were back in the office, and what plans there were for having most people back in. Since then many people have continued to do their jobs outside of HQs, and companies are looking at what office space they may or may not want when lockdown rules ease. This month this paper did another survey, asking firms on London’s blue-chip index about the size of their offices in the capital and how important or less important offices in the capital will be post-pandemic.
29th Mar 2021 - Evening Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullWhat the great work from home experiment has taught us about the way we work
This is a transcript of episode 8 of The Conversation Weekly podcast, The great remote work experiment – what happens next? In this episode, four experts dissect the impact a year of working from home has had on employees and the companies they work for – and what a more hybrid future might look like.
28th Mar 2021 - The Conversation US
Government unveils plans to develop new rural remote working hubs around Ireland
In Ireland, the government will unveil plans to convert closing Bank of Ireland branches and other vacant buildings in town centres into new rural remote working hubs. This will be one of the features of the Our Rural Future action plan set to be unveiled by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, in Croke Park today. It will also include the pledge to introduce what a source called “sweeteners” in this year’s Budget to drive relocation to rural areas and enhanced home-working.
28th Mar 2021 - Irish Mirror
A Year Into Remote Work, No One Knows When to Stop Working Anymore
A year into the Covid-19 era, employees say work-life boundaries blurred, then vanished, as waking life came to mean “always on” at work. Experts warn that working around the clock—while slipping in meals, helping with homework and grabbing a few moments with a partner—isn’t sustainable, and employers from banking giant Citigroup Inc. to the software company Pegasystems Inc., are trying ways to get staff to dial back. At Accenture PLC, Jimmy Etheredge, the company’s chief executive officer of North America, is embracing the notion of “taking back lunch,” eating in peace away from screens and recharging in the middle of every workday. The company is encouraging employees not to schedule internal meetings unrelated to client business on Fridays, and Mr. Etheredge has repeatedly told employees to be candid with managers, saying, “It’s OK to not be OK.”
28th Mar 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Remote Work: The Blurring Of Business And Personal Life
The seeping of work into our personal lives has caused people to seek some form of late-night unwinding and personal time. However, using your devices as a form of relaxation can cause inhibition of sleep. It is a slippery slope from working remotely and being a de facto teacher for your kids to complete burnout. During the Covid-19 pandemic, outlets for stress have been limited, and there can be a lack of distinction between work and personal life when working from home. It’s important to practice self-care, including saying no to videoconferencing. Have designated times where you disconnect, including shutting off your phone. Set strict work hours. If you would usually work until 5 pm at the office, make 5 pm the time you sign off at home. If your employer wants you to work later than your usual hours, speak with them. If the issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, consider consulting with an attorney.
28th Mar 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullOver half of London firms to continue remote working when Covid pandemic ends
Half of London businesses will support some form of remote working when the coronavirus crisis ends, new research suggests. A survey of 500 business leaders in the capital showed that one in two plans to continue offering remote working to staff, while a third expect to cut down on office space. London Chamber of Commerce said its study revealed that almost two-thirds of employers have allowed staff to work from home at least two days a week as a result of the pandemic. Just over half of respondents said they will continue remote working in some form each week when the pandemic is over.
26th Mar 2021 - Daily Mail
COVID-19 impact: Work from home more appealing than return to 'business as usual,' Harvard survey shows
Despite potentially longer hours, most Americans enjoy working remotely and want the option to keep doing so after the pandemic, according to a new Harvard Business School Online survey. As COVID-19 forced companies to let employees work remotely and presented new challenges such as readjusting their home life and fighting Zoom fatigue from numerous virtual meetings, most of the 1,500 people surveyed say they excelled and even grew in their professions. But the survey also showed that while most employees miss their colleagues and other aspects of office life, they don't want to go back to "business as usual" because they want more flexibility doing their jobs
26th Mar 2021 - USA Today
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullMajority of Australians want a combination of office and remote work
Just 10 per cent of Australians want to return to the office at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a "startling" new study, says Sky News host Peta Credlin. Research from PwC shows three quarters of workers want a combination of office and remote work, while a further 16 per cent say they want to permanently work from home," Ms Credlin said.
25th Mar 2021 - The Australian
Britain's Nationwide tells all 13,000 staff: 'work anywhere'
Britain’s Nationwide Building Society has told all its 13,000 office-based staff to work from anywhere in the country, in one of the clearest signs yet firms are making permanent the remote working arrangements put in place during the COVID-19 crisis. The lender said on Thursday it will not renew the leases on three of its offices in its hometown of Swindon in the southwest of England but will retain its headquarters there along with other regional hubs. Nationwide’s move goes even further than some British banks such as HSBC and Lloyds, which have said they will cut office space but are likely still to require staff to come in on some days.
24th Mar 2021 - Reuters
Working from home and flexing hours will become the norm
Ministers are preparing to make flexible working a permanent feature of British life after coronavirus, with plans to strengthen employees’ rights to work from home or ask for different hours. The government will start a public consultation later this year on how to extend flexible working, potentially ensuring that people who have transitioned to a hybrid of home and office working during the pandemic will be able to maintain that pattern. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is likely to look at ways to strengthen the existing legal right to request flexible working. Under the present rules, employees can formally ask for changes to their working pattern. The employer must deal with the request in a “reasonable manner” and make a decision within three months. In addition to extending the existing scheme, the plans could go further, with consideration being given to introducing a right to request ad hoc flexible working
24th Mar 2021 - The Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullHybrid working and four-day weeks: The future of work in Ireland
The future of work swept in faster than many of us could have ever imagined with the onset of Covid-19. The virus forced all but essential workers into their own homes to work and gave us the confidence that the remote model could work, because it had to. As we are facing into the light at the end of the tunnel one thing is glaringly obvious, the return to the office is never going to be the same. One of Ireland's leading telecommunications companies, Vodafone, have recently announced their return to the office will take on a hybrid model of 40:60.
24th Mar 2021 - RTE.ie
New reasons to think the work-from-home revolution is overblown
One year after the Covid-19 pandemic forced millions of workers to start clocking in from home, many companies are thinking about how to bring their employees back into the office. A number of firms think the past 12 months have proven the merits of remote work, and have pledged more flexible schedules. But increasingly, there are signs the work-from-home revolution could have its limits. A survey of 1,450 corporate executives in North America published by Accenture (ACN) last month also showed that the shift to home working may not be as dramatic as first expected.
24th Mar 2021 - CNN
From AI to Zoom: How the Covid-19 pandemic permanently changed remote work
Someday, perhaps someday soon, when vaccination rates are high enough and the coronavirus relents, the world will return to normal. But in its wake, something as massive and meaningful as a global pandemic will leave many things different, including how we work. In particular, knowledge workers — high-skilled workers whose jobs are done on computers — will likely see the biggest changes, from our physical locations to the technology we use to the ways in which our productivity is measured. In turn, how we work impacts everything from our own personal satisfaction to new inventions to the broader economy and society as a whole. These changes represent a chance to remake work as we know it and to learn from the mistakes of our working past — if we’re thoughtful about how we enact them.
24th Mar 2021 - Vox.com
Mayor Ends Remote Work for 80,000 in Signal to Rest of New York City
For the last year, New York City has been running in the shadow of a deadly pandemic, with many city and private sector employees forced to work from home, stripping New York of its lifeblood and devastating its economy. But with virus cases seeming to stabilize and vaccinations becoming more widespread, city officials intend to send a message that New York is close to returning to normal: On May 3, the city will compel its municipal office employees to begin to report to work in person. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to bring the nation’s largest municipal work force back to the office represents a significant turnabout for a city that served as the national epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, coming to symbolize the perils of living in densely packed global capitals.
24th Mar 2021 - The New York Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullMajor employers scrap plans to cut back on offices - KPMG
Most major global companies no longer plan to reduce their use of office space after the coronavirus pandemic, though few expect business to return to normal this year, a survey by accountants KPMG showed on Tuesday.
23rd Mar 2021 - Reuters on MSN.com
Hybrid remote and office working could revive local economies
A hybrid model of remote and office working is here to stay and policymakers should harness it to turbocharge plans for regeneration and regional growth, according to a report. Researchers at Legal & General and Demos said that the upheaval in working practices caused by the pandemic had created a new emphasis on the areas around people’s homes, where workers will be spending more time and money in future. This has created opportunities for parts of the country, particularly rural areas, which have traditionally struggled to attract businesses and workers. However, it also has the potential to create new inequalities between those areas that attract homeworkers and those that do not. City centres, once a magnet for office workers, also face new challenges.
22nd Mar 2021 - The Times
House bound: NI firms considering remote working model beyond Covid
It is now a year since office-based businesses began working from home just before the first national lockdown, bringing a huge lifestyle change for us all virtually overnight. Employees and companies are now asking how long will this continue, and is there any going back to the way we were. It seems not, with one business leader adamant that things will never be the same again. Liberty Insurance and its subsidiary Hughes Insurance have said that its 400 staff in Northern Ireland will be working remotely from now on, and outsourcing giant Capita — which has 1,500 staff here — has said the same about workers in their call centres.
22nd Mar 2021 - Belfast Telegraph
UAE: How remote work visas will help expats, employers
Expatriate business leaders in the UAE have called the cabinet ruling a breath of fresh air for corporations. The Federal Cabinet has approved a new system allowing professionals to reside in the country while working remotely for employers abroad, a scheme Dubai launched by itself in October.
22nd Mar 2021 - Khaleej Times
Holyrood could keep some remote working after Covid, says Presiding Officer
Remote working procedures brought in to help Holyrood adapt to Covid-19 could remain in place after the pandemic has come to an end, even though they are “suboptimal” to normal sittings, the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer has said. Ken Macintosh said he had been “pleased and relieved” by how the parliament had adapted its working practices after the virus struck. Those changes have seen some business, including committee meetings and questions to ministers, take place entirely remotely, with MSPs appearing from their living rooms, studies and kitchens.
22nd Mar 2021 - Evening Standard
Report recommends manager training to ensure women working remotely aren't ignored
The growing number of vaccinated Americans has propelled discussions of returning to the office. But a recent report warns women’s careers could suffer further damage unless managers prepare to support those interested in hybrid arrangements. Compared to six months ago, 48% of women have become less interested in returning to the physical workplace full-time, according to Perceptyx’s report, which polled more than 1,000 U.S. workers.
22nd Mar 2021 - The Business Journals
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid: Welsh firms looking at flexi-working 'permanently'
Some of Wales' major employers say they are considering a permanent shift to flexible working after the pandemic. The Welsh government, Cardiff University and Admiral Group say they are all consulting with staff about a hybrid of home and office working. However, experts say there will always be a place for office working - especially for those starting careers. They say many major organisations will instead have smaller offices and allow more flexible working.
21st Mar 2021 - BBC News
Our research shows working from home works, in moderation
If the Covid-19 crisis subsides and economies can largely reopen, the experiences of so many people working from home over the past year will surely shape what happens next. For many of us, this could emerge as a return to the office for three days a week. Patterns will obviously vary, but a common thread would be something like Monday, Tuesday and Thursday in the office and Wednesday and Friday at home. This coming shift will largely be driven by employers making a calculation between two different, equally important forces. One is what companies see as the need for in-person creativity and connections, which will spur their desire to bring people back into offices. At home, however, we tend to be more efficient in the daily tasks that make up much of working life. This is the competing force that may keep many of us out of the office, even after Covid
21st Mar 2021 - The Guardian
Remote Work Visas Are Transforming The Future Of Work And Travel
One of the biggest perks of having a remote job is the massive perk of living and working wherever you want. The remote work environment has advanced extremely fast due to the state of the world pandemic. Millions of workers now have the flexibility to work from anywhere they desire. With millions of people working from home already, remote work is the present, and flexible working is the actual future of work.
20th Mar 2021 - Forbes
How CEOs And Workers Feel About Working Remotely Or Returning To The Office
CEOs are wrestling with what to do about bringing back people to the office. The prevailing corporate consensus is consolidating around a flexible hybrid system, which has been championed by Google CEO Sundar Pichai. This entails offering employees an option or a combination of remote and in-office work. There are other alternatives being offered too. There are real risks inherent with the leading return-to-work hybrid system. Companies will have to ensure that their employees don’t take advantage of the system by collectively deciding to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays, to the disadvantage of other co-workers. It can become a logistical nightmare for managers to have impromptu meetings, as everyone is operating on a different schedule and in varied time zones. A supervisor needs to keep in mind who is working where and when they are available.
20th Mar 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullCouple reveal how they gave up full time work to live in a van
A couple who swapped their busy office jobs for life in van, trading their hectic nine to five schedules for working just two days a week remotely have revealed they're still saving the same amount as before despite a 60 per cent salary cut. Charlie Low, 25, an insight manager, and Dale Comley, 29, an engineer, from Bristol, decided to leave their jobs after finding themselves constantly counting down to the days to the weekend every week. Tired of the rat race, they invested £8,800 in a bright yellow LWB Mercedes Sprinter van - previously used by delivery company DHL - and converted it in their spare time after choosing to commit to a new life on the road. Over the next year, the couple spent £6,700 converting the van but are still able to save the same amount now as when they were working full time as their ills are so tiny.
18th Mar 2021 - MSN.com
Remote working locations confirmed across Wales
Locations across Wales are being made available for remote working, giving people an alternative to working from home or working in a traditional office environment. The Welsh Government is encouraging an increase in remote working and has set a long-term ambition for 30% of the Welsh workforce to work away from a traditional office, to be achieved by giving people more options and choice on their workplace. This ambition is intended to help town centres, reduce congestion and cut carbon emissions.
18th Mar 2021 - Wales247
Why remote work has eroded trust among colleagues
When the pandemic triggered mass workplace closures last spring, many companies were unprepared for what turned into an open-ended remote-work arrangement. For some, the extraordinary situation initially prompted a heightened sense of goodwill as workers juggled the demands of family and fine-tuned home-office setups. Yet as we now pass the one-year mark of virtual work, the shaky foundation of many company cultures is cracking to reveal a lack of trust among remote managers and employees. The dearth of trust isn’t something that will be magically fixed once the pandemic subsides, especially as businesses are considering adopting new models, from hybrid systems to a different kind of work week. The consequences of a culture of distrust are significant – including diminished productivity, innovation and motivation. But there are steps we can take to effectively build and repair trust, even from afar.
18th Mar 2021 - BBC News
Covid-19 remote working and newsroom productivity
More than a third of media professionals believe they have exceeded newsroom productivity while working from home during the coronavirus pandemic – however some shared concerns that the quality of their work had dipped. The absence of face-to-face contact was a problem raised by journalists who feel they have suffered from not being able to meet interviewees or interact with colleagues amid the buzz of the newsroom. This was a common theme: “It’s more productive but you miss that time interacting with people. The talking and chats that might make you ‘less productive’ but have a human side.”
18th Mar 2021 - Press Gazette
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullWill work from home outlast virus? Ford's move suggests yes
It’s a question occupying the minds of millions of employees who have worked from home the past year: Will they still be allowed to work remotely — at least some days — once the pandemic has faded? On Wednesday, one of America s corporate titans, Ford Motor Co., supplied its own answer: It told about 30,000 of its employees worldwide who have worked from home that they can continue to do so indefinitely, with flexible hours approved by their managers. Their schedules will become a work-office “hybrid”: They'll commute to work mainly for group meetings and projects best-suited for face-to-face interaction. Ford's announcement sent one of the clearest signals to date that the pandemic has hastened a cultural shift in Americans' work lives by erasing any stigma around remote work and encouraging the adoption of technology that enables it. Broader evidence about the post-pandemic workplace suggests that what was long called tele-commuting will remain far more common than it was a year ago.
17th Mar 2021 - The Independent
What does a future of remote work look like for Massachusetts?
As COVID-19 vaccines make possible the potential for a return to everyday life as we once knew it, the impacts of living over a year amidst a global pandemic may very well continue to linger on long after the coronavirus crisis enters history books. With a workforce now intimately familiar with the benefits of working outside the office, Massachusetts officials are now trying to suss out exactly how the trend will carry on even when more employers re-open brick-and-mortar offices in the months ahead. Michael Kennealy, the state’s secretary of housing and economic development, said recently his office is wrestling with questions about how an increase in remote work might impact everything from employers and employees, commercial real estate, and economic investments in cities and towns to internet broadband accessibility and transportation policy.
17th Mar 2021 - Boston.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullWork from home: Here's what remote workers should consider before relocating
Where we work usually plays a major role in where we live. That could mean choosing a house near public transportation or packing up to another state because it’s a hotbed for hiring in your field. But COVID-19 lockdowns have transformed the way we think about work and living. A third of Americans are now working remotely full time, according to a Gallup poll. Compare that to five years ago when just 5% of Americans worked remotely full-time. Maybe you’re considering making a move out of state now that you aren't tethered from a physical office space. Perhaps that’s because you want to save money, live closer to family, or move into a bigger space. Whatever the reason, here are some of the factors you should consider before relocating to another state
16th Mar 2021 - Yahoo News
5 ways remote work is changing the economy for the better
More than two-thirds of professionals were working remotely during the peak of the pandemic, according to a new report by work marketplace Upwork, and over the next five years, 20% to 25% of professionals will likely be working remotely. Remote working has caused employees to rethink and better accommodate their priorities in life and employers to rethink operations regarding how they can best work with professionals and create teams, the report stated. But it also hasn't been without some downsides, such as blurring the lines between work-life balance and causing increased stress.
16th Mar 2021 - MSN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullGovernment policy on remote working could hurt flexibility and deter investment
Melanie Crowley is head of employment law at Mason, Hayes & Curran. She comments: "Balancing employment rights with international competitiveness is a key task of any government. That balance seems badly askew in the Government’s National Remote Work Strategy published recently. There are two key cornerstones to the Government’s strategy – the intention to legislate for the right to request remote working and the intention to issue a code of practice around the right to disconnect."
15th Mar 2021 - The Irish Times
'I don't have to choose between lifestyle and career.' How remote work changed these people's lives
It's been a year since companies across the globe sent employees home to work as the pandemic spread. While many businesses were forced to shut down permanently, remote work enabled others to survive, and even thrive in some cases. As a result, many employers have decided to offer more flexibility when it comes to where and when their employees work. Andrew Hewitt, a senior analyst at market research firm Forrester, expects about 60% of companies to offer a hybrid work model, while 10% will be fully remote. And while working from home comes with its fair share of challenges, it's also provided some workers the opportunity to make some life-changing decisions.
15th Mar 2021 - CNN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullIs the 9-to-5 office routine dead? Here’s what workers want
What has a year of living through a pandemic and WFH taught us about where we are headed? To get a sense of how people’s attitudes towards work have changed, Future Forum, a consortium backed by Slack, gave Fortune Analytics exclusive access to their survey of more than 8,500 knowledge workers or skilled office workers from around the world. The data was used to build the Future Forum Remote Employee Experience Index. Taken together, these survey questions help paint a picture of how workers have evolved—and how the workplace must evolve, too.
14th Mar 2021 - Fortune
From Remote Work to Hybrid Work: The Tech You’ll Need to Link Home and Office
Hope your magic Mary Poppins, go-back-to-the-office bag is ready. Let’s see, you’re going to need your laptop, your laptop’s power adapter, your headphones, your headphones’ power adapter, your ring light, your ring light’s power adapter… Prepare to do this two to three times a week, as you split time between your home-office and your office-office for the next, well, forever. Welcome to the exciting new world of hybrid work. “Somewhere in the vicinity of 60% of the workforce are choosing the hybrid option,” said Gartner analyst Suzanne Adnams, “which means their ideal is working at home and coming into the office three days a week.”
14th Mar 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullIs the five-day commute over? New data suggests people only want to work in the office ‘two days a week’
Full-time work as we once knew it could look very different post-pandemic suggest experts and new data. A recent Deloitte poll shows that many of us would prefer to spilt our working time between the office and home. Research conducted with 800 people from a range of backgrounds, found that those who can work from home would choose to continue to do so when restrictions ease, choosing to travel to an office only a couple of days of the week. “On average they’ve said they’d like to work in the office two days a week,” said Ian Stewart, chief economist for Deloitte on the people surveyed.
11th Mar 2021 - MSN.com
For better or worse, working from home is here to stay
One year into the coronavirus pandemic, employers, particularly tech companies, are increasingly adopting extended work-from-home policies. For the most part, workers applaud this new approach. Vaccinated or not, more than half of employees said that, given the option, they would want to keep working from home even after the coronavirus crisis subsides, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.
11th Mar 2021 - CNBC
Ring Lights And Late Nights: How The Remote Revolution Has Changed The Workforce
Today, nearly half (47%) of American employees are currently working from home at least part of the time, according to a study by Glassdoor. As vaccine production and distribution ramps up, some employers have announced definitive return-to-work dates. Others have committed to permanent remote-work arrangements, and freelance platform Upwork expects that 36.2 million Americans will be working from home by 2025, an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels—and a sign that this grand experiment in telecommuting has done more than just make Zoom a part of our everyday lives and vocabulary. Here, we take a look at how one year of working remotely has changed the workforce.
11th Mar 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote work needs to be regulated 'quickly', EU presidency says
Portugal’s deputy secretary of state for labour, Miguel Cabrita, urged EU countries on Tuesday (9 March) to move fast with plans to regulate remote working, saying quick action will maximise opportunities and minimise risks. Speaking at a high-level conference on the future of work organised by Portugal’s EU Presidency, Cabrita stressed the importance of finding a balance between opportunities and risks of remote working. He defended the need “to move quickly towards regulation of this model that is no longer new,” but which has become widespread due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
10th Mar 2021 - Euractiv
Passive collaboration is essential to remote work's long-term success
Technology like high-quality video conferencing and the cloud have been integral in making remote work possible. But we don’t yet have a complete substitute for in-person work because we continue to lack tooling in one critical area: passive collaboration. While active collaboration (which is the lion’s share) can happen over virtual meetings and emails, we haven’t fully solved for enabling the types of serendipitous conversations and chance connections that often power our biggest innovations and serve as the cornerstone of passive collaboration.
10th Mar 2021 - Yahoo News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in full7 best co-working spaces for remote work in Tokyo
Whether you’re working remotely, running a side hustle, or just need somewhere professional to sit down with a client or a report, there are plenty of co-working spaces in Tokyo. The competitive nature of the industry means these shared offices are smartly laid-out, modern and well-maintained, equipped with plenty of electrical outlets and fast wifi, while also offering their respective unique membership perks like free drinks or private booths. So forget the stress of café-hopping and worrying about wifi connections – set up shop in one of these tranquil, professional environments in the city instead.
9th Mar 2021 - Time Out
Remote Workers Are Making Permanent Moves. What Happens When Offices Reopen?
With millions of Americans suddenly working remotely, some took the unprecedented opportunity to shift their lives in a new direction — crossing their fingers that when it's safe to go back to the office, they won't have to. David Lewis is the CEO of OperationsInc, an HR consulting firm in Connecticut. Many of his clients have seen employees suddenly move out of state, and they've just rolled with it. "It wasn't frowned upon as much as it probably would have been prior to COVID — and now I think that day of reckoning is coming," he says. He predicts that more than half of companies that can allow remote work will continue to, at least part time. And companies should think hard before being heavy-handed in ordering people back to the office from wherever they are now, he says.
9th Mar 2021 - NPR
Pandemic sends almost half EU employees into remote working
The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that almost half of the working population in the European Union (EU) were fully or partially working remotely in July, up from around 10% before the pandemic crisis, according to Eurofound. This new labour reality, accelerated by the pandemic, will be under discussion on Tuesday at a high-level conference on the future of work entitled “Remote Working: Challenges, Risks and Opportunities” held remotely as part of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU.
9th Mar 2021 - Euractiv
The pandemic forced a massive remote-work experiment. Now comes the hard part
The pandemic has forced a large segment of the global workforce to go through a remote-work experiment on a scale never seen before -- and a lot has changed in the last 12 months. The boundary between our work and our personal lives has become blurred. Working at the kitchen table has become common and, for parents, juggling virtual school while trying to hit work deadlines has become a daily challenge. We've learned many lessons as a result: meetings aren't always necessary, working a standard eight-hour shift may not be the best schedule for everyone, sitting at a desk doesn't always mean you're being productive and perhaps, you miss your coworkers more than you thought you would. Now that more people are getting vaccinated and kids are going back to school, things appear as if they might get back to "normal," but the workplace as we knew it may be forever changed.
9th Mar 2021 - CNN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullAs Remote Work Becomes the Norm, Vast New Possibilities Open for People With Autism
By normalizing remote work for everybody, the pandemic has made it easier for people who don’t adapt well to office environments to thrive. The longtime resistance to supporting remote accommodations for disabled employees evaporated when neurotypical (i.e., not autistic) people had to work from home. At the same time, the growing awareness of neurodiversity—the idea that humans aren’t all wired the same way, and that differences like autism and ADHD also come with unique strengths—means there is more appreciation for what neurodivergent employees can contribute.
8th Mar 2021 - Wall Street Journal
Working from home: Remote workers clock up 300 million overtime hours since Covid-19 pandemic began
In Ireland, some 44pc of remote workers are logging longer hours at home while 65pc feel pressure to stay connected afterward. According to a new survey released by Laya healthcare, Irish workers working from home have clocked 300 million overtime hours since the beginning of the pandemic. On average, employees are working 22 hours overtime per month. The study, which surveyed 1,000 Irish employees and 180 HR leaders, also revealed that 43pc of remote workers are experiencing frequent stress, and with at least another month of Level 5 restrictions employers should be wary of employee burnout.
8th Mar 2021 - Independent.ie
These cities could become the biggest winners and losers as more Americans shift to remote work
The end – or at least a substantial easing – of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight, but the titanic shift toward remote work that it fostered is expected to endure, at least to some extent. And a trend that allows many Americans to work anywhere is likely to cause a reshuffling of the nation’s 403 metro areas, with some losing residents no longer tethered to local offices and others gaining citizens who can work from home and enjoy a better lifestyle.
8th Mar 2021 - USA Today
Why in-person workers may be more likely to get promoted
Remote work has a lot of benefits, but one major drawback: it may be harder to climb the career ladder when you’re at home. The problem of inequity in promotion between remote and in-person workers has existed since well before the pandemic forced many people into home-work situations. In a 2015 study conducted in China, researchers from the Stanford Graduate School of Business found that while people working from home were more productive – 13% more, to be exact – they weren’t rewarded with promotions at nearly the same rate as their in-office colleagues.
8th Mar 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home: Hybrid remote working may be the future
In England, the sudden shift to working from home a year ago may have changed the lives of office workers forever. Nearly half of all those in employment did some of their job in their houses or flats after the first lockdown was announced last March, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – many for the first time. Now the Government is trying to work out when and how to get people back into offices, to help boost the economy. Boris Johnson issued a plea last summer for people to return to their offices to save city centres, before having to perform a U-turn as Covid-19 rates rocketed. However, the Prime Minister said last week that he is confident that workers will return to traditional work patterns.
7th Mar 2021 - iNews.co.uk
Homeworking sounds good – until your job takes over your life
Big companies seem more open than ever to the idea of homeworking arrangements staying in place even after the worst of the pandemic is over and restrictions are lifted, and for some people the old grind of commuting and congregating in offices may at least partially be over. What this could mean for the smaller businesses that depend on the presence of large employers is clear from our emptied-out city centres, but “hybrid working” is the season’s most fashionable corporate concept. In more sober tones, the Financial Times recently reported that some of Britain’s largest employers are in the midst of “reviews of working practices” and that most of the companies its journalists had contacted said they expected to soon introduce employment models split between the office and home.
7th Mar 2021 - The Guardian
How Remote Work Is Reshaping America’s Urban Geography
A year ago, just before the start of pandemic lockdowns, some 10% or less of the U.S. labor force worked remotely full-time. Within a month, according to Gallup and other surveys, around half of American workers were at distant desktops. Today, most of them still are. And surveys of employers and employees alike suggest a fundamental shift. While forecasts differ, as much as a quarter of the 160-million-strong U.S. labor force is expected to stay fully remote in the long term, and many more are likely to work remotely a significant part of the time. This rapid reordering accelerates a trend that has been under way for years. And it doesn’t just change the dynamic between workers and companies. It is affecting the economic fates of cities and communities large and small, but especially smaller ones
7th Mar 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Share of Brits working from the office rises to pre-lockdown level, as remote working appeal fades
The percentage of people travelling to work has returned to the same level as before Christmas, before the third nationwide lockdown began, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. Nearly 40 per cent of people surveyed said they were solely working from the office or job site at the end of February, matching the level seen before 22 December, despite rules ordering people to work from home when they can. It’s also the first time since December that the share of employees leaving home to go to work exceeded those solely working remotely. The percentage of workers who are only working from home has also been gradually falling since mid-February and was 32 per cent at the end of the month.
7th Mar 2021 - City A.M.
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullWhy we should be allowed to request remote working from day one
Although the pandemic has normalised remote working, UK workers still face challenges when it comes to requesting flexible working. At present, the law states that employees can only request to work flexibly after 26 weeks of employment, with a limit of one request per 12-months. In particular, research suggests those in lower paid, more manual occupations often don't have access to the same flexible working opportunities as those in higher paid, managerial professions. “While many have hailed the pandemic as a driver for the adoption of flexible working practices, particularly around home working, the reality for many is that this is not the case,” says Peter Cheese, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
4th Mar 2021 - Yahoo Finance
Five Ways Companies Can Help Mothers Struggling With Remote Work
In the early months of the pandemic, employees seemed pleased with the way their companies handled the nearly instantaneous pivot to remote work. But now that we’re reaching the one-year anniversary of that pivot, it’s becoming apparent that parents, particularly mothers, are struggling. For parents working remotely, there’s a big difference between having the kids at school or underfoot all day. Eventually, kids will go back to school, but employees will remember how their companies responded to their needs during this relatively brief time
4th Mar 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow do successful remote teams communicate?
What’s the best way to communicate with your team when you’re not all in the same place? It’s a vexing question that Christoph Riedl and Anita Williams-Wolley, associate professors at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business and Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business respectively, have been researching for more than half a decade. Their research, summarised in the Harvard Business Review, reveals that the best virtual teams communicate with each other in short bursts. Rapid-fire interactions help to focus workers on the task at hand, while the preceding periods of extended radio silence enable them to think deeply and develop relevant ideas that they can then discuss in detail.
3rd Mar 2021 - Management Today
How To Build Team Culture Within Remote Or Hybrid Working Models
A new workplace blueprint is being created that merges working from the office and remote work. As the workforce leans towards this hybrid model, it is important for businesses to build an inclusive culture for remote workers into their plan. Virtual work has turned into lots of transactional interactions and is lacking the relational connections that can take place in an office space. Without being in the same room as co-workers it can be difficult to collaborate and build meaningful relationships that are helpful for team morale. More than 50% of executives say that company culture influences productivity, creativity, profitability, firm value and growth rates. If you add lightness, fun and connection the work still gets done, but it doesn’t feel cumbersome and will enhance work outcomes.
3rd Mar 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Mar 2021
View this newsletter in full34% will return to office full time post-pandemic
Just over a third of workers in Ireland will be returning to the office on a full time basis once Covid restrictions are fully lifted. This is according to a survey of CEOs, Human Resource and other executives with responsibility for employees at over 250 companies in Ireland. Just over a fifth - 22% - of employees are expected to work full-time remotely with the remaining 44% working between the home and the office, the survey found. Of the latter cohort, over 90% will spend three days or less in the office.
2nd Mar 2021 - RTE.ie
How to Stay Social When You Never See Your Work Friends
One of the hardest parts of working remotely is losing the built-in social life an office environment provides. But just because you’re not in the same building as others doesn’t mean you’re doomed to be a hermit. Start building your out-of-office social life by reaching out to coworkers you like—and talking about things besides work. There are plenty of reasons why this might feel awkward at first, says Shasta Nelson, a friendship expert. But it’s a good idea to push through your discomfort. Any form of social connection is great for your mental and physical health; loneliness is linked to a higher risk of health problems like anxiety, depression and heart conditions, while having strong social ties is linked to the opposite
2nd Mar 2021 - Time
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow to build trust when everyone is working separately
A lack of trust is one of the key contributors to a toxic workplace. Often, it begins with managers and leaders and trickles down to the rest of the team, leading to problems with productivity, engagement, wellbeing and morale. Unfortunately, research suggests mistrust is a major issue affecting workers, especially those working from home. In January, a Catalyst survey of more than 1,700 full-time employees in five countries in Europe, including the UK, found only 46% of employees in Europe report feeling “often or always” trusted at work. Employers may see spying on their staff as a safety measure to ensure people are productive when working remotely, but research shows a culture of distrust actually undermines productivity. So what can leaders do to build trust when employees are working from home?
1st Mar 2021 - Yahoo Finance UK
The Impact Of The Remote Workforce
Work from home has become business as usual. Not even a year ago, working remotely was an opportunity for just a small percentage of the workforce. The change was inevitable. While the pandemic imposed the WFH economy, it was going to happen anyway. Over time, businesses would have realized that technology enables this capability. Excluding factory jobs, restaurants, grocery stores, retail and other businesses that require people to be on location, many companies are finding the change is not as painful as they may have thought. While a 100% WFH workforce may not be for every company, the number of companies that will adapt to a percentage of their workforce going remote will have greater impact beyond the company, its employees and its customers.
1st Mar 2021 - Forbes
Working from home turns out not to be the dream we were sold
Homeworking is all the rage. Apparently, we’ll all be at it permanently. So proclaim lifestyle gurus and HR consultants. Many make a profession out of talking as if only professional work exists, forgetting that only a third of working adults are working entirely from home even in this lockdown. The gurus aren’t just predicting that working from home is here to stay, they’re also prophesying that it’ll be great and cheap. Not only will commuting costs disappear, homeworking will make housing cheaper, as not living near the office will mean everyone is paying small-town rents while earning city-centre salaries. Back in the real world, new research shows that homeworking households actually spent about 7-10% more on housing compared with similar non-remote households in the same region. Why? Homeworkers need more space so have bigger houses.
28th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Mar 2021
View this newsletter in fullWhy Remote Workers Spend More on Housing and Rent
As some employers consider remote-forever policies, there have been a few attempts to quantify the economic impacts of this digital turn away from the office. The focus tends to be on what the move might cost (or save) employers, in terms of productivity or salaries. Other research has delved into the savings, in gas, time and carbon emissions, from Covid-altered commuting regimes. But a new working paper distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research looks at another, hidden cost: Employees who find themselves without an office tend to increase their own spending — on more room. Or, more rooms. About 0.3 to 0.4 more rooms, to be exact.
28th Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
Pay Cuts, Taxes, Child Care: What Another Year of Remote Work Will Look Like
Companies are anticipating another largely remote work year, and new questions about compensation and benefits are weighing on managers. Discussions about the future of work, such as whether to reduce the salaries of employees who have left high-cost cities, are priority items in board meetings and senior executive sessions across industries, according to chief executives, board members and corporate advisers. Among the questions companies are trying to resolve: Who should shoulder tax costs as employees move to new locations while working remotely? And what is the most effective way to support working parents? Companies say there is much at stake, from the happiness and productivity of employees to regulatory consequences, if they get these decisions wrong.
28th Feb 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Out of office: what the homeworking revolution means for our cities
Many analysts believe a shift to remote working was already under way, with coronavirus accelerating it by around a decade. Seven in 10 UK employees who have been working remotely during Covid-19 told a survey that they felt as productive at home as in the workplace. More than half (53%) of workers said they would prefer a hybrid model in future, splitting their time equally between their desk and a remote location. Boris Johnson provided little new guidance on managing the return to workplaces when he presented his roadmap out of lockdown, promising only to review the advice on working from home by late June. Most social restrictions are expected to be relaxed in midsummer, but businesses are not anticipating a large-scale recolonisation of offices before September, provided coronavirus case rates continue to decline.
28th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
Banks weigh up home working - the new normal or an aberration?
As the finance industry prepares for life post-pandemic, commercial banks are moving quickly to harness working from home to cut costs, while investment banks are keen to get traders and advisers back to the office. But there are concerns that remote working does not benefit everyone. Junior staff miss out on socialising and learning opportunities and there are also risks home working can entrench gender inequality.
27th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullWhy we should listen to Gen Z's response to remote working
We don’t know yet how many companies will opt for an alternative working model after the pandemic, but jobs platform Tallo is confident that the Gen Z response to remote working will be a deciding factor. As a digital-native talent pool, flexibility may be a priority for this younger generation that will be the future leaders of the workforce. In an effort to know more about young people’s perceptions of remote working, Tallo recently surveyed 850 college students in the US. Of that number, 63pc said they would accept a role that is primarily virtual, 86pc said they would feel just as productive in a remote role and 74pc said they’d prefer a job with both remote and in-person opportunities.
26th Feb 2021 - Siliconrepublic.com
Workers expect employers 'to let them down' when it comes to long-term remote work
As the COVID-19 pandemic rolls into its second year, many in the American workforce have grown accustomed to calling their homes their offices. And they’re starting to like it, too. Some companies have even announced that they’ll allow employees to permanently work from home, if they so desire. But as vaccinations roll out and the country begins to see the light at the end of a very long coronavirus tunnel, many others are trying to figure out what to do and how to plan a return to business as usual. This is a once in a millennium opportunity to rethink work “for the way work should be, not the way it’s always been,” said Deborah Lovich, senior partner and managing director of Boston Consulting Group, during Fortune’s Reimagine Work Summit
26th Feb 2021 - Fortune
Worried about meeting coworkers at your new all-remote job? Here are some tips.
Advice to a reader concerned about starting a new job remotely: "Just as being the new kid in town gives you the perfect cover for fumbling names and asking lots of questions, the pandemic has given us all the perfect excuse to not just embrace the awkwardness, but to bond over it. “If we level the playing field and know that everyone is struggling ... and ask people how they are actually doing … that immediately opens up the conversation to something more real,” says Susan McPherson, a communications specialist and author of “The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Business Relationships”
26th Feb 2021 - The Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullPregnant teachers advised to continue to work remotely Coronavirus
Teachers who are pregnant have been advised to continue to work remotely when schools reopen on Monday. In guidance issued this morning, schools have been told that pregnant teachers should consider themselves in the high-risk health category and should temporarily continue to work remotely. The guidance, which was sought by trade unions, is likely to cause staffing difficulties for some schools, because the teacher workforce is predominantly female and young.
24th Feb 2021 - RTE.ie
Taking working remotely to a whole new level: Managing work-life balance during pandemic
Managing a good work-life balance can be tough. For some who are working at home, it’s become even harder to find a healthy medium. “It’s really easy to blur those lines of working and home life,” said Cody McLees, a Lee County visitor who’s taking working remotely to a whole new level. Wherever McLees goes, he’s pulling his office behind him. Like many employees, his office closed to slow the spread of COVID-19. “When the pandemic started, I just worked from home and got a little stir crazy,” McLees said. He left Chicago where his cybersecurity job is based, went to his hometown in Iowa, and bought an RV. His new lifestyle has its challenge.
24th Feb 2021 - ABC7 News
Welsh Government explores long-term remote working options
With more people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, Welsh Government is exploring options for a network of remote working hubs in towns and communities across Wales. It wants to work with organisations to support a long-term shift to more people working remotely, with benefits for local economies, businesses, individuals and the environment. As part of this, Welsh Government is looking into options for a network of remote working hubs and would like to see a workplace model where staff can choose to work in the office, at home or at a hub location
24th Feb 2021 - Wales247
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullOut of sight, out of mind? Remote working damages young women's careers
Almost half of British employees did some work from home last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been particularly disruptive for young women from ethnic minorities who are under-represented in professional settings. Now that chance encounters with colleagues in the cafeteria have diminished, many young people say they are struggling to find their feet in the workplace. “When you’re in the office you can run into people when they’re making a tea or something and quickly chat about anything career-wise,” British-Chinese Chau told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “It was nice to be able to speak to the senior team directly and not feel like there was a barrier there. But obviously, now we’re online, it’s hard to fit into people’s schedules. I don’t want to constantly bombard them with emails.”
23rd Feb 2021 - Thomson Reuters Foundation
Here's what SA's remote working visa – to attract digital nomads – could look like
If the City of Cape Town gets its way, South Africa may introduce a Remote Working Visa to attract digital nomads – especially to the Western Cape. After being voted one of the “Best Places For Remote Working in 2021” and receiving a Safe Travel Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Cape Town is looking to position itself as an ideal “workation” destination in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.While the coronavirus and associated travel restrictions continue to devastate tourism, the City of Cape Town – which attracts the lion’s share of South Africa’s international visitors – has unveiled a new ten-point plan that includes a big international marketing campaign.
23rd Feb 2021 - Business Insider South Africa
Leaning Into Remote Work: Tips For Perfecting WFH For The Long Haul
More and more companies are considering hybrid models for their future workplace policies. With remote work all but permanently cemented into the fabric of modern corporate culture, employees must establish practices and environments that are conducive to an effective and fulfilling workday, as well as a healthy and balanced home life. Once we are past this crisis, the workforce won't return to what it once was. We need to be prepared to make working from home a healthy and productive long-term solution. Here are some ways to maximize your working hours, while also maintaining your well-being in a combined living and working space.
23rd Feb 2021 - Forbes
The hidden financial drawback to remote working: higher housing costs
New research suggests that as people start to choose where to live with remote working in mind, workers and companies alike won’t necessarily be reaping major savings. A new working paper from researchers at Harvard University examined how much households with remote workers spent compared with their peers who commuted to work, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while it might be feasible that these remote-working households could move to more distant, potentially cheaper locales, in reality they didn’t necessarily save money.
23rd Feb 2021 - MarketWatch
COVID-19: Is work from home here to stay? What UK businesses are planning post-lockdown
Businesses have started preparing plans to get their employees back to the office, although some suggest office culture may look different post-pandemic. The government's work-from-home (WFH) guidance has been in place now for almost a year, and under Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown it could remain until summer.
23rd Feb 2021 - Sky News
French labour minister urges companies to boost remote working to avoid lockdown
French Labour Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Tuesday it was paramount that companies boost remote working to avoid having to resort to a new lockdown to fight the spread of COVID-19. “In recent days (COVID) data are not good. We all want to avoid a new lockdown and working from home is a good answer,” Borne told Europe 1 radio. Borne said she would meet on Friday with representatives from sectors such as banking, insurance or engineering that have seen their use of remote working decline in recent months.
23rd Feb 2021 - Reuters
When will offices reopen? What the roadmap out of lockdown means for the future of working from home
Boris Johnson has outlined his four-stage roadmap out of lockdown, but the future of working from home is a grey area. Although some miss having work colleagues and are sick of endless zoom meetings, for many, the option of remote working has been one of the positives to come out of lockdown, allowing people to save both time and money on commuting, and having more flexibility for childcare. But what does the future hold for working from home? For now, the Prime Minister has said people should keep doing their jobs remotely unless it is impossible to do so. Meanwhile, the Government is conducting a review into whether social distancing rules can be relaxed, the main barrier for many workplaces to resume.
23rd Feb 2021 - MSN.co.uk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow your space shapes the way you view remote work
The size and location of your space – as well as whom you share it with – play a significant role in determining how well you’ve been able to work from home during the pandemic. And this helps explain why perceptions of the remote-work experience as a desirable option now vary widely along age, gender and socioeconomic lines – and could help shape our new hybrid-work future. In the initial scramble to shift to remote work, we looked at the immediate problems – how to work without a proper desk, how to get a laptop at the right height, how to get entire companies on Zoom. These short-term issues may now be fixed, but it’s taken longer to think about wider factors; how, for example, the quality of our working environment determines how well we feel we’re doing and how likely we are to want to continue this way.
22nd Feb 2021 - BBC
More Americans are looking to move as remote work gains acceptance during Covid pandemic
More Americans are planning to move this year due to the flexible work from home lifestyle that the Covid-19 pandemic has ushered in, market researcher The NPD Group said in a recent blog post. Nearly 20% of people in the country are working from home full time as of December and 28% of Americans have considered relocating during the pandemic, NPD said. In addition, 20% more consumers are planning to move this year compared with the prior year.
22nd Feb 2021 - CNBC
Working remotely? Some cities, states will pay you to move in.
In the U.S., as the coronavirus pandemic spurs a migration of skilled workers out of pricey metro areas, a growing number of cities and states are recruiting new homeowners and even renters the old-fashioned way — by bribing them. Baltimore, Topeka and Tulsa are among the places paying bounties of up to $15,000 to lure remote workers to town. The states of Maine and Alaska also dangle incentives for new residents. The programs predate COVID-19, but they’ve gained momentum in recent months.
22nd Feb 2021 - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullFeature: Remote work gains ground in Cuba amid COVID-19 pandemic
As February has become the worst month regarding COVID-19 infections since the onset of the pandemic in Cuba in March last year, the Cuban government has encouraged working remotely to reduce the movement of people throughout the country. Meanwhile, measures have been taken for essential workers to meet physical distancing guidelines and COVID-19 protocols at the "new normal" offices and workplaces. Since January, some 42,590 people have engaged in remote work in the country's capital, the epicenter of the pandemic on the island, Ivet Moya Pupo, head of Labor and Social Security in Havana, told local media.
21st Feb 2021 - Xinhua
Why Calling in Sick While Working from Home Can Be Stressful
When you’re not feeling well, the last thing you need is to stress about taking a sick day from work. But the pandemic has gotten people in the United States worried sick about calling in. According to a survey of 2,000 workers in the United States, 42 percent of employees were more stressed or anxious about taking a sick day in 2020 than in years past. Working from home adds more stress to the matter as sick day stress was found to be higher among people working remotely than those working in-person. Additionally, 60 percent of remote workers reported their boss or employer expects them to work in some way when taking a sick day.
20th Feb 2021 - Healthline
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullAlmost A Year Into The Pandemic, Working Moms Feel 'Forgotten,' Journalist Says
The COVID-19 pandemic has left many American families without child care and in-person schooling. Those new household burdens have largely landed on the shoulders of women, says Journalist Claire Cain Miller. Miller has been working from home, reporting on how the pandemic has affected the lives of mothers, in a New York Times series called "The Primal Scream." It's a subject she's familiar with: Her children, ages 4 and 8,have been been attending school virtually since the pandemic began. Miller says increased household responsibilities have forced many working mothers -- and especially Black and Latinx mothers — to scale back on their hours or leave the workforce entirely during the pandemic, further widening economic and racial disparities.
18th Feb 2021 - WESA
Older workers faring better when it comes to working remotely: survey
In what many may view as contrary to preconceived notions about the fluency of older workers with technology, many actually have been faring better than their younger colleagues when it comes to working remotely. That’s according to a ABBYY COVID-19 Technology and Business Process survey released earlier this month. The firm surveyed 4,000 senior-level executives in 20 industries across four countries — France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States — and found a huge gap in process expectations between digital natives and baby boomers. Two-thirds of young executives said there is not enough information provided on business processes, whereas only 26% of those aged more than 55 years agreed with that. In addition, two-thirds of young executives said that there is not enough visibility of the progress of processes, whereas only 25% of older executives complained about this.
18th Feb 2021 - McKnight's Senior Living
Workers from home beware - pay cuts might be the price of freedom
Dreaming of working remotely from that cottage in the hills? There is a good chance you will get paid less, according to a survey of human resources executives published on Thursday. Employees who move to cheaper locations to work permanently from home are also likely to have more limited career prospects, executive search firm Leathwaite said. Forty-five percent of the 250 human resources executives who took part in the survey said wages and bonuses should be adjusted when people decide to work remotely in areas with a lower cost of living. People working from home would be competing against a much bigger pool of potential rivals for their job, according to the HR executives
18th Feb 2021 - Reuters
The Remote Working Marathon - Morale, Flexibility And The Gender Divide
The great work-from-home experiment continues in Europe and North America, and it is clear that even with vaccinations and the easing of restrictions our workplace will not “return to normal” soon, if indeed it ever does. We know virtual working works pretty well from a functional perspective – office workers can continue doing their jobs and are equally if not more productive – and from a work-life balance perspective. But there are also significant limitations in terms of morale, motivation, collaboration and creativity, and it looks as if the new normal will be a hybrid - a mix of office and home-based activities, with more flexibility and fluidity about where work gets done. We have some useful insights into what has actually changed over the last year and how people are coping with these unprecedented circumstances, and what this might mean for the future of work.
18th Feb 2021 - Forbes
Pandemic to widen skill gaps as workplaces change, McKinsey says
Tens of millions of workers in developed economies will have to retrain for secure careers in post-COVID labour markets reshaped by the pandemic and the remote working revolution, a report by consultancy McKinsey said on Thursday.
18th Feb 2021 - Reuters on MSN.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew Study Explains How Employees Are Adjusting to Remote Work (and How Managers Can Help)
After nearly a full year after the pandemic struck, working from home presents unique challenges that don't always have streamlined solutions. According to the Harvard Business Review, common challenges include limited or reduced face-to-face supervision, social isolation, and distractions around the home. Additionally, we are finding that more and more workers are going out of their way to increase their visibility while working remotely.
17th Feb 2021 - MSN.com
What happens when you work from bed for a year
For many people, working from home, or ‘WFH’, has also come to mean ‘WFB’ – working from bed. Getting dressed and commuting to an office has been replaced by splashing water on your face and cracking open a computer as you settle back under your blanket. A staggering number of people are setting up shop on their mattresses; according to a November 2020 study, 72% of 1,000 Americans surveyed said they had worked remotely from their bed during the pandemic – a 50% increase since the start of the crisis. One in 10 reported they spent “most or all of their workweek” – 24-to-40 hours or more – in bed. But the reality is that turning your bed into your office can trigger a slew of health problems, both psychological and physical. And even if you don’t notice them now, adverse effects – possibly permanent – could emerge later on in life.
17th Feb 2021 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow to Work from Home Without Burning Out
Working remotely is a luxury—but it’s also an acquired skill. For employees lucky enough to be able to work from home at least some of the time, the trick to staying motivated and preventing burnout is to keep the office and the home from truly becoming one. That’s been challenging during the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced millions of people all over the world to suddenly turn their home into their office. Despite the abrupt change of scenery, many of the same productivity rules still apply, says Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California and author of Good Habits, Bad Habits. “People will be more successful if they follow whatever worked for them in the office,” Wood says, including establishing boundaries between the professional world and your personal life.
16th Feb 2021 - TIME
Remote Work Is (Mostly) Here To Stay
Working from home is far from a new invention, but it took a global pandemic to switch from in-person office workplaces to remote work as the default for people who can reasonably work from a home office. Work will likely move partially back to the office as in-person work becomes possible again. But how much of our work should return to the office? With both upsides and downsides to remote work, research points to a hybrid model (with the majority of time spent remotely) as the most promising direction.
16th Feb 2021 - Forbes
The Impact Of Remote Working On Towns Across England
Covid-19 has sent millions to their home offices as social distancing measures become commonplace around the world. Indeed, numerous big-name employers have already said that their workforces will continue to work from home for the foreseeable future. This has created understandable concern about the long-term viability of the city centers that have largely developed around the needs and desires of the office workers that inhabit it during working hours. What lessons can we learn from 2020 in terms of the actual impact of social distancing on city life? New research from the University of Nottingham aims to shed some light on the matter.
16th Feb 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in full‘Work, life balance is key to working from home’
The results of this year’s Macra na Feirme Rural Youth Survey provides a fascinating insight into the work changes that have followed as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those working in rural Ireland outside of farming were asked a series of questions concerning their work, life balance and the impact of Covid-19 has had on their lives. 53% of those surveyed said they would like to work from home or from a remote working hub in the future while 34% of respondents said they would not like to work remotely in the future. Over 47% said they were happy with their current work/life balance and of those - 30% highlighted how their workload has decreased since Covid-19 while 70% said their workload remained the same.
15th Feb 2021 - Irish Examiner
Could Remote Working Revive Italy's Dying Villages?
Italy’s small towns and villages have been hemorrhaging residents for decades as dire job opportunities have pushed inhabitants to move to cities or even abroad. The boom in working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, could mean a reversal of this trend. Small towns are seeing an influx of new residents and homeowners looking to take advantage of slow, countryside living. The now-famed €1 house auctions that have enticed remote working freelancers from around the globe are also helping to save these towns from drastic depopulation. Local councils are seizing the opportunity to help lure new country dwellers by offering high-speed internet and monetary incentives. But the question remains over how sustainable this trend will be beyond the pandemic.
15th Feb 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home a boost to mental health
In Australia, employers are being urged not to force staff back into the office too soon, as new research shows the mental health benefits of working remotely. As many workers approach the 12-month anniversary of working from home, Margo Lydon, the CEO of workplace mental health organisation SuperFriend, which commissioned the study, said businesses should not pressure workers to return to the office too soon, with clear evidence that remote working had improved connectedness and mental health. The pandemic and resulting shift to remote working had brought business leaders and their staff closer, she said.
14th Feb 2021 - The Australian
Remote Work Culture Is Struggling—Here Are 5 Ways To Save It
Offices have been mostly remote for almost a year now. And while the vaccine gives us hope for a return to semi-normalcy, some things will be changed forever. Employees will no longer be required to be in offices. Even for companies that do eventually return to their offices, you’ll see WFH options on the table for a long time to come. Like it or not, the workplace has changed—and the companies that thrive will be the ones that stop fighting it and lean into it. One of the biggest question marks for companies right now is around workplace culture. Team sports leagues and outings to the local bar have been replaced with virtual game nights and virtual happy hours, and for companies that are actively hiring, there will be an increasing number of employees who have never met in person. So how can you, as a leader, set the tone for an adaptable workplace culture that maintains its authenticity and allows for team members to adjust to the evolution of work? It’s not easy, but here are some tips to make it work for you.
14th Feb 2021 - Forbes
Majority of US workforce continues to work remotely amid coronavirus: poll
A majority of the United States workforce is continuing to work remotely all of the time or part-time as the coronavirus pandemic stretches on, according to a new Gallup poll. Almost 56 percent of workers surveyed reported that they were working remotely in January. That number was just 2 percentage points down from the 58 percent of workers who reported working from home in the previous four months, Gallup reported.
14th Feb 2021 - The Hill
Why we should be allowed to request remote working from day one
Despite the obvious challenges of working from home during a pandemic, from childcare to setting up a bedroom desk in a flatshare, research suggests many people want to continue remote working in the future. A survey of 1,000 people by Eskenzi PR and OnePoll found that 91% of the general working population would like to continue to work from home, whereas only 9% would want to work in the office full-time. Hybrid working is also set to be a popular choice too, with over a third of people wanting to work from home for half of the week. Although the pandemic has normalised remote working, UK workers still face challenges when it comes to requesting flexible working.
14th Feb 2021 - Yahoo Finance UK
The ticking time bomb inside the new world of work
Once the Covid crisis eases, the working week will be pleasantly transformed for millions of employees into an agreeable mix of a few days in the office and a few at home. Or so I thought until last week, when I spoke to Nicholas Bloom, an award-winning British economist at Stanford University whose eye-grabbing research on working from home began years before the pandemic. His latest co-authored study, based on months of surveys of 22,500 Americans up until December, suggests homeworking is indeed here to stay. Workers and companies alike have found it is better than expected. Both have sunk money into the equipment needed for it ($600 for the average worker). The “shirking from home” stigma has faded. No one wants to go back to grim five-day office commutes.
13th Feb 2021 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCanada could see a 'rural boom' as remote work becomes permanent, study finds
Get a comfy desk chair — remote work is probably here to stay. Long after the pandemic is over, employees at flexible workplaces could see more opportunities to work from home, sparking a potential decline in urban living and a “rural boom” instead, says the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In a report released Thursday, the think tank based out of Ryerson University identified virtual workspaces as one of the most enduring changes to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, with implications for how people find work and where they choose to live.
11th Feb 2021 - Toronto Star
Another Remote-Work Year Looms as Office-Reopening Plans Are Delayed
One of the hardest questions for American corporations to answer: When should offices reopen? From Silicon Valley to Tennessee to Pennsylvania, high hopes that a rapid vaccine rollout in early 2021 would send millions of workers back into offices by spring have been scuttled. Many companies are pushing workplace return dates to September—and beyond—or refusing to commit to specific dates, telling employees it will be a wait-and-see remote-work year. The delays span industries.
11th Feb 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
'HQs are finished': the future of remote work after Covid-19
Millions of people around the world found themselves thrust into a new way of working as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in 2020. Suddenly, kitchen tables, spare bedrooms and even couches and beds became workspaces as employees became used to a new way of doing there jobs. There are positives like not having to commute and negatives, like Zoom fatigue. But as the vaccine programme rolls out and many of us start to hope of a return to normal, the question over remote working remains a puzzling one. Will people want to return to offices or are they happy WFH?
11th Feb 2021 - Metro.co.uk
'Safety is very lax': staff tell of being forced into the office during UK's third lockdown
One in five employees are going into the workplace for part or all of their working week despite being able to do their job from home, according to a poll from the Trades Union Congress (TUC). We spoke to people who say their employers have been breaking Covid guidance by asking them to return to offices unnecessarily. None would agree to be named publicly for fear of losing their job. Thomas worked from home throughout the first lockdown but in September he was called back to his office. He was one of several staff who voiced concerns about spreading the virus. “Around September they asked HR to brief us on what would happen when we went back to the office. A lot of people on these calls said they were anxious and that they didn’t want to run the risk of catching anything.”
11th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullHow Your Boss Can Use Your Remote-Work Tools to Spy on You
In the past, we’ve covered the dos and don’ts of using your work computer for personal business (in short: don’t). But as companies expand their use of remote-work software, there are increasing concerns about what kinds of data bosses can access through such tools. Some of these fears are overblown. But depending on the software your company uses and the type of work you do, some of your activity could be exposed. And privacy concerns aren’t the only worry, as employers are also starting to use the data extracted from these tools to gauge productivity. To what purpose depends on the type of work you do—and whom you do it for.
10th Feb 2021 - New York Times
13 tips to make working from home easier
We have been WFH for almost a year now, and many of us may never go back to the office full-time ever again. So the property team have assembled some tips and tricks from the world of design so you can improve your posture without denting your style. From orthopedic chairs to scented candles, and rising desks to colours that can boost your creativity, here are our tips and tricks to make working from home more productive, quieter — and more bearable.
10th Feb 2021 - The Times
'If you switch off, people think you're lazy': demands grow for a right to disconnect from work
EU research shows the numbers who went to full-time WFH mode rocketed from 5% in 2019 to almost 40% last spring. By July, 48% of respondents to a survey conducted by Eurofound said they worked wholly or partly from home. This seismic shift in office life has brought about another social change, it has blurred the work-life boundary beyond recognition. Digital technologies had already eroded the difference for many people but Covid put the always-on culture into overdrive. WFH has clear pluses beyond comfortable clothes including greater workday flexibility, less time spent commuting and quality of life available outside cities. But the downside doesn’t just involve Zoom fatigue: many people find they are working harder and longer.
10th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
European office workers don’t expect to return before summer
European office workers’ expectations about when they will be able to go back to their desks after the pandemic have slipped to the summer, according to a survey, as office return dates have been further delayed. Despite the coronavirus vaccination programme and lockdown restrictions, workers in five European countries including the UK now expect to work from home until June instead of April
10th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
Not every remote work meeting needs video, says business professor
Just because many Canadians are working remotely doesn't mean all their professional interactions require a video call. Often a ring on the phone or email will suffice, says Tsedal Neeley. The Harvard Business School professor, and author of Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere, says that with the pandemic pushing workers to home offices, video conferencing platforms like Zoom have been "overused" for work communication. Taking a more balanced approach — like communicating complex information by email instead of meeting, for example — can be better for employees, she says.
10th Feb 2021 - CBC.ca
10 Best Work-From-Home Cities In The U.S. (The Top Place Will Surprise You)
While the concept of remote work has taken off during the pandemic, it isn’t a brand-new idea. Between 2005 to 2017, there was a 159% increase in remote work, and today—according to Statista—11.2% of Americans are working from home, which is up from 5.7% of people working remotely in 2019. And we’re getting use to it—22% of workers say they’d like to work from home permanently. So what are the best places in the United States to work remotely? PCMag, a leading technology trade publication, released a report yesterday ranking the best work-from-home cities for 2021. And it’s not just big cities: The list also includes suburbs and small towns.
10th Feb 2021 - Forbes
The remote working revolution
Working from Home now has an acronym (WFH) and the desktop revolution is creating new office habits. For many, it has been liberating; for most it has presented a fresh set of challenges including creating boundaries between professional and personal life and navigating domestic distractions such as stray pets and children wandering into the Zoom field of vision. A study by Stanford University demonstrated that WFH raises productivity, reduces absenteeism and decreases employee attrition but companies have to maintain their culture: the corporate DNA that is ingrained by personal contact and example.
10th Feb 2021 - PMLiVE
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullMost employers will continue remote work despite COVID vaccine: Littler
Most employers who are requiring or allowing remote work are not planning to change course for months to come, even as an increasing number of people receive the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a survey released by Littler Mendelson. In a survey of 1,800 human resources professionals, in-house lawyers and executives, Littler found that 86% of respondents with remote-work arrangements are extending them at least into the summer, and a majority plan to keep pandemic-related safety precautions in place even after vaccines are readily available.
9th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Working from home? How to get your broadband up to the job
According to a YouGov survey, 57% of British workers want to continue working from home after the coronavirus pandemic. Now then, more than ever, a reliable and fast internet connection is a must. Broadband is not up to the job? Here are some steps you can take to improve it.
9th Feb 2021 - Evening Standard
Lifelike holograms may be the future of remote work
It’s a pressing question that has yet to be answered: Once the pandemic passes, what will the return to work look like for millions of Americans? Some tech companies have said people can continue to work from home indefinitely. Surveys suggest that most others are contemplating hybrid workspaces where staffers rotate between working remotely and coming into the office. The possible post-coronavirus situation has some companies envisioning a future in which people can collaborate in more interactive and engaging ways, whether they’re on-site or at home. One novel approach is to use 3-D holograms.
9th Feb 2021 - The Washington Post
Working From Home Can Lead to Hidden Health Risks
As the pandemic continues, millions of Americans are working from home and adapting to the remote lifestyle. What many may not realize are the long-term effects of sitting at a computer for countless hours and having little to no physical activities in between. News4 editor and married father of two Karl Whichard has been working from home, and he said it has been a big drawback to his health. Using a standing desk or moving the laptop to a kitchen counter will improve health, according to doctors, preventing sitting for hours at a time.
9th Feb 2021 - NBC4 Washington
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullTips For Your First 100 Days Working In A New Remote Role
Starting a new job can be challenging and there are even more hurdles during the pandemic. As CBS 2 continues Working for Chicago, we’re talking to a human resource executive about how to handle your first 100 days in a remote role.
8th Feb 2021 - CBS Chicago
Remote working more appealing to certain age groups, study finds
Two in every five workers in Ireland are happy to stay working from home post-Covid, according to a new study. Esri Ireland found middle-aged people want to continue to work remotely while younger staff and people near the end of their careers would prefer a return to the office. From the 1,000 people surveyed by Esri Ireland, there is a clear divide between age groups, with 63 per cent of people under the age of 24 and 75 per cent of people over 55 wanted to return to the office. Meanwhile, almost half of the people in their late twenties and early thirties wanted to stay working from home.
8th Feb 2021 - BreakingNews.ie
Lessons Learned About Remote Work, One Year In After The Great Dispersal
March 2020 may seem like decades ago, but we are coming on the 12th month since the great corporate dispersal brought on by the Covid-19 crisis. That’s when every single office worksite broke up into a hundred smaller worksites ensconced within employees’ home offices, kitchen tables, spare bedrooms, or corners of bedrooms. How goes this great Work-from-Anywhere experiment? So far, so good, and a lot of lessons have been learned. First, that remote work is sustainable, and doesn’t affect productivity. Second, the experiment has been uneven, mainly enabling the professional and managerial class to work from the comfort of their homes, while frontline workers have had to stick it out in the public space. Third, the tools and technologies available have proven themselves in stressful situations. Finally, even for professional, managerial and office workers, there’s still always going to be a need to meet and interact face to face.
8th Feb 2021 - Forbes
Making a good job of remote work
Coronavirus caused radical and uneven disruption to work and people’s personal lives around the world. The question for businesses, policymakers and employees today is how remote working evolves in the longer term and whether they can harness its benefits. Will people spend as much time working at home in 2030 as they did in 2020? Remote work gained ground because of the pandemic and has the potential to produce great long-term benefits for employers and workers alike: fewer commutes, cheaper property and a larger pool of talent and jobs. But our forced episode of remote working over the past year is not enough to deliver those benefits. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and policymakers thinking creatively in the coming years will determine whether and how quickly remote work becomes a permanent legacy of the pandemic.
8th Feb 2021 - Financial Times
How to stay inspired and creative while working remotely
We hear a lot about the challenges of sustaining productivity in the WFH context. But the deeper, underlying issue has gone unaddressed: You can't have productivity without creativity. Without access to the activities and people we've traditionally sought inspiration from — whether colleagues or concerts, travel or theatre, dance or Degas — our creative wells are drying up, which has enormous consequences in the workplace.
8th Feb 2021 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullNissan's 'office pod' imagines a new kind of remote working
Forget working from home -- this camper van is for those who want to "work from anywhere." Inspired by the new realities of the Covid-19 era, Nissan's concept vehicle features a retractable office for remote workers and digital nomads. Dubbed Office Pod Concept, the mobile workspace comes with a modified Cosm chair by US furniture-maker Herman Miller, and desk space big enough for a large computer monitor. With the tap of an app, the pod extends out the back in a matter of seconds and the trunk door becomes a cover for your al-fresco office.
7th Feb 2021 - CNN
How to deal with a bad boss while working from home
By this point in the pandemic, those of us working from home have figured out the big stuff. Maybe the kitchen table doubles as a desk now and a pet has become a frequent surprise guest in Zoom meetings but, nearly a year in, most of us are making it work. Nevertheless, there are certain things about communicating digitally that don’t always translate. And of those things is how we communicate with our bosses, say experts. If your boss wasn’t great before the age of working from home, the odds are he or she hasn’t improved. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope and as pandemic fatigue has fully set in, now may be the best time to salvage the relationship, according to Mollie West Duffy, co-author of No Hard Feelings, on how emotions affect our working lives.
7th Feb 2021 - The Independent
Employees working from home are putting in longer hours than before the pandemic
Enjoying more free time while working from home? Maybe not. New research conducted during the pandemic shows that home-working employees in the United Kingdom, Austria, Canada and the United States are putting in more hours than before. Home working has led to a 2.5-hour increase in the average working day in those countries, said NordVPN Teams. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands stand out, with employees "working until 8pm, regularly logging off later than usual to wrap up an extended working day," it added. However, employees in Denmark, Belgium and Spain initially recorded a spike in working hours but have since returned to their pre-pandemic timetable
7th Feb 2021 - CNN
The 6 biggest mistakes you do while working from home
It’s been almost a year since the coronavirus pandemic hit us, forcing businesses and industries to shut down their offices and continue remote working for the time being. The experience of remote working is still quite new as many employees are yet to settle down with the idea. And so, many end up making mistakes while working remotely that unknowingly affects their work productivity. So, we bring to you some of the biggest don’ts while working remotely.
7th Feb 2021 - Times of India
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullLeading from afar: how managers can navigate the world of remote work
With remote working reducing the everyday chit-chat that goes hand-in-hand with office life, “you miss out on getting to know things that can help you manage that person effectively by knowing their personality”, says Max Freeman, commercial manager at Cartridge People. Introducing a “virtual brew time” helped Freeman’s team to experience the kind of interactions they might have in the office. When speaking to staff over video, he makes a point of asking how things are going outside work, as well as making a note of any events they’ve got coming up and asking how their family members are getting on. “It’s a crucial part of getting the best out of a team,” he says. “You can still find ways to get it right even when working remotely.”
4th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
How 'Work From Home' Became 'Work From Anywhere'
The way the pandemic reshapes where and how we work could be one of the most visible legacies from the health crisis. In the U.S., lockdowns sent many wealthy knowledge workers fleeing to suburbs, second-tier cities, and “Zoom towns” in scenic areas near ski slopes or national parks. While most people will eventually return to an office, things might look different than before. It all has the potential to profoundly impact office culture, labor markets, city finances and the American landscape.
4th Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
Remote working: fad or redefining trend?
Will we all be trundling in and out of our offices in a year’s time or will half of the country’s office space be redundant? The remote working trend is very real in lockdown, but in a post-pandemic world will it stick? It has being latched on to by the rural lobby in Leinster House as potentially something that could halt rural depopulation and revitalise the ailing economies of villages and towns across the State. The Government published a remote working strategy earlier this month, saying it would “lead by example”, setting a target whereby at least 20 per cent of public servants will be working remotely by the end of the year.
4th Feb 2021 - The Irish Times
Home workers putting in more hours since Covid, research shows
Employees who work from home are spending longer at their desks and facing a bigger workload than before the Covid pandemic hit, two sets of research have suggested. The average length of time an employee working from home in the UK, Austria, Canada and the US is logged on at their computer has increased by more than two hours a day since the coronavirus crisis, according to data from the business support company NordVPN Teams. UK workers have increased their working week by almost 25% and, along with employees in the Netherlands, are logging off at 8pm, it said.
4th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
UK home-working rises to highest since June on COVID lockdown
The proportion of British workers working solely from home rose to 36% in the week to Jan. 31, its highest since June when the country was emerging from its first coronavirus lockdown and up from 34% the week before,
4th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullSick of the office? Atlantic island opens 'Digital Nomads Village' for remote workers
Working remotely? How about doing it from the Portuguese island of Madeira? Of course, non-essential travel is off the cards in Ireland for now, and Madeira is currently rated as 'red' on the EU's traffic light maps for travel. But both will hopefully change in the not-too-distant future, and Madeira is as tempting an alternative to the office (or 'boffice') as you'll find. Digital Nomads Village opens on February 1 in Ponto do Sol on the south coast, as a response to what its tourism board says is an increasing demand for people to live and work remotely on the island.
3rd Feb 2021 - Independent.ie
More Ways To Succeed At Remote Work In 2021 And Beyond
Video-meeting fatigue will remain a challenge for remote workers in 2021 and beyond. But if you get intentional, there are ways that you can take full advantage of this great video technology without letting it become a drain on your happiness or your productivity. My last article offered five general ways to succeed at remote work. The ideas I’ve provided below center on one specific aspect of remote work that quickly materialized once we all retreated to our homes to work. It’s often known as “Zoom Fatigue” or “Zoom Gloom.” But to be fair, it’s the exhaustion caused by days packed with video meetings, regardless of the platform.
3rd Feb 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in full'New normal' or back to normal? Why the remote working revolution isn't here yet
The Covid-19 pandemic isn’t yet over, but already there’s a rush to analyse the impacts and results on our working lives. Some say the office is dead. Others believe contracts have replaced permanent employment, as organisations hedge their bets or workers decide more time with their families or hobbies isn’t such a bad thing. Some say remote working has given people more autonomy, with groups of colleagues choosing to problem-solve for themselves rather than rely on the boss. But in New Zealand, the truth might be much less dramatic. In our experience, reports of a huge shift in ways of working aren’t borne out by the evidence. As creatures of habit, we haven’t so much embraced a “new” normal as gone back to normal, with a dash of flexibility thrown in.
2nd Feb 2021 - Stuff.co.nz
Remote Working’s Longer Hours Are New Normal for Many
The lengthening of the work day observed as many began working from home last year has become the new normal in many countries. The number of hours people are logged on has fallen back toward pre-pandemic levels in only Belgium, Denmark, France and Spain. The U.K., Austria, Canada and U.S. have seen a sustained 2.5 hour increase to the average day.
2nd Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
Five charts that reveal how remote working could change the UK
City centres lying empty because so many people are working from home have received considerable media attention since the pandemic took hold. As the picture of a post-COVID world slowly comes into focus, it seems we are unlikely to return to the office in the same numbers as before. This has important implications for where economic activity takes place. Not only will it affect city centres, it also means that many residential neighbourhoods are likely to change permanently.
2nd Feb 2021 - The Conversation UK
Don't Give Up on Remote Work, Even If You Hate It
A new year is well underway, but many of us are exactly where we were last March: working from home. Most people enjoy that, the data show, finding that it reduces stress and increases productivity. But what about the vocal minority who are truly miserable? Some form of location flexibility is probably here to stay. So it’s worth the effort to find a way to work from home that you don’t hate. That starts with figuring out what exactly you hate about it. First, consider whether it’s working from home that bothers you, or actually your job. If it’s not, then your particular role might be making remote work especially hard.
2nd Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
The pandemic devastated women’s careers, but remote work could revitalize them
The coronavirus may have taken the lives of more men, but the resulting school closures and economic devastation have disproportionately destroyed the careers of women. Arbitrary lockdowns have neutered the service and retail industries staffed primarily by women, and the burden of aiding the sham of "distance learning" has fallen to mothers, as childcare demands almost always do. But in the very, very long run, there could be one revolutionary silver lining of the tragedy of the pandemic. That is, the normalization of remote work.
2nd Feb 2021 - MSN.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe Remote-Work Revolution Will Be Bigger Than We Think
Last year, I wrote about how even a modest remote-work revolution—no more than 10 percent of Americans working remotely full time after the pandemic is over—could affect the U.S. labor force (e.g.: fewer hotel workers) and party politics (e.g.: more southern Democrats). But the more I researched remote work and spoke with experts, the more I realized I had only scratched the surface of its implications for the future of the economy, the geography of opportunity, and the fate of innovation. Here are four more predictions.
1st Feb 2021 - The Atlantic
If kids are learning remotely, parents are working less than full-time
Parents of remote learners are far less likely to work full-time compared to parents of children attending in-person school. That’s according to the Franklin Templeton-Gallup Economics of Recovery Study, which shed light on children’s learning arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic and their parents’ employment status. The Templeton-Gallup data suggest parents have had to adjust their working hours or employment based on whether or not their children have been able to return to school buildings. Just 47% of parents of children learning entirely remotely or in hybrid scenarios are employed full-time, compared to 71% of parents of children who are learning in-school entirely.
1st Feb 2021 - The Business Journals
The Future Of Mental Health And Career Support For Remote Workers
The future of work has changed for all of us in both positive and negative ways. A new study by Stoneside surveyed over 1,000 remote employees to learn what companies are doing to help with morale for those working from home. Overall, employees, felt good about their company’s culture prior to the pandemic with 77.7% saying they would characterize the culture as positive, although Covid-19 had an impact on work situations. People who primarily worked in person prior to the pandemic were over three times more likely than those who were already working remotely to say company culture was worse since the health crisis began. Nearly 92% of people already accustomed to remote work said company culture had either stayed the same or gotten better. The pandemic likely didn’t shake up their work routine as much as it did for employees who had to adjust to working from home.
1st Feb 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullMore Older Americans Stay on the Job. Working From Home Helps
The pandemic is extending the trend of older Americans working longer -- and giving up long commutes is part of the reason. Today, roughly 1 in 5 adults aged 65 and older remain on the job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the mid 1980s, the ratio was closer to 1 in 10. Although the number of older workers dipped in the initial stages of the pandemic along with employment overall, it has since rebounded and anecdotal evidence suggests working from home has helped.
31st Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
Essential Lessons Businesses Have Learned During The Pandemic
The pandemic has caused all kinds of shifts in the business world – from the way people work to how companies run their businesses. In many ways it has accelerated advancements that we wouldn’t have expected to occur in a relatively short period of time. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest changes made and lessons learned by businesses during this time of turmoil.
31st Jan 2021 - Forbes
Never Want To Go Back To The Office? Here's Where You Should Work
The past year has proven that employees can be just as, if not more, productive working from home as they are working in the office. Now, some employers are moving to capitalize on that realization, making the switch remote work permanent. Roughly half of U.S. professionals believe their companies will allow them to telecommute at least part of the time after the pandemic, according to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index. That percentage is even higher in industries including tech (73%), finance (67%) and media (59%), that see flexible work as the future. Here is a guide to the companies adopting remote or hybrid work models for the long run.
31st Jan 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullCould hiring a campervan as a home office be the future of remote working?
As someone with ADHD, who works from home and has a seven-year-old child, Business Coach Sara Tasker struggles with distraction. However, she’s recently discovered an ideal solution to help her keep focussed during the working day – a campervan. While the thought of hiring one as a workspace might seem a bit extreme to some, Sara admits it came from ‘absolute desperation’. Making a space for focused tasks (whether that’s in a campervan or a corner at home) is important, perhaps especially so for women. Extra housework and caring duties have put increased pressure on women in particular, who continue to do a disproportionate share during the pandemic.
28th Jan 2021 - Metro.co.uk
Welsh Government asking for suggestions for co-working hubs locations
People in Wales will soon be able to suggest places in their community they’d like to work. This is part of the Welsh Government’s long-term ambition to see around 30% of the workforce working from home or working remotely. Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, said the initiative is “an opportunity for people to shape the future of the Welsh workplace”. An interactive map will ask people if they would like to work remotely, and will allow people to drop a pin in a spot on the map where they would like to see a co-working hub
28th Jan 2021 - Business Live
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe 7 Work From Home Mistakes We're All Making
“I’ve worked from home for most of my 20+ year career and never ever had so many calls and meetings,” writes journalist and podcast host Amy Westervelt. “I’ve kept it to myself for a full year but I cannot anymore: y’all are doing this wrong.” And so began a Twitter thread of the work from home mistakes many of us have been guilty of this past year – from overdoing it on Zoom calls (and not getting any work done), to having meetings for issues that could’ve been sorted out on email. We’ve all been there. Here are some of the lessons we’ve learned from the pros
27th Jan 2021 - HuffPost UK
'Remote, home working can tackle Ireland's female brain drain'
In Ireland, the Remote Working Strategy, which makes remote working a permanent option, will help alleviate the female 'brain drain' from the workplace, an employment expert has said. Launched by the Government last week, the strategy sets out to provide the infrastructure to work remotely, including legislation to allow employees the right to request remote working and a code of practice on the right to disconnect from work (covering phonecalls, emails, and switch-off time). The Government plans to lead by example, by mandating that home and remote working be the norm for 20% of public-sector employees.
27th Jan 2021 - Irish Examiner
Demand for remote working in NI as searches for work from home roles doubles
People searching for work from home jobs in Northern Ireland has more than doubled in the last year, a new report has revealed. Online recruitment platform NIJobs.com, has released new data which they believe shows a significant shift regarding the traditional office space following the coronavirus crisis. Sam McIlveen, General Manger at NIJobs.com, said: "The introduction of vaccinations has brought hope for the local economy, but social distancing and other measures are likely to remain in place for a considerable period of time. The office environment is unlikely to return as we know it with some now viewing it as redundant."
27th Jan 2021 - Belfast Live
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullCompensation for office worker who resigned after employer would not let her work from home
In Ireland, an employer has been ordered to pay compensation to an office-based worker who resigned from her job during the first Covid-19 lockdown after her plea to work remotely from home was rejected. Employment law expert Richard Grogan described the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruling as “a wake-up call’ for employers.
26th Jan 2021 - Independent.ie
Remote working allows families to book extra long staycations
In the UK, remote working is allowing families to book extra long staycations, holiday experts said, with breaks of up to five weeks reported. Holiday firms have seen a boom in bookings for staycations in the past week, with enquiries doubling for breaks closer to home. However, families are using the extra flexibility offered to them by remote working to extend breaks beyond the standard week, tourist bosses said, while others are planning an extended blowout for the entire family after a year of not mixing.
26th Jan 2021 - The Telegraph
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in full6 strategies for parents struggling with work-from-home interruptions
Working from home has its benefits. Before the coronavirus pandemic, it was one of the most popular perks organizations could offer. Of course, this was before the pandemic sent millions of school-age children home and disrupted other child-care arrangements. By now many parents have had Zoom calls interrupted by tech-support questions, have fielded snack requests on deadline or have tutored math learners while sitting in on a meeting. As we stare down another semester of virtual and hybrid schooling, now is the time to get serious about managing interruptions. There is no reason to feel guilty about this. Kids need attention, but unless they plan to pay the mortgage, you also need time for deeper work — and they’ll benefit if you feel less harried. These strategies can help parents get more done now and when life gets back to normal.
25th Jan 2021 - The Washington Post
38% Indian women working in tech industry prefer working from home: Survey
Almost 38 per cent Indian women working in a tech or IT industry prefer working at home to working in the office, says a new survey. About 36 per cent women said they had more autonomy when not working in an office, according to the "Women in Tech" report. When female respondents were asked about the day-to-day functions that are detracting from productivity or work progression, 54 per cent said they had done the majority of cleaning in the home compared to 33 per cent of men. Similarly, about 54 per cent women had been in charge of home schooling compared to 40 per cent of men, and 50 per cent of women have had to adapt their working hours more than their male partner in order to look after the family.
25th Jan 2021 - Business Standard
Has the Pandemic Transformed the Office Forever?
In the past three decades, a series of quiet revolutions in design have changed the way offices are used, erasing former hierarchies of walls and cubicles and incorporating workplace methodologies from the technology industry into team-based, open-plan layouts. At the same time, digital tools such as e-mail, Excel, Google Docs, video conferencing, virtual whiteboarding, and chat channels like Slack have made a worker’s presence in those offices less essential. The pandemic has collapsed these divergent trends into an existential question: What’s an office for? Is it a place for newbies to learn from experienced colleagues? A way for bosses to oversee shirkers? A platform for collaboration? A source of friends and social life? A respite from the family? A reason to leave the house? It turns out that work, which is what the office was supposed to be for, is possible to do from somewhere else.
25th Jan 2021 - The New Yorker
How to Keep Internet Trolls Out of Remote Workplaces
Office conversation at some companies is starting to look as unruly as conversation on the internet. That’s because office conversation now is internet conversation. Many companies have been working online for nearly a year, with plans to continue well into 2021. And just as people are bolder behind keyboards on Twitter, they are bolder behind keyboards on workplace messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack — with all the good and all the bad, but with a lot more legal liability. Work culture experts say there are steps companies can take before the lawyers get involved. These are among them: closely monitoring large chat groups, listening to complaints, reminding employees they are on the job and not bantering with friends, and being aware that a move to a virtual work force can expose new issues like age discrimination.
25th Jan 2021 - The New York Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullGovernment spent €3.7m to set up staff working from home
In Ireland, Government Departments have spent €3.7m on equipment for staff working remotely from home during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.
Hundreds of computers, telephones and furniture have been purchased for employees who have been unable to remain in their offices throughout the country due to Covid-19 restrictions. Figures obtained by the Sunday Independent show the efforts made by the Government to facilitate thousands of staff from March last year, including spending €500,000 on 693 laptops, 340 mobile phones and 133 webcams for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, headed up by Simon Harris.
24th Jan 2021 - Independent.ie
Can Brazil's remote workers thrive outside big cities?
The pandemic has led many to swap urban living and working for more rural environments. But what happens when you try to do it in a developing nation? Reports are emerging across the globe of workers shifting from big cities to smaller hubs as Covid-19 normalises remote work. Most attention has focused on the US or Europe, where smaller cities generally have the facilities to welcome new residents and allow them to work while enjoying a better environment. Yet in Brazil and other developing countries, the reality of such a move can be far from a simple transition to an easier lifestyle. Smaller cities often lack basic infrastructure to accommodate the new arrivals, making for a complicated adjustment.
24th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Remote work is here to stay in Ontario — but only for some
The shift to remote work has been among the most dramatic changes for businesses since the onset of the pandemic, and amidst a provincewide lockdown and rising case counts, the end is likely a long way off. The enduring impact of this shift, however, is likely overstated. It’s true that flexible work arrangements have the potential to improve productivity and employee satisfaction, as well as better accommodate working parents and caregivers, all of which will be critical to Ontario’s long-term economic recovery. However, ask any newly remote worker, and they’ll tell you that the honeymoon period has largely ended as Zoom fatigue sets in, the line between work and leisure erodes, and the lack of social and creative interactions with colleagues hampers morale. Many industries and business models don’t lend themselves to fully remote work, either.
24th Jan 2021 - Toronto Star
Productivity improved with remote working - survey
More than half of Irish business leaders say productivity has improved with remote working, a new survey shows, but it also reveals that company cultures may be negatively impacted by the shift towards working from home. The survey from technology company Expleo reveals that 89% of Irish business and IT leaders in Ireland said productivity had improved or stayed the same while working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. 52% noted an improvement in productivity, while 37% reported a maintenance of productivity levels. Only 11% of respondents said productivity had declined due to remote working.
24th Jan 2021 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe difficult truths about working from home
While the pandemic has exacerbated inequalities for many with disabilities, the widespread adoption of home working has in fact delivered benefits for many disabled employees. For those who can work from home, the lack of a commute has made a significant difference for some employees with physical disabilities by, for example, removing challenges around travel. Breaks can be taken in an environment specifically adapted for the individual, which can reduce fatigue and pain levels. For some neurodiverse employees, their home environment offers reduced noise and distractions which can affect concentration as compared to an office. Yet despite the positives, the pandemic has of course brought a raft of additional challenges and concerns for disabled employees, not simply connected to health
21st Jan 2021 - HeraldScotland
'I've never met my team but have lunch with them weekly'
Food has traditionally been a fundamental part of our working days, presenting an opportunity to take time away from the desk or production line, and socialise with colleagues. You could go to the staff canteen, or perhaps to a local cafe, pub or restaurant - to talk shop, have a gossip, or perhaps deliberately chat about anything but work. But with a third of UK workers now working from home again in the latest lockdowns, the work lunch as we know it has changed dramatically over the past year. Even making a cup of tea in the office kitchen presents a potential health hazard these days. And with many of us staying at home, work canteens have been closed, and town and city centre food outlets have shut up shop and axed staff.
21st Jan 2021 - BBC News
Making Remote Work Sustainable For 2021 And Beyond
The longer we work remotely, the more we like it. Now, almost a year after being begrudgingly forced to evacuate our offices, the thought of going back to a daily commute and dismal cubicle is tough to stomach. In fact, recent surveys are revealing that nearly 70% of U.S. workers are requesting to continue working remotely after the pandemic is over. Such staggering demand is forcing employers to adopt remote work permanently in order to retain and attract their talent. From fully-remote to hybrid work models, flexibility is the new normal. But are businesses ready to operate this way forever?
21st Jan 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullBack to the office: Meet some of the firms that have committed to new London HQs
In England, government guidance remains to work from home where you can, and the central London office leasing market suffered drastically last year. It was hit as bosses held off property move decisions, and many waited to see how staff coped away from HQs. However, despite market concerns home working is here to stay, a number of firms have shown confidence in the London office post-pandemic, inking deals for new space. The way buildings are occupied in future may change, with many companies poised to embrace a mix of home and office work, but recent lettings show that for some chief executives, having a base in town remains vital.
20th Jan 2021 - Evening Standard
Is remote work making us paranoid?
The number of people working remotely has skyrocketed since January 2020, with approximately half the U.S. labor force working from home in the early days of the pandemic, according to a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Those workers tend to be more educated and wealthier than workers whose jobs cannot be performed remotely, and low-wage workers have been much more likely to lose their jobs during the pandemic.While some have returned to the office since last spring, a significant number have not. Many estimates of how many workers office workers projected to work permanently at home, post-pandemic, range from 20% to 30%, up from under 10% before the coronavirus. But millions more Americans communicating completely virtually with their co-workers does not mean our emotional office dynamics have caught up yet to our new videoconference world. Many are feeling a spectrum of new anxieties about their interactions with colleagues.
20th Jan 2021 - Seattle Times
Working remotely abroad is here to stay
This year, millions of us started working from home for the first time. Companies around the world, big and small, realised that their staff could be just as productive, if not more so, if they worked remotely. Many established a better work-life balance and enjoyed the freedom of not having to get the 7.30 train into the office every day. Great swathes of people left London to move to rural destinations that would have required torturous commutes before. People were given a taste of a new way to live. Work became more flexible, and the idea of offices with their florescent lights and soul-destroying cubicles now feels increasingly dated and unnecessarily costly. As the vaccine is dished out to the elderly and vulnerable, the idea of a post-pandemic world no longer feels like pie in the sky. One thing that looks increasingly likely is that, when this is all over, the office will not be the same again. Our concept of where and how we work has forever changed - for the better.
20th Jan 2021 - harpersbazaar.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home 'battle' looms between managers, employees
A disconnect between employers and employees on working from home has been revealed as managers signal concerns staff are slacking off in a new survey, while workers say their performance has improved out of the office. As Victorian offices begin to welcome back staff this week, many companies are embracing a new hybrid working model where workers split their time between home and the office. However, the survey of more than 600 workers and 300 employers across Australia found there was a divide on expectations of the new arrangements. Workers listed isolation as their number one challenge when working from home, whereas for employers oversight of staff and managing productivity was their biggest concern.
19th Jan 2021 - The Age
First lockdown, then Storm Filomena: Why Spanish families are struggling to maintain work-life balance
“I’m feeling really down today,” tweeted Silvia Nanclares last week when it was still unclear whether the Madrid region would open its schools the following Monday due to Storm Filomena. “I can’t face another round of childcare and remote working. Even if it’s for a short period. I have no energy left.” Nanclares and her partner are just one of many couples in Spain struggling to juggle working from home with their responsibilities as parents who are overwhelmed by the difficulty of separating their private and professional lives. Different social psychology studies indicate that the home is not the best place to carry out intellectual tasks if there is no room with a door and no rules to regulate access
19th Jan 2021 - El País
Irish Examiner view: Permanent remote working option could be transformative — if it's done properly
In Ireland, wearing his trade-enterprise-and-employment-minister hat, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar last week announced a plan to have 20% of public servants working remotely on a more permanent basis this year. He suggested private sector workers would also be able to request the opportunity to work from home and that this right would be contained in a new Workplace Relations Commission code. Working from home, if — a big “if” — domestic circumstances allow, can be a wonderful, freeing experience for workers and, consequently, a boon for employers, whose staff are not half-exhausted by the daily, sometimes hours-long commute.
19th Jan 2021 - Irish Examiner
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote working jobs in UK triple amid pandemic
The number of roles that allowed for remote working tripled in 2020 in the UK and companies were more open to the idea of letting employees work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic, new data revealed. In November last year, about 80,700 jobs allowing remote working were advertised, a big jump from 26,600 in November 2019, recruiters New Street Consulting Group said. It remains unclear if these jobs will continue to offer remote working once restrictions ease and offices open up.
18th Jan 2021 - MSN.com
Minister steps up pressure on UK firms over home working
In England, the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, has said companies must redouble efforts to ensure employees work from home unless their work is critical and cannot be done offsite, as the TUC urged the government to step up enforcement. Calls are growing for the government to rethink allowing construction sites to continue as normal and to permit only those whose operations are vital, with several industry employees telling the Guardian that safe practice has become impossible on sites. The government is preparing to ramp up warnings to employers that they must ensure they are making every effort to keep employees at home.
18th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Remote working strategy sets out ambitious targets
In Ireland, the unprecedented transition to remote working has taken place on an ad hoc basis, with no set rules or procedures setting out the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees, but the National Remote Working Strategy launched yesterday aims to remedy that. Under the strategy, new legislation will give employees a legal right to request remote working. There will also be a Code of Practice on the "Right to Disconnect" from handling calls and emails outside normal hours, "significant" investment in remote working hubs around the country, a review of tax breaks before the next Budget, and a "possible" acceleration of the National Broadband Plan.
18th Jan 2021 - RTE.ie
WFH linked to better mental health but worse relationship with colleagues
As India begins its covid vaccination drive, the big question facing individuals and companies concerns the work-from-home (WFH) routine that most urban Indians have accepted during the pandemic. As the ranks of the vaccinated swell and immunity levels build up, will it mark an end to WFH? Or will WFH still remain a widely-used option, even in the post-pandemic world? Data from the latest round of the YouGov-Mint-CPR Millennial Survey suggests that WFH fatigue is for real. But for a sizeable section, the WFH routine has meant more time for sleep and exercise, improved relations with family members, and better mental health than before.
18th Jan 2021 - Mint
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullWFH with children in the time of Covid makes the office look easy
The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that during the first lockdown, the number of parents in paid work fell, as did the number of hours they worked and the quality of their working time — or their uninterrupted work hours. “The vast majority of those interruptions were due to childcare and having kids at home,” said Alison Andrew, a senior research economist at the institute. In just 10 months, full-time office work has been replaced with the idea of “hybrid” working — some time at home, some in the office. That will not make the jobs easier to do, of course, especially while schools are closed, and it has raised concerns about the mental and physical wellbeing of staff.
17th Jan 2021 - The Times
Working from home is more complicated than we thought
Welcome to 2021, where huge numbers of us will continue to work from home. Even when the coast is completely clear again, many of us have been given or given ourselves permission to continue working at least partially from our own environs. And it's a worldwide phenomenon. A survey of civil servants in Ireland, for example, showed 88 per cent favoured working from home and believed they were as effective as they were in the office. An Otago University study of more than 2,500 Kiwis last May produced similar results. Nearly 40 per cent had never worked from home before and 89 per cent wanted to continue, at least part time.
17th Jan 2021 - Stuff.co.nz
Employees to have legal right to request home working, says Varadkar
In Ireland, a target to have 20 per cent of public servants working remotely on a more permanent basis can be achieved by the end of this year, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said. As part of plans announced on Friday the Government said it would legislate to give people the legal right to ask their employer to allow them to work from home beyond the end of the pandemic. Mr Varadkar said the arrival of Covid-19 had changed mindsets about the nature of work and accelerated the process greatly. The changes seen since the crisis began last March had allowed what might have been achieved in five to 10 years to be realised in a much shorter space of time, he said.
17th Jan 2021 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullCountries Experiment With Special Remote-Work Visas for ‘Digital Nomads’
Attaining the expat lifestyle once meant finding a job in a distant land or bouncing around on short-term tourist visas. Now, a growing number of countries are allowing you to take your current job to a distant land, with a little bit of paperwork. A decade from now, the immigration barriers and tax deterrents to globe-trotting could be looser. In the past year, countries hungry for more tourists and talent—from Estonia to Bermuda to Georgia—have rolled out special temporary visas (some valid for a year or more) to lure well-heeled, mobile professionals looking for an exotic escape from the routine. Consultants who work with companies and expats say these so-called digital-nomad visa programs are an experiment in propping up commerce and tourism by tapping into the economic power of wanderlust. The pandemic’s toll on economies and international travel has spurred more nations such as Costa Rica and Croatia to consider the visas for economic growth.
14th Jan 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Does working from home actually make us feel happier?
The reintroduction of national lockdown in England brought with it tighter restrictions on travel, with the government stating that "You may only leave your home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home". It prompted workers across the country to either change their daily routine – or continue their enforced WFH status, with an end seemingly further, not nearer, in sight. Either way, the mental toll of the situation is significant. Where for some, working from home in the pandemic has been a blessing, saving money and time, for others it’s created feelings of isolation, from seeing nobody for days on end, and stress, perhaps from being crowded by young children. As part of our Mental Health Emergency campaign, we’ve asked workers how the changes in work rules have impacted their well-being – and found out what you can do to protect yourself.
14th Jan 2021 - The Telegraph
9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2021 and Beyond
It’s fair to say that 2020 rocked many organizations and business models, upending priorities and plans as business leaders scrambled to navigate a rapidly changing environment. For many organizations this included responding to the social justice movements, shifting to a full-time remote staff, determining how best to support employees’ wellbeing, managing a hybrid workforce, and now addressing legal concerns around the Covid-19 vaccine. It would be nice to believe that 2021 will be about stability and getting back to normal; however, this year is likely to be another full of major transitions. While there has been a lot of focus on the increase in the number of employees working remotely at least part of the time going forward, there are nine additional forces that I think will shape business in 2021
14th Jan 2021 - Harvard Business Review
Why remote working could actually help fix some diversity problems
In England, since 2014, all employees have had the legal right to request flexible working, but few of these requests were actually honoured. Just 30 per cent were accepted in 2019, while flexi-time was still made unavailable to 58 per cent of UK employees, according to the TUC. For disabled and neurodivergent employees, the need for flexible working is especially pressing. Office cultures designed for more neurotypical employees can throw up a number of obstacles. Sensory overload caused by lighting and sound, communication issues in team meetings and long commutes are all significant, but solvable, issues. But disability charities such as Leonard Cheshire have shown that there is a risk of neurodiverse individuals being frozen out of work altogether. However, Covid-19 has seen many companies implement remote working on a mass scale, and employers are realising just how easy adapting to different ways of operating can be.
14th Jan 2021 - Wired.co.uk
Is Remote Work Making Us Paranoid?
The number of people working remotely has skyrocketed since January 2020, with approximately half the U.S. labor force working from home in the early days of the pandemic, according to a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. But millions more Americans communicating completely virtually with their co-workers does not mean our emotional office dynamics have caught up yet to our new videoconference world. Many are feeling a spectrum of new anxieties about their interactions with colleagues. Past research on the topic of organizational and social paranoia shows that working from home may exacerbate uncertainty about status, which can lead to over-processing information and rumination, said Roderick M. Kramer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business
14th Jan 2021 - The New York Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullMost Want to Continue Working Remotely after Pandemic, but Companies Not So Sure
The U.S. has gone through three basic shifts—settlement of the West, migration of large numbers of people from farm to factory, and as the post-industrial economy developed, from factory to office or service industries. Now, with an unanticipated jolt from the COVID-19 pandemic, some believe the nation is embarking on a fourth major shift—office to working at home. Polls conducted as the pandemic peaked last spring, found that 40% to 60% of those who remained employed reported working remotely. Global Workplace Analytics estimates that 25% to 30% of the labor force will work from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.
13th Jan 2021 - Newsweek
The pandemic upended work. Now your remote workspace is about to get an upgrade
The coronavirus pandemic brought the economy to a halt in March — and sent millions of workers home, where they scrambled to set up remote offices in their kitchens and living rooms and hopped on Zoom calls with co-workers. Now, a raft of new technology and devices, introduced this week at America's largest consumer-technology event, CES (Consumer Electronics Show), seek to help workers manage their new work-life balances. Here are some of the new workplace trends emerging from CES that might work their way into your remote office.
13th Jan 2021 - CBS News
How to find 'flow' while working from home, according to a peak performance expert
“Flow,” a term first coined in the ’70s and often associated with athletes, is “an optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best,” according to peak performance expert Steven Kotler. When top athletes experience flow, for instance, many say they feel a sense of oneness with whatever task they are doing and are not worried about failure or other distractions, according to research on the topic.But the truth is, anyone can achieve flow, according to Kotler, author of “The Art of Impossible,” a how-to manual for peak performance, and founder and executive director of the Flow Research Collective. It just takes some planning and structure — especially when working from home, he says.
13th Jan 2021 - CNBC
How to deal with working from home burnout
It’s coming up to a year since we swapped office life for our working from home setups. When will we be able to resume office life like normal? When can we finally stop working at our dining room tables? And when will Zoom meetings stop being a thing? If you’re feeling stressed about your current routine, you might be suffering from working from home burnout. In case it’s all getting too much for you at the moment, we’ve asked experts to share their advice on how to cope if working from home has left you frazzled.
13th Jan 2021 - Metro
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullDon't Make These 6 Biggest Mistakes If You're Working From Home, Says Guy Who's Done It for 10 Years
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a period of working from home is becoming increasingly inevitable for many companies. For a number of employees, the experience is not only new, but it's also dreaded. The pros, of course, are very clear: Supreme flexibility, undeniable autonomy and a commute that consists of walking down the hallway or a flight of stairs. The cons? It takes practice and requires a significant amount of self-awareness, discipline and laser-like focus. My journey in remote work started in 2010, when I was building my first startup. Fast forward 10 years later, and I've amassed a decade's worth of remote working secrets.
13th Jan 2021 - NBC Bay Area
Can you spot 13 items that have caused injuries to those working from home?
A tricky brainteaser which raises awareness of the risk of injury while working from home has left avid puzzlers stumped. With Brits working from kitchens, bedrooms, and any other space they can find, National Accident Helpline decided to survey 1,000 people who have been working from home to find out more about the issues that they have been facing during this time. To highlight the areas of risk to those working remotely, they have hidden 13 household items that have caused injuries to those working from home. So, can you beat the average time of 45 seconds to spot all of the dangerous items?
13th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Eases Coming Out for Transgender Employees
For those who decide to come out as transgender, the workplace can be a big hurdle—using the bathrooms, keeping up a new appearance and dealing with reactions from co-workers. But with many offices going remote, more transgender employees are concluding they can come out while letting their work—not their gender identity—speak for them. River Bailey, 41-year-old software developer, says she doesn’t know if she would have come out as trans at work if not for her ability to work from her home in central Texas. “It gave me the freedom to just be able to exist,” she says
12th Jan 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Healthcare workers with childcare issues permitted to work from home in certain cases
Healthcare workers will be permitted to work from home in certain circumstances if they have no childcare support available under new arrangements introduced by the HSE. In a circular issued to senior health service and hospital management, the HSE said there was no special paid leave available for those with care problems related to coronavirus restrictions but it set out a number of options open for staff facing difficulties, including flexible working arrangements.
12th Jan 2021 - The Irish Times
These are the top 20 companies hiring for work-from-home jobs right now
The rise of flexible work has long been a trend workplace experts believed would take hold in the years to come, but few could have predicted just how much it would become a mainstay of the work experience in 2020. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, just 3.6% of the U.S. workforce worked primarily remotely. By April 2020, roughly half of office workers were working completely from home, according to Gallup, and the share of full-time teleworkers remained elevated at 33% as of September. Here are the top 20 companies hiring for remote jobs in 2021, according to FlexJobs, along with the full list of the top 100 companies
12th Jan 2021 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home: The smarter, healthier way to do it
Vaccine or not, once we are out of lockdown most people who can work from home want to continue doing so – just not all the time, according to a recent Central Statistics Office survey. More than six in 10 would like a mix of home and office. But the real challenge in 2021 is to move past the basics and figure out how to make your professional interactions productive, respectful and yes, sometimes even meaningful.
10th Jan 2021 - The Irish Times
Study reveals working from home negatively impacts mental health as more than 50 percent feel isolated
Health professionals are urging people across Lancashire to look after their mental health as the country enters the latest national lockdown. The past nine months have been difficult and there are many who have struggled with poor mental health due to the changes we've had to face. The advice comes at the same time as a study conducted by remote building company Wildgoose, found the mental health of workers across the country was being negatively impacted due to working from home. To help with maintaining good mental health during the latest national lockdown therefore, Dr Andy Knox has provided seven basic tips that if followed each day, could be used to improve your mental health
10th Jan 2021 - Lancashire Telegraph
How to claim £125 tax back if you've had to work from home during Covid pandemic
Millions of people who have had to work from home in England due to the coronavirus pandemic could be entitled to £125 back from the tax man. A little known 'working from home' tax rule means anyone who has been told to work from home during the pandemic can claim financial relief, up to the value of £125, to spend on bills and other home working essentials. And you only need to have worked from home for one day to be able to claim the rebate from HMRC, reports The Mirror.
10th Jan 2021 - Lancs Live
Are you ready for another year of working from home? How to avoid 2020 mistakes, ensure better balance – and avoid burnout
Flexible working, which combines remote working with office life, is predicted to become the new normal in the future. This means that many homeworkers might need to rethink their current set-ups and consider whether working from home is as rewarding and productive as it could be for them. What’s clear is that not everybody feels the same way and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach for homeworkers. The CSO’s Social Impact of Covid-19 November survey reflects this disparity of experiences, where 27.3pc of respondents said they were finding working from home more difficult; 37pc said it was getting easier and 35.6pc said there was no difference as time went on. In its favour, working remotely has many well-known benefits and is associated with higher job satisfaction as well as offering greater flexibility.
10th Jan 2021 - Independent.ie
‘Vulnerable and violated’: Remote working sexual harassment exacerbated since spring lockdown, poll finds
In the UK, a quarter of women suffering sexual harassment while working from home say the misconduct was exacerbated after the government announced a lockdown in March and more time was spent online working remotely, new data shows. Online sexual harassment has surged as the pandemic forced people to work from home – with perpetrators finding new ways to abuse their victims via technology. Exclusive polling carried out for The Independent by Rights of Women, the leading sexual harassment advice line, found almost half of women being subjected to workplace sexual harassment now say it is taking place remotely, while more than four in ten victims say they experienced either some or all of the misconduct online.
10th Jan 2021 - The Independent
How To Land A Promotion While Working Remotely
Vaccines are being distributed as you read this sentence, but the pandemic is far from over. We can expect at least several more months of “business as unusual” before things go back to nearly normal, but that doesn’t mean putting your ambitions on hold. To prevent the pandemic from sabotaging your career goals, focus on these four steps: Build relationships with clients; Look out for your co-workers; Talk with your manager about growth opportunities; Focus on professional development outside of work
10th Jan 2021 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullWellington named among world's best cities for remote working in 2021
Wellington has been recognised as one of the world’s top destinations for remote workers and digital nomads, ranked alongside the likes of Bali and Bermuda. Travel website Big 7 Travel put the capital at 50 on its list of the 50 best places for remote working in 2021, based on criteria such as affordability, internet access, and whether visas for remote workers are available.
8th Jan 2021 - Stuff.co.nz
The impact working from home has on your body - and how to reverse it
Since the start of the pandemic, the percentage of people working from home has risen from 5% to 71% in the UK and with many making do with makeshift work areas, so it is unsurprising that one in five home workers are reporting musculoskeletal disorders as a result. OneWelbeck consultant orthopaedic surgeon Simon Owen-Johnstone, highlights the strain put on our bodies thanks to the reduced movement and poor posture involved with working from home. Together with occupational therapist David Baker, they are offering their solutions to help you avoid long-term musculoskeletal damage, including reincorporating a morning commute.
8th Jan 2021 - Metro.co.uk
Three ways to move more while working from home
Though people with office jobs often sit for up to 80% of the working day, many still manage to get an average of 3,616 steps daily, largely thanks to many small opportunities for activity throughout the day. But with many of us now working from home during the pandemic, this means that any exercise we might have had during our day – whether cycling to work, or walking to get lunch – may no longer exist. While the way we work has changed, that doesn’t mean we can’t easily find ways to be more active during our work day if we look at how we managed to get active while working in an office. Here are a few things you can try to get you to move more while working from home
8th Jan 2021 - The Conversation UK
We’ve been working from home for nearly a year. Here’s how to keep doing it without losing your mind
A year into the coronavirus pandemic and several national lockdowns later – while working from home gave many of us the privileged opportunity to stay employed and/or maintain some form of an income when others were out on the frontline – it’s also left many of us feeling exhausted, demotivated, and generally pretty awful. Despite the challenges, there are things that we can do, such as boundary-setting and being mindful of motivation levels, to give us a bit of peace, and help us look after ourselves as we WFH through the rest of this crisis. Here are a few things you can try.
8th Jan 2021 - The Independent
The top ten best countries in the world to work from home in 2021 revealed
Canada has been named the best country in the world to ‘work from home’ in 2021, thanks to its combination of fast broadband speeds, relatively affordable rents and migrant-friendly visa policies. The Great White North comes top of the world league of destinations for so-called digital nomads, who have been able to embrace the trend towards full-time remote working accelerated by the pandemic.
8th Jan 2021 - Evening Standard
Télétravail: France revises its guidelines on remote-working
In a nod to the fact that the health crisis is far from over, France has revised its guidelines on télétravail, or remote working. Before the pandemic, people working remotely from home or another space outside the office was relatively rare in France and all télétravail (remote working) was subject to a strict protocol and agreements in advance between employer and employee. During the months of lockdown and 'stay home' orders that followed, working from home became the norm for many people, and emergency protocols came into force to increase flexibility on this topic. The government has revised its home-working protocol to suggest that people go into the workplace for one day per week - if they want to and if their employer agrees.
8th Jan 2021 - The Local France
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullRemote workers face long waits for garden offices or log cabins
Remote workers in Ireland face waits of up to 10 months if they want to have a garden office or log cabin on their properties. It comes following a massive rise in the number of people working from home during the pandemic. According to the latest CSO labour force survey, the numbers reporting their home as the primary place of work had risen from less than 5% before the pandemic to almost 28% by November. Tanaiste and Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar has said up to 10,000 co-working and incubation spaces are planned for regional locations around the country over the next three years in a move to help start-ups and employees engage in smart work measures.
7th Jan 2021 - Belfast Telegraph
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew York office vacancies rise to their highest point since 1999
Manhattan office vacancies hit 15.1% at the end of 2020, the highest since 1999
Many companies declined to renew leases amid uncertainty over pandemic
Some have pivoted to smaller offices and expect to continue partial remote work
However Goldman Sachs expects all of its workers to return by the end of 2021
Goldman CEO says the rollout of vaccines will allow office life to resume
Nearly a third of office workers say they would quit if required to return
6th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
Covid-19 remote work trend may boost women's careers in Japan and South Korea
Covid-19 could be a tipping point in the push to retain more women in the workforce in Japan and South Korea and for them to have families with new flexible work arrangements expected to stay, according to researchers and recruiters. The pandemic has disproportionately hit women's careers across the globe, with studies finding they are more likely to work in sectors badly impacted by COVID-19 and are picking up a heavier load of unpaid childcare and chores than men. But in Japan and South Korea, where employees are often under pressure to work long hours in the office with reports of death by overwork, more flexible working could make women rethink leaving jobs to start a family.
6th Jan 2021 - IOL News
Is 2021 the year we finally say goodbye to the office?
By mid 2020, Ireland had one of the highest rates of WFH in Europe, with over 40% by comparison with an EU average of 33.7%. The National Remote Working Survey confirmed that workplace productivity can be maintained in home working. Over 5,600 workers were surveyed and 62% of respondents agreed that working remotely increases their productivity. Workers now want more flexibility in choosing where they work. 94% of respondents to the National Remote Working Survey were in favour of working remotely on an on-going basis, for some or all of the time
6th Jan 2021 - RTE.ie
Nearly 30% of working professionals would quit if they had to return to office after pandemic
Many companies plan to ask their employees to return to the office once a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available later this year. Good luck with that. Twenty-nine percent of working professionals say they would quit their jobs if they couldn't continue working remotely, according to an online survey of 1,022 professionals by LiveCareer, an online resume and job search consulting service.
6th Jan 2021 - USA Today
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullWho has to work from home now and how strictly will it be enforced? Office workers are only allowed to go in if it is 'essential'
Boris Johnson has plunged England into a third national lockdown. However, the criteria on who can stay out of the office has caused some confusion with the exception applying only to people who 'absolutely cannot work from home'. The Government's official website states this category includes - but is not limited to - 'people who work within critical national infrastructure, construction or manufacturing that require in-person attendance'.
5th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullA third of Irish staff will still work remotely in 2023, survey finds
A third of full-time employees will still be working remotely by 2023, compared to just 2pc three years ago, according to a new survey. But only one in 10 organisations surveyed in Ireland today have structures that can support the development of a flexible and agile workforce, according to the latest Flexible Work and Rewards Survey. The Covid pandemic pushed the number of remote workers to 49pc in 2020 and this would remain high, at 33pc, in two years time, the survey found.
3rd Jan 2021 - MSN.com
The working world is still getting used to Zoom life
Remote working in New Zealand really kicked off in March, with the nationwide lockdown in response to rapidly growing coronavirus case numbers, but most of the rest of the world had been logging into Zoom months earlier. Analysis from economics consultancy, Infometrics found close to a third of the country’s workforce was able to operate from home during lockdown. (Many businesses reported employees were just as – if not more – productive while working remotely.) Even after restrictions were eased in May and businesses were able to reopen, many people continued working from home.
3rd Jan 2021 - Stuff.co.nz
Is your employer spying on you as you work from home?
Covid-19 has shifted the ground beneath us and things that were once de rigueur will not remain so — among them office work as we knew it. Companies keeping tabs on their workers is not new. Call-centre operators have long used software to track employees’ calls. Those tools, however, are now being applied across a swathe of industries. And they are far more powerful than they used to be, because these days we are all tethered in one way or another to the mothership: the internet. The dangers here are many. For one, these tools often reduce one’s entire day — eight or ten hours of work sprinkled with visits to Twitter and Spotify and chats around the (digital) watercooler — into a score, a single number that sums up one’s value to an enterprise.
3rd Jan 2021 - The Times
Is a Home Office Actually More Productive? Some Workers Think So.
Some Americans have a new outlook on remote working: They prefer it. In June and July, a group of 1,388 people working from home were asked for their impressions of the experience by workplace consulting firm Global Workplace Analytics and video technology company Owl Labs. The new arrangement, it turns out, suited many of them. While roughly 27% said they would have considered such a setup to be ideal before the coronavirus pandemic started, 80% said they would like to continue working remotely for three days of the week or more once the pandemic is over. Many of these people said they would prefer remote work all five days of the workweek.
3rd Jan 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Widespread working from home set to continue in 2021
Widespread working from home has been one of the biggest behavioural changes of 2020 in the UK, with scores of offices still empty and employees facing months more away from their desks. In efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus back in March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised the public to work from home where possible. Nearly half (46.6%) of all those in employment did at least some work at home the following month, according to the Office for National Statistics. Dr Alan Redman, an organisational psychologist, said policy makers and employers need to ensure staff are fully equipped to work from home in the long-term.
3rd Jan 2021 - ITV News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullWFH works, but offices will reopen cautiously
The concept of work-from-home (WFH), which served India Inc meaningfully during the lockdown, is expected to morph into a more robust hybrid model in the new year. This would particularly be the case as the availability of Covid-19 vaccines becomes prevalent and a credible shield starts building up against the dreaded virus. Most organisations believe that a hybrid work model, which is a mix of physical and remote working, will be the flavour of 2021.
30th Dec 2020 - Times of India
Broadband usage more than doubled in 2020 as people worked and socialised from home
Broadband usage has more than doubled in the UK this year as 2020 became the year of home working, Zoom calls and live streaming. Figures from broadband network Openreach revealed data consumption rose from 22,000 Petabytes (PB) last year to 50,000 PB in 2020. On 15 occasions during the year, the daily record for broadband use was broken as people worked from home, socialised online, attended video conferences, streamed videos and live sport and downloaded video games for consoles.
30th Dec 2020 - iNews
Post-Pandemic, Office Life May Never Be the Same, CIOs Say
After working remotely for the better part of a year, employees have proven they can do it, and do it despite the difficulties being at home may have presented. Going forward, that means that where people work may have changed permanently, according to chief information officers. “We do not see a return to the traditional five-day-a-week in the office likely happening again,” said Brad Peterson, chief technology and information officer at Nasdaq Inc. Like many CIOs, Mr. Peterson says a hybrid of home and office work will likely become the preferred option for most employees. Mr. Peterson was one of 45 IT executives who responded to CIO Journal’s annual end-of-year questionnaire on the future of the office and other topics.
30th Dec 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Companies Are Starting To Pay People The Same If They Live In New York City, San Francisco Or Buford, Wyoming
Mostly everything during the pandemic was pretty awful. On the bright side, there’s been some positive, progressive trends which could greatly benefit workers. Location-based salaries and compensation are now being questioned and re-evaluated in light of the success of the massive work-from-home or anywhere-remotely trend. There is a potential downside to the good news of no salary adjustments when workers relocate or work in cities outside the radius of the home office. Job seekers may be forced to contend with more competition, especially with unemployment at all-time high levels.
30th Dec 2020 - Forbes
Making Cents: How to save money while working from home
If you are one of the tens of thousands who made the move to working from home this year, now is the time to figure out if you can make a claim with Revenue for tax relief on the cost of utilities during the period you were at home rather than in the office. There are two ways workers can be financially supported while working remotely. An employer can make a voluntary payment to an employee of €3.20 per workday without deducting any PAYE, PRSI or USC. This payment is intended to cover expenses such as heating and electricity costs. But there is no obligation on the employer to make this payment and, according to a recent survey from Taxback.com, just 5% of employers of Ireland’s remote workforce are paying it.
30th Dec 2020 - Irish Examiner
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullDreading or dreaming of a return to the office in 2021
The US is deep in the bleakest period of the pandemic, with thousands of Americans dying each day. That reality is not lost on affluent remote workers, who are quick to express gratitude for their own good fortune. They feel guilty complaining about Zoom fatigue and social isolation when they are working in relative safety and comfort. Yet with the approval of two coronavirus vaccines, many of these remote employees find themselves imagining the new shape of their work lives in a post-pandemic America. Some glimpse a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel; others see an oncoming train. In June, PwC surveyed 120 U.S. company executives and 1,200 office workers to see how they felt about that future. About a third said they hoped to work from home full time. About 9 percent wanted to work from home hardly at all. The majority preferred a hybrid workplace
28th Dec 2020 - The Washington Post
Remote working app to be launched by Government
In Ireland, a new remote working app is to be launched by the Government, to allow people to see what spaces are available near them. Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys says this is down to a major change in how people are operating. She said her department is currently mapping out all the co-working spaces, digital hubs and others which will then be integrated into an app. "People will be able to see where I can go and work from a local centre".
28th Dec 2020 - Newstalk
88% of civil servants as 'effective' working remotely
In Ireland, a new report reveals that 88% of civil servants feel as effective working remotely as they are during normal working arrangements. A total of 26,822 civil servants took part in the Civil Service Employee Engagement Survey 2020 Covid-19 Remote Working Report. The survey also shows that three-quarters of civil servants indicated they would like to continue to access remote working in the future if given the choice.
28th Dec 2020 - RTE.ie
In 2021 We Need To Focus On Remote Work Creativity
Work From Home—and remote or hybrid work more generally—is here to stay, and we are just beginning to feel its implications. One of those implications that we need to consider in 2021 is how knowledge workers can be more creative when working remotely. More specifically, we need to change the conversation around remote work to be less about productivity and more about how remote work can boost creativity. Mindsets need to shift. The convergence of two massive trends impacting the workplace—remote work and the increasing use of AI—means that creativity should be where we focus our efforts
28th Dec 2020 - Forbes
This Is the Future Of Remote Work In 2021
The world witnessed a historic shift in the 2020 job market due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While some companies used to offer remote work as a perk, it has now become the norm for most businesses. By 2025, an estimated 70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month. While 2020 may be considered the year of remote work, it is just the beginning as we see the trend continuing in 2021. The percentage of workers permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021, according to a survey from Enterprise Technology Research
28th Dec 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow to Manage Performance Evaluations in the Work-From-Home Era
A performance review, done well, applauds excellent work, delivers beneficial feedback and inspires a feeling of forward momentum. It’s not easy to pull off in the best of times, and as work-from-home drags on, the task can feel even more challenging. Inspiring employees to remain engaged and productive is a growing issue. The number of chief executives who cited employee performance as a top concern shot up to 56 percent in 2020, from 36 percent in 2019, according to research by the Predictive Index, a firm that uses data analytics to help companies with hiring and management decisions.
21st Dec 2020 - The New York Times
Why I want to be a digital nomad after working remotely in Barbados
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of digital nomads in the world is on the rise. Before the pandemic, an estimated 3.4% of US employees worked remotely. That figure has now risen to 42%, according to Stanford University. And some remote workers are taking advantage of their new lack of physical office ties to travel the world with their laptops. Countries from Barbados to Georgia are capitalizing on this new trend by launching special visas designed for digital nomads, while also ensuring they manage the spread of the coronavirus.
22nd Dec 2020 - Insider
Why middle managers are feeling the most stressed out during COVID
Plenty of teams have switched to working remotely since March. Now enough time has passed that many are starting to ask: What's actually working? That was the topic of a recent virtual panel presented by Fortune and Slack's Future Forum called "Reimagine Work: New Ways to Lead." Brian Elliott, who leads the Future Forum, said that his company's research showed a stark divide in terms of how different groups of employees are experiencing—and adapting to—remote work. When it came to having stress at work and wrestling with social isolation, "middle managers stood out," he said. According to his company's survey of 9,000 knowledge workers around the globe, middle managers were 91% more likely to say they were having trouble working remotely when compared to individuals and senior executives
22nd Dec 2020 - Fortune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullChief remote working officers are now navigating organizations into a post-pandemic world
The pandemic has shuttered offices and transformed companies into virtual workplaces overnight. Now it’s giving rise to a new corporate job title: head of remote work. The role may seem like a pandemic-era fad, especially with vaccines beginning to roll out. But experts contend that even after offices can safely reopen, many companies will allow employees more flexibility in terms of where they work. Managing both a remote and an office-bound workforce creates a host of challenges for organizations, with implications for real estate, technology, human resources, finance and corporate culture.
21st Dec 2020 - The Globe and Mail
Flexible working: lessons from the great work-from-home mass experiment
For years, politicians and employers alike have talked up the promise of flexible working. And it looked like change was happening. Last year, the UK government announced a consultation around whether flexible work should not just be available, but become employees’ default option in its annual Queen’s Speech. But 2020 rapidly became a hugely different year in Westminster and flexible working rights seemingly ground to a halt at the political level. In the end it took the COVID-19 pandemic, with its attendant government-enforced lockdowns, for working from home to sit at the centre of an unanticipated global experiment and to become the catalyst for a real discussion about flexible work
21st Dec 2020 - The Conversation UK
COVID-19 gives single Millennials the chance to see the world while working remotely
Remote work has grown 44 percent since 2010, according to Built In, a tech website for job recruiters. But “geographic flexibility” — the ability to work from any location — has skyrocketed in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. While not every job can be accomplished in a Wi-Fi-enabled van, there is increasing acceptance from many companies that it doesn’t matter where a worker logs on. And that might just be here to stay: A new survey out of Harvard found that 16 percent of American workers will pivot to working at home at least two days per week after the virus subsides.
21st Dec 2020 - Houston Chronicle
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullDigital nomads told us what it's like to work remotely from around the world - and how you can do it yourself after the pandemic
With many people working remotely, digital nomads — people who earn a living online while they travel — are on the rise. Insider spoke to digital nomads Andrea Valeria, Wanda Duncan, and Kim Leary about the perks and challenges that come with working remotely from around the world. According to them, the digital nomad experience can be rewarding, but it can also be difficult and lonely so it's important to meet others and form a community.
17th Dec 2020 - MSN.com
Clocking in from beach: NZ companies urge employees to work even more remotely
In New Zealand,Tourism Holdings and Vodafone have jumped on board with the four-week 'work from anywhere' initiative which allows their staff to work from the beach, bach or even a tent following the festive season. Its chief financial officer Nick Judd said because people had got used to working from home over the pandemic, there was now the ability to work from anywhere in Aotearoa. "We've got so used to virtual working due to Covid this year we're saying get out and about, explore the country, help some of the regional economies and take your work with you," Judd told Nine to Noon. He said the campaign was also about improving worker welfare after a particularly stressful year.
17th Dec 2020 - 1News
Employee Monitoring Vs. Workplace Trust In An Age Of Remote Working
This year, as communities came together to fight Covid-19, millions of employees packed up their desks and headed for their study, kitchen, or shed. Technology responded, supporting teams to find new ways to collaborate through digital channels. But this connected virtual workplace brought friction too. As the months rolled on, leaders started to worry that they didn’t know if staff were productive at home, and more organizations began to look at technology to monitor their employees. Are organizations now in danger of inadvertently taking technology too far and engendering a culture of conflict and mistrust? Leaders need to carefully weigh up the impact of employee monitoring software and take a collaborative approach to implementation with their staff.
17th Dec 2020 - Forbes
Before Transitioning To A Permanent Work-From-Home Culture, Leaders Should Look Before They Leap
The pandemic has forced organizations to embrace remote work for an extended period of time, certainly well into 2021. Some organizations, such as Facebook, recently announced the creation of a new role called Director of Remote Work, along with a pledge to transition half of its nearly 50,000-person global workforce to work from home within the next five to 10 years. Other organizations, such as Twitter, Square and VMware have taken steps to allow employees to work from home indefinitely. While examples like these have ignited a new work-from-home movement, some leaders haven’t been so quick to permanently lock their office doors. Instead, they’re taking time to consider important big-picture questions
17th Dec 2020 - Forbes
The New Battles to Come Over Working From Home
A lot of things can be expected to go back to normal once the Covid-19 pandemic is truly over. Restaurants, cruise ships and resort towns will be packed again. Spending on home improvements will subside. Since early last spring, though, many thoughtful people have been speculating that the workplace will never be the same. The success of the great experiment in working from home during the pandemic has made it much clearer than it was before that many of the things we do in offices can be done just as well or better while working remotely and communicating electronically. And because a lot of the best jobs in recent decades have been concentrated in crowded, expensive cities, this could also provide an opportunity for workers to relocate to places where life is simpler and real estate cheaper.
17th Dec 2020 - Bloomberg
State needs to be ‘much more ambitious’ with remote working, Humphreys says
In Ireland, the Government needs to be much more ambitious than its programme for government commitment to have 20 per cent of public sector employees working remotely, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has said. In the wake of the shift to remote working from 200,000 before the Covid-19 pandemic to more than 700,000 currently Ms Humphreys told the Dáil that this had “given us all an opportunity to reimagine the possibility for a greater regional distribution of jobs”.
17th Dec 2020 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullWill COVID-19 push more employees to work remotely after the pandemic? This economist says yes
Millions of Americans have spent this year working from home, and employers have realized just how smoothly things can get done when they trust their staff to work remotely. But for those fortunate enough to work from home, will COVID-19 have a lasting effect on how we do our jobs? Or will millions of commuters return to cities if and/or when vaccines are made available? A new study by Vanguard has shed some light on the future of work. “Work-from-home arrangements represent a sharp acceleration of a trend that was already under way before COVID-19,” said Joseph Davis, Vanguard global chief economist. “But the big question for the U.S. economy is how many jobs, and what types, could permanently become remote?”
17th Dec 2020 - Journal.ie on MSN.com
The 9-to-5 workweek may become the '3-2-2' after the pandemic
The traditional 9-to-5 will transform into the '3-2-2' as more employees begin to enjoy and expect work flexibility, predicts Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans. The 3-2-2 schedule balance traditional and remote work, where employees work for three days in office, two days remote, and two days off. This structure allows employees to create schedules that work around their everyday lives, which has shown to improve job satisfaction, productivity, and attendance.
17th Dec 2020 - Business Insider
Working remotely, state workers drive 1 million fewer miles each week
Maine state employees drove 1.1 million fewer miles and took 17,877 fewer trips every week between April and November by working remotely during the pandemic, recent state surveys have found. Working from home kept 233,103 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air every week, according to preliminary estimates, reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by 7 million pounds over the 30-week period. The calculations are preliminary, but they are thought to be the first specific metrics in Maine that capture the impact of telework on climate change.
17th Dec 2020 - Press Herald
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in full3 Ways to Set Boundaries When You Work from Home
When your house is your office and vice versa it becomes increasingly difficult to separate work and home. Instead of concentrating solely on the task at hand, you’re distracted by the pile of laundry waiting to be done or the TV that’s just itching to be turned on. At an office, neither of these things are a possibility, so while offices have their own distractions, working solo at home arguably comes with more. Not to mention, some semblance of a work-life balance is already a challenge to maintain, but doing so when you’re working and living in the same space takes effort and one (or more!) of these strategies.
16th Dec 2020 - BioSpace
'We'd just begun our careers - and then the pandemic hit'
The sudden lockdown in March this year turned the world of work upside down. Millions were sent home to refashion their living rooms into a place to do business. For many that was a challenge, but imagine what it was like for those of us only just beginning our working lives.
16th Dec 2020 - BBC News
Howard Levitt: Remote working arrangements need to be codified with clear guidelines to boost productivity
As this year comes to a close, some working Canadians will still be phoning it in — literally — and doing so for the foreseeable future. But even at this late hour, the long-term consequences of remote working are just being discerned. Amid the chaos of the early lockdowns, businesses had no choice but to frantically, sometimes frenetically, adapt. As large portions of the workforce were ordered to work from home, employees too had to quickly acclimate to an unfamiliar environment. Often, it was the blind leading the blind. Almost a year later, most remote workers have become quite comfortable with their circumstances. For employers, not so much. As a considerable portion of the workforce continues to work unseen, many businesses have struggled for quality and consistency
16th Dec 2020 - Financial Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullWork-From-Home Scores Big Praise, But Proactive Firms Can Make It Better
Work-from-home is a crowd pleaser. That may sound like an obvious finding, but – given the dire circumstances under which the world entered the virtual workforce this year – it’s a significant one. This past fall, researchers at Thomson Reuters polled 1,000 corporate professionals (500 in the United States, 250 in the United Kingdom, and 250 in Canada), and found that only one-in-10 respondents said they preferred their previous working practices. What’s more, 69 percent of respondents said they want to maintain at least some aspects of their changed working practices once “stay-at-home” orders expire. Still, even as the honeymoon period stretches on, the feedback from professionals raises some clear pain points that need to be addressed before the ideal of work-from-anywhere freedom can truly be realized.
15th Dec 2020 - Forbes
Some Say Working From Home Is Grinding Them Down
As the pandemic has forced many to work from home, some are starting to feel as if they are living at work, putting in more hours and being stressed more than they want to be.
15th Dec 2020 - NPR
Rather work from home? A lot of employers want you to
COVID-19 forced millions of employees to do their jobs from home instead of the office. For those who want to continue working remotely — or those who’d like to give it a shot — there’s never been a better time to try. Working remotely, or telework, grew by 73% in the six years preceding the pandemic, and 25% of U.S. workers work from home either full time or part time, said Anne Nowak, program director for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library Career Center. Pandemics don’t last forever, she said, but this trend looks like it will.
15th Dec 2020 - The Advocate
The shift to working from home can outlast COVID-19
For the past eight months, office life has been transformed as – in the interest of social distancing – millions were told to work from home. The shift to remote working is surprisingly widespread. The percentage of people who work from home has of course climbed in tech-savvy sectors such as IT and finance. But it has risen significantly in some old economy sectors too. In construction, for instance, the share of work-from-home workers jumped from 15 per cent pre-COVID to 34 per cent in September, according to Fair Work Australia. Yet from Monday, the NSW Public Health Order requiring employers to allow all workers to work remotely lapsed. Bosses will now have the option of ordering staff back to the office. Yet the return to the pre-COVID status quo also poses problems because some Australian employers are more enthusiastic about returning to the old work arrangements than their workers, who have enjoyed the flexibility and the time saved from the daily commute.
14th Dec 2020 - Sydney Morning Herald
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: 'Third wave' warning and how work from home couples are coping
Easing England's Covid restrictions could lead to a third wave of the virus at the busiest time of the year for hospitals, according to NHS bosses. In a letter to the prime minister, NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts in England, has urged "extreme caution" in moving any area to a lower tier. A review of the tiers is due to take place on Wednesday. The letter highlighted some parts of the country where there was a "worrying increase in infection rates across a wide range of areas", including Essex, Kent, London and parts of Lincolnshire. It comes ahead of the festive season when people will be allowed to form a "bubble" between 23 and 27 December, with the letter urging Boris Johnson to lead a "better public debate about the risks inherent in the guidance".
14th Dec 2020 - BBC News
Holyrood out to clear the air with remote working push to tackle pollution
Scottish ministers want people to continue to work from home after the Covid pandemic in order to cut the country’s carbon footprint.With road traffic contributing to poor air quality, the government
13th Dec 2020 - The Times
Future of the City: Where did all the jobs go?
For months after the Brexit referendum, Japanese bankers were invited on tours of Frankfurt. Some took in a football match and met one of the local club’s star players: Makoto Hasebe, former captain of Japan’s national team. Impressed by the German city’s clean air, green spaces and family-friendly atmosphere, most of the Japanese bankers switched their plans for establishing a post-Brexit EU base in Amsterdam, opting for Frankfurt instead. “One of the biggest issues we have with people is to get them here to see it and then they are pleasantly surprised by what they find,” said Hubertus Väth, head of the Frankfurt Main Finance lobby group.
13th Dec 2020 - Financial Times
Poll: 54% Of Remote Workers Hope To Continue After Pandemic
More than half of Americans who are working from home because of the pandemic want to work from home all or most of the time after the outbreak, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Wednesday, signaling the increase in remote work is likely to continue.
13th Dec 2020 - Forbes
Employees under 50 working remotely during coronavirus pandemic struggle to stay motivated: study
Money isn’t enough of a motive to keep young adults engaged at work during a global pandemic, a new report claims. Forty-two percent of adults aged between 18 and 49 working from home say it’s been somewhat or very difficult to find motivation since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to a survey published recently by the Pew Research Center. That’s significantly more than the 20% of adults 50 and older who said their motivation was lacking during the new normal.
The survey found there were myriad factors for why young people felt less on track at work while remote including distractions from lack of childcare and working in a more confined space.
13th Dec 2020 - Fox News
Bosses and employees divided over working from home rules
An expectations gap is opening between bosses and staff over the future of remote work as major companies say only 40 per cent of employees will be able to operate from home in future. The NSW public health order requiring employers to allow people to work from home will be repealed on Monday but bosses are grappling with the post-pandemic balance between home and office-based work. The order coincides with a report of some of Australia's largest organisations that found while almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of employees want a hybrid model that involves some working from home and some days in the office, employers say it will only be available to about 40 per cent of staff.
13th Dec 2020 - Sydney Morning Herald
Coronavirus and return to work: five ways to support bereaved employees
During lockdown Bupa saw a 40% increase in enquiries to its EAPs from companies seeking advice on how to support bereavement and loss. Alaana Woods and Erika Gati-Howe outline some approaches that may help, and which OH can communicate to managers. Covid-19 is the biggest global crisis we’re likely to see in our lifetime – affecting people personally, collectively and professionally. Sadly, as the pandemic has progressed, more people will be dealing with grief. Losing a loved one is always hard. However, due to social isolation measures, people are experiencing bereavement differently. Many will be unable to attend funerals or be physically comforted by their friends and family outside their household, something which can be pivotal to the grieving process.
12th Dec 2020 - Personnel Today
Indian travellers now keen to book places from where they can work remotely, survey reveals
Ever since the pandemic started, most working professional in India turned to work-from-home to meet their deadlines. While initially it required some effort to acclimatize to the situation, now many people have grown so accustomed, they are reluctant to get back to offices, especially since the risk of infection is still there. A new survey by Booking.com — a digital travel company — has now revealed that 63 per cent of Indian travellers are willing to quarantine in destinations, as long as they can work remotely.
12th Dec 2020 - The Indian Express
Will Coronavirus Be the Death of Cities? Not So Fast
The Covid-19 crisis is bringing a Great Reset to our cities, suburbs and communities. Not just the health crisis—the economic and fiscal crises emerging in its wake, and the wave of protests for racial and economic justice that has swept up alongside it, are altering the way we live and work in powerful ways. This Great Urban Reset gives us a once-in-a-century opportunity to create more equitable and inclusive communities of all sizes and shapes. In the wake of the 2008 economic crash, I identified the Great Resets that remake and recharge economic systems in the wake of crises. They do so by giving rise to new ways of living and working that enable the economy to expand and grow.
10th Dec 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullDubai remote-working protocols for govt employees
Government employees in Dubai will now be allowed to work outside their offices - either fully or partially - as new Remote Working Protocols have been approved. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, on Thursday announced the roll-out of the new protocols, which seek to enhance corporate agility, efficiency and talent retention and promote work-life balance. It was part of the overall vision to harness technologies and create a flexible environment for the next generation of jobs.
10th Dec 2020 - MSN.com
Working from home: Not all that glitters is gold
According to a recent survey by the digital association Bitkom, more than 10 million employees — or about a quarter of Germany's working population — have been working from home. Many have gotten used to this new situation and come to appreciate the upsides. But the drawbacks have also become clearer. Klaus Dörre is an economic sociologist at the University of Jena. He's convinced working from home will have negative consequences in the long run, for three main reasons. Not all is bad, of course. Both Dörre and Gerlmaier agree there is a lot to be learned from the current situation, as we certainly won't go back to square one once the pandemic is over. Gerlmaier believes there is a lot of potential in working from home that currently remains untapped. Businesses and policymakers need to think outside of the box, she says.
10th Dec 2020 - DW (English)
Cabo Verde: Country wants to attract foreigners to stay, work remotely from archipelago
Cabo Verde intends to seduce European, American and Portuguese speaking citizens to work remotely from the archipelago through a programme that allows six-month stays with a temporary work visa. The “Remote Working Cabo Verde” programme emerged when the archipelago, currently with a low incidence of Covid-19, but virtually no tourism since March, tried to revive international interest as a sun and beach destination, reinforced by the safe environment in the face of the pandemic, after strengthening laboratory capacity to detect the disease and already with internationally certified health units.
10th Dec 2020 - Macau Business
Technicity GTA 2020: Stop worrying if workers are working remotely and focus on creating a healthier experience, says Microsoft
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is foremost in the minds of CIOs and other business leaders as they consider what comes next. Jason Brommet, head of modern workplace and security for Microsoft Canada, says that heading into 2021, the mental well-being of employees, most of whom are working extended hours from home, is a critical issue that must be addressed. “We know now that even when we aren’t watching closely, people can do their best work and we can trust them. That being said … it’s not this notion of whether or not they can be productive, but whether or not they’re working in sustainable ways,” Brommet told virtual attendees of Technicity GTA 2020.
10th Dec 2020 - IT World Canada
Now that virtual court hearings have been conducted successfully, they should become the norm
in India, when the lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus was announced in March, it came as a huge disruptive shock. Most offices and activities were brought to a sudden halt. But enterprises soon began to use internet and e-platforms to allow employees to work from home. The Supreme Court also started hearings using the internet and e-platforms. Considerable work on this had been done by an e-committee headed by Justice DY Chandrachud. However, virtual proceedings were mostly restricted to urgent hearings in High Courts and Supreme Court. There was also a very selective, arbitrary method for deciding what constituted an urgent matter. In addition, most subordinate courts did not adopt this practice. As a consequence, the backlog of cases has been mounting.
10th Dec 2020 - Scroll.in
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullBrits hoping to work from home for ever are buying properties miles away from office
Brits are prepared to buy a new property miles away from their place of employment - because many plan to continue working from home permanently, a study has revealed. A fifth of workers hope they never have to set foot in the office again, even after lockdown restrictions are lifted, and the world returns to normal. As a result, a poll of 2,000 UK homeowners found that two-thirds would now look to move to a house that was better designed for home working.
10th Dec 2020 - Mirror Online
10 gift ideas for the person who's getting sick of working from home, from a remote work expert
If ever there was a year to celebrate your work-from-home survival skills, 2020 is it. You deserve a reward for juggling personal responsibilities along with your role as a home-based business owner or remote employee, all during a pandemic. So pat yourself on the back, then share this gift guide with your family, friends and colleagues — especially the ones who dread working from home.
10th Dec 2020 - CNBC
This Hawaii program will pay your airfare to live and work remotely from the islands
Hawaii will welcome 50 newcomers from out of state in the coming months thanks to a new temporary residency program called Movers & Shakas. Formed by a group of local nonprofits, alumni associations and business leaders in partnership with the state government, the initiative aims to attract working professionals from around the U.S. to move to and work remotely from Hawaii, contribute to the local economy and get involved in community-building efforts severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
10th Dec 2020 - CNBC
COVID-19: Here's what Canada’s top CEOs think about remote work
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, millions of Canadians switched from working in a central office location to working from home. Days turned into weeks, and weeks have turned into months. Now it’s almost 2021, and millions of employees in Canada still work from home full time with no end in sight. Many Canadians wish to continue working remotely once the pandemic ends, which raises the question: Is remote work here to stay? For millions of employees, the answer will depend on what their senior management decides.
10th Dec 2020 - KitchenerToday.com
Challenges and risks for employees working remotely in operating tax compliance
Due to the effect of COVID-19, businesses and their employees are struggling to manage their work operations and taxes. The need to adopt new-age digital technologies is a major learning from lockdown for businesses. And the need to boost technology investment has become a dire need particularly in various areas of businesses, including the supply chain and finance. Employees are now expected to work without coming to the workplace from their homes and can operate operations from home efficiently and efficiently. The very principle on which corporations were managed, employee salaries and benefits were organized and tax laws were written over the years, are therefore questioned.
10th Dec 2020 - CNBCTV18
Staff fear working remotely will damage career prospects
The Covid-19 pandemic has created workplace imbalances for many people, according to a survey by Matrix Recruitment. The study found that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of those surveyed report inequality arising from the pandemic, while one in three say they are concerned that working from home long term will affect their career opportunities. Of those concerned about their careers, 61 per cent say they are worried their employer will not be aware of all the work they do while 38 per cent say they are anxious that they will not have the right supports to progress their career
10th Dec 2020 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullOp-ed: 6 productivity apps to help you survive working from home
While some American workers have gone back to the office, Gallup’s recent annual Work and Education poll shows that 33% are still working remotely full-time due to the coronavirus pandemic, with an additional 25% working from home part-time. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers who have been working remotely during the pandemic would like to continue to do so. And many will be able to with companies increasingly extending working from home through next summer. While most workers might not have planned to go fully remote, the good news is the average company sees a 10% to 43% increase in productivity after making the switch, according to a report from the UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School.
9th Dec 2020 - CNBC
SMEs need to acknowledge remote working lessons to prosper post-Covid
Just as the world’s first Covid-19 vaccination takes place, and companies, in particular small businesses, envisage that they may be finally at the beginning of the end of the business turbulence and see growth in a post-pandemic future, research is warning small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to heed the lessons of the pandemic and ensure there’s no return to bad habits. Attitudes have changed since the beginning of the pandemic, as 8x8 said its research had shown customers were forgiving at the beginning of lockdown earlier this year but now expect companies of all sizes to have adjusted to the “new normal”. Communication now need to be “seamless”, both with customers and between colleagues, as remote working continues.
9th Dec 2020 - ComputerWeekly.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullMore provincial staff to work from home during 2-week circuit breaker
The P.E.I. government has asked all provincial employees who can to work from home the next two weeks during a "circuit-breaker" phase of the Island's COVID-19 pandemic response. The circuit breaker, introduced Sunday, is a short, sharp response to an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases on P.E.I. in the last few days. The hope is that keeping more people at home will stop the spread of coronavirus, just as a circuit breaker is designed to stop the flow of electricity. "As a result of the new public health measures announced, the Public Service Commission, in partnership with the government operations committee, asked all employees who can and are approved to work from home to begin to do so immediately," a provincial government spokesperson said Monday in an email to CBC News.
7th Dec 2020 - CBC.ca
Nine Expert Predictions On Remote Work’s Impact On Businesses’ Bottom Lines
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing guidelines and lockdowns forced many businesses to quickly adapt to at least partial remote work arrangements. Once the initial obstacles were overcome, many workers embraced the flexibility of remote work, and leaders discovered bottom-line benefits such as reduced overhead costs, broader applicant pools and higher employee satisfaction. Now, many businesses have expressed the intention to continue offering their staff members the option to work from home at least some of the time even once the pandemic has passed.
7th Dec 2020 - Forbes
Hawaii offers free round-trip tickets to out-of-state remote workers who want to move there for at least a month
The 'Movers and Shakas' program is looking for 50 people to move to Hawaii for at least a month in the next few weeks. These people will be remote workers who can stimulate the economy and provide their knowledge and expertise to local non-profits. Discounted hotel stays and co-working spaces are also being offered
The Hawaiian economy has suffered due to the lack of tourism caused by the coronavirus pandemic, once reaching over 20 percent unemployment
7th Dec 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in full5 Time Management Tips When Working From Home
Time management was a challenge during normal times. Now the pandemic has introduced a whole new set of issues, including sharing workspace with our significant other and managing our children's educational needs from home. In May alone, 42% of Americans aged 20-64 earning more than $20,000 per year were working from home full-time, according to a Stanford University survey, compared to just 2% before the pandemic. And there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. While offices worldwide have started to reopen, employees will likely be working from home in some capacity until at least 2022.
6th Dec 2020 - Forbes
You may be working from home — but the boss is still looking over your shoulder
It’s a moment that anyone who has ever had a job knows well: that feeling that you have to be just a little more careful when your supervisor or manager is nearby. As familiar as it is, though, it was also just a temporary little blip, or a reminder — once the boss moved on from your cubicle or your spot in the warehouse, it was back to normal. But as digital technology has become ubiquitous in the workplace, the space for that kind of reprieve is shrinking — while the control possible for employers seems to only be growing. Recently, an Australian researcher brought to light that Microsoft’s ubiquitous Office software, used by more than a million companies worldwide, lets companies track employee behaviour, and even provide them a “productivity score” by monitoring their actions. It’s the sort of thing that conjures images of a dark dystopia in which one’s every move is tracked — and in which the boss is forever virtually looking over your shoulder.
6th Dec 2020 - Toronto Star
Why France is struggling to embrace the work-from-home revolution
The French were not accustomed to working from home, or WFH, but when the Covid epidemic forced people into lockdown this spring, they had to get used to it. It’s now become part of the landscape, but has yet to enter the country’s DNA. Before lockdown in March this year, only around eight percent of French companies had some form of remote working in place. But numbers rocketed during those two spring months as everyone who could work from home was encouraged to do so. Some five million employees found themselves in zoom meetings from the comfort, or not, of their living rooms, bedrooms or hallways.
6th Dec 2020 - RFI English
Survey finds most Canadians enjoy working from home, but what are the pros and cons?
When a new survey asked Canadians how they are enjoying working from home only 27 per cent said they would prefer being back at the office. The survey by ClickMeeting, which organizes online meetings and webinars, found that 56 per cent said they enjoy remote work and would prefer a hybrid model of home and office employment. “We do think that down the line that the hybrid model is going to take off," Patrick Quinn, marketing manger with ClickMeeting, said. While many Canadians may enjoy the benefits of working from home, there are challenges to working remotely and some employees may embrace it more than others
6th Dec 2020 - CTV Toronto
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullProfessionals working remotely during the pandemic are watching two hours more of TV: study
Americans working from home during the coronavirus pandemic are spending more time in front of the TV, new data suggests. Professionals who have the luxury to work remotely during COVID-19 are consuming around two hours and 10 minutes more each week of TV – that’s 26 more minutes per day than they did pre-pandemic, according to a survey released Tuesday from market research firm Nielsen. And more tube time seems to be cutting into the workday. More than half of respondents, 65%, said they watched TV or streamed video content during work breaks while 50% said they watched TV while they were working, the data shows.
3rd Dec 2020 - FOX 2 Detroit
What Does Working From Home Mean for the Post-Pandemic Reality?
Lockdown meant increased family time, and it put a pause on commuting, which is both pricey and stressful. There was more downtime at home and far less money spent on work attire, working in my dressing gown on the sofa I’m not proud to say was a regular occurrence.
3rd Dec 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullRobotic arm does Glasgow students’ lab work remotely
University students are carrying out lab work using pioneering remote robotics enabled by 5G as part of a new connectivity push. The Scottish Government-funded Scotland 5G Centre said the country is making substantial progress in developing much-needed applications using the technology. One project that has been tested and is ready to go to market is led by the University of Glasgow. Funding from the Scotland 5G Centre has enabled the university to build its own leading 5G network ecosystem, that will enable test and development of multiple use cases.
2nd Dec 2020 - heraldscotland.com
Optimising collaboration in the post-pandemic workplace
A recent research study of IT and business professionals revealed that, as the pandemic hit, they achieved the implementation of a 4.7x increase in the level of home working, sometimes in a matter of days. 35% of those surveyed said “90-99%” of employees are now working from home, compared to a response of 0% for this band pre-pandemic! Without technology there is no virtual collaboration, so having the right infrastructure in place is a key challenge. Remote support, business-grade devices and cloud-based software are essential, enabling everyone to work efficiently and securely away from the workplace.
2nd Dec 2020 - The HR Director Magazine
Do Your Remote Employees Feel Included in Meetings?
I’ll never forget a 30-minute pre-pandemic conference call I once had with some colleagues. Three of the participants, including the host, called from the office; two of us called in from home. The host waited until the 26th minute to ask the virtual team if we had any questions. Up until that point, he seemed to have forgotten that we were on the other end of the line, waiting to give our input about the project at hand. Not only did he come across as self-centered, but by not allowing his virtual team to contribute to the conversation until the very last minute, he short-changed himself. It was innocuous, but it perfectly epitomized a classic problem that remote workers often run into: being an afterthought to the “core” office team.
2nd Dec 2020 - Harvard Business Review
How to Create a Productive Working from Home Space
The ‘soft office’ (i.e. the bed and sofa) is often seen as the natural home of freelancers and remote workers, but many have experienced for the first time during the pandemic that in reality: it’s not quite conducive to working at your best. Living and working in the same space (perhaps with little ones trundling around too) is something millions of people have been forced to become accustomed to due to COVID-19. It’s no mean feat – but we are here to help. If you are looking for inspiration on how to create an optimal working from home setup – whether in a dedicated room or simply a spot in the corner, read our tips below to create a tranquil, productive space for working.
25th Sep 2020 - Purlfrost
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullHawaii Seeks Remote Workers To Ride Out The Pandemic In Paradise
Understandably, we tend to focus and obsess over all of the depressing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been, however, many positive developments. The virus outbreak has forced us to rethink and reimagine how things can be once the crisis subsides. The work-from-home movement is one of the upside benefits. The ability to shave off a couple of hours of commuting, being able to spend more quality time with your family and not having the boss looking over your shoulder was a godsend for many people.
1st Dec 2020 - Forbes
Death of the 9-5 job? Working from home during lockdown was so successful that the tradition of an eight-hour day five days a week will come to an end, report claims
The traditional nine to five will come to an end in 2021, a new report has claimed
Workers will find a pattern that combines personal and professional lifestyles
Report, titled Zoomsday Predictions, written by the author Marian Salzman
1st Dec 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullGermany plans tax rebate up to €600 for employees working from home
Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on Monday said it was planning a tax rebate for people working from home during the pandemic, to help offset higher costs for heating, electricity and other bills. Merkel's left-right coalition said it had agreed a proposal that would allow employees working from home to reduce their annual tax bill by per €5 working day, up to a maximum amount of €600 per year.
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said the proposed legislation, expected to be approved by parliament in December, is "good for workers" and "not a big fiscal challenge for the German state".
1st Dec 2020 - The Local Germany
If Covid has made working from home our new normal, your boss and Uncle Sam should chip in
Working remotely isn’t new, but the United States has never seen it at its current scale. The shift can benefit workers as well as employers and society writ large — but there can also be costs. When those costs are financial, it’s important that the employer or the government covers the bill for remote workers. Prior to the pandemic, approximately 12 percent of the U.S. workforce worked from home for at least one full day per month. Although not directly comparable, as of October, about 32 million Americans, or one-fifth, reported telework due to the pandemic, and almost three-quarters of those workers are between the ages of 25 and 54. The shift might have been inspired by the coronavirus, but it’s almost certainly something this cohort should be prepared for going forward.
1st Dec 2020 - NBC News
How To Continue Working Remotely Even If Your Company Goes Back To The Office
Many workers who've gotten the option to work from home during the pandemic have discovered something important about themselves: They like it and don’t want to go back into the office. That’s one reason many companies are finding their cubicles sparsely populated when they’ve rolled out optional return-to-work plans. It’s easier for many people to balance their family responsibilities with their careers when they work from home, especially with many schools switching to remote learning as coronavirus cases spike. Not to mention there’s less chance of exposure to the virus when employees work from home.
30th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Working from home won't create jobs for young in Herefordshire
I agree with your recent editorial welcoming an increase in working from home and the opportunities for living in Herefordshire which that allows. But it will not provide significantly more jobs for young people. The majority of people who work from home are older with higher qualifications and more experience. They are executives, specialists and communicators. Many are based in London, but are currently anxious to avoid public transport and long commutes (see the latest ONS figures.)
30th Nov 2020 - Hereford Times
Thinking Of Ditching Your Job To Work-From-Home? Here Are The 7 Things You Should Know
For all the changes stemming from the intrusion of Covid-19, the relocation of our offices to our living rooms and the normalization of non-working-norms is a big one. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, for some of us, it's turning out to be just the ticket for gaining more control over when, where, and how we work—not to mention on what and for whom.
30th Nov 2020 - Forbes
This Invitation to Work Remotely in Hawaii Is Pretty Tempting
As the continental U.S. begins seeing colder temperatures and fewer opportunities to get outdoors safely, this might be the warm weather escape you've been looking for. A new program invites Americans to work remotely from Hawaii.
30th Nov 2020 - Newsweek
The Covid-19 vaccines will usher the dawn of the true hybrid office
Office workers won’t grind out a full week 9 to 5 at their strip-lit desk ever again. News of three successful vaccine trials will start to unlock re-entry to open-plan workplaces, but after Covid-19 forced white collar employees to mass work from home, employers are accepting homogeneous work habits are over, and the future of office work is hybrid. “There’s no real going back to normal, the pandemic has given us an opportunity to rethink how we work and why,” says Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech Nation, a network for entrepreneurs that has just announced a ‘work from anywhere’ (within the UK) that lasts for 12 months. Grech’s employees are being offered co-working spaces, an office-experience for people who might not be able to work from home, while assuming remote will be the new default for many.
30th Nov 2020 - Wired UK
As COVID pandemic extends many remote work options, Hawaii seeks to be seen as a remote workplace with a view
Software engineer Raymond Berger begins his work day at 5 a.m., before the sun comes up over Hawaii. Rising early is necessary because the company he works for is in New York City, five hours ahead of Maui, where he is renting a home with a backyard that’s near the beach. “It’s a little hard with the time zone difference,” he said. “But generally I have a much better quality of life.” The pandemic is giving many workers the freedom to do their jobs from anywhere. Now that Hawaii’s economy is reeling from dramatically fewer tourists, a group of state officials and community leaders wants more people like Berger to help provide an alternative to relying on short-term visitors.
30th Nov 2020 - MassLive
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullHawaii seeks to be seen as a remote workplace with a view
Software engineer Raymond Berger begins his work day at 5 a.m., before the sun comes up over Hawaii. Rising early is necessary because the company he works for is in New York City, five hours ahead of Maui where he is renting a home with a backyard that's near the beach. “It’s a little hard with the time zone difference,” he said. “But generally I have a much better quality of life.” The pandemic is giving many workers the freedom to do their jobs from anywhere.
29th Nov 2020 - The Independent
Pandemic pushes remote work into the long term
Trish Jackson is the new interim head of development for The New School in New York City. She leads a team of 21 employees and spearheads the 9,150-student university’s fundraising — from a spare bedroom at her home in Norwich and without having set foot in Manhattan. Nor is Jackson sure she ever will as part of her new job. “I hope I’ll get to the campus at some point, but I may not,” said Jackson, who previously held development positions at Brown University in Providence, R.I. — where she had to live during the week and commute home on the weekends — and at Dartmouth College. “I don’t think development officers, especially for fundraising, are going back to offices.”
29th Nov 2020 - Manchester Ink Link
Remote work: how are you feeling?
Nonetheless, almost 10 months into the pandemic, Jake, who does not want to use his real name, is “physically fatigued, stressed” and disengaged from his work. Pre-pandemic he would work long hours, but intense spurts would be followed by quieter times, allowing him to recover. Now colleagues don’t think twice about calling at 7am. Technology has ballooned communication. “When the ping of a new email arrives,” he says, “if I don't answer that email pretty much immediately then there’s a different ping of a new instant message arriving over Microsoft Teams. If I let that go unanswered, then you can bet on a phone call.”
28th Nov 2020 - Financial Times
Most people working remotely are unhappy with their home office set-up
New research from GoCompare Home Insurance has found that most people working from home are unhappy with their workspace set-up. Some 63 per cent of homeworkers have experienced issues due to their inadequate set-up, leading to embarrassing Zoom calls and even home office shaming by colleagues. As a result, 19 per cent now say they are fed-up with homeworking and 15 per cent say they are suffering from stress. To restrict the spread of the coronavirus over the winter, the Scottish Government has asked those who can, to continue working from home.
27th Nov 2020 - Daily Record
Working remotely from different states? You could face additional state taxes next year
Whether you worked from your living room or an out-of-state relative’s abode, you could be on the hook for state taxes if you didn’t update your withholding. Seven out of 10 people polled by the American Institute of CPAs were unaware that working remotely in other states could affect the amount of state taxes they owe.
Be upfront with your employer about where you’re working during the pandemic. Keep track of where you worked remotely this year, and update your state tax withholding accordingly.
27th Nov 2020 - CNBC
Work from home brings new freedom, new distractions and new definition of 'the office'
The office of When I Work, a downtown Minneapolis software company, looks like many other trendy workplaces with its industrial-chic design, minimalist sofas, bright kitchen and free coffee. Its leaders have decided workers no longer have to work in it. Ever. “This is how we’ll be forever,” said Martin Hartshorne, the company’s chief executive. “We are indefinitely remote.” Hartshorne isn’t giving up on the office entirely, but it won’t be the flywheel of When I Work, which makes software that manages schedules of hourly workers.
27th Nov 2020 - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Bosses concerned about isolation among remote workers
A new survey shows that the isolation of staff and a lack of cohesion of teams who are working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic are among the chief concerns of business leaders. The survey from the Institute of Directors in Ireland shows that only 12% of respondents expressed concern about remote working productivity rates, which has sometimes been cited in the past as a potential barrier to increased remote working practices. The IoD research also finds that 64% of business leaders believe the majority of their staff will be back in the company workplace by the end of September 2021.
27th Nov 2020 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullBarbados draws hundreds of Americans with remote work program during pandemic
More Americans want to work from paradise during the pandemic. A Barbados travel program giving people the option to relocate to work from the Caribbean island and its white-sand beaches during the pandemic has garnered 675 applications from U.S. citizens, MarketWatch reported.
26th Nov 2020 - Fox Business
53% in India willing to switch jobs to avail remote work: Survey
More than half of the office-goers in India are willing to switch jobs if it meant they could work remotely, said a new survey on Thursday. There has been a heightened interest in online learning since Covid-19 with 83 per cent of survey participants from India saying they are more interested in online learning/training, according to the research by Cloud software firm Salesforce.
26th Nov 2020 - MENAFN.COM
Working from the beach, holidaying while we work: are we getting the worst of both worlds?
These are paradoxical times for digital nomads. After tripping around the world for years with laptops, carry-on luggage and memberships to co-working spaces, they’ve been grounded by the pandemic. Covid has put the “no” in nomad - closing borders, making movement harder, and grounding flights. But while this class of restless workers stays put, more and more of us have adopted a sort of digital nomad-lite model. Since Covid shutdowns, almost half of all Australians are working remotely. The results, for some, are holidays that look like work and work that looks like a holiday.
26th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
What have we learnt about mass remote working?
With this in mind, it seems like a good time to take a step back and reflect on what the last twelve months have taught us about ourselves, our working styles and our ability to adapt. Not only that, but it is also a good time to explore what learnings we can take forward and what can be improved to ensure we continue to thrive both in and out of the home office.
26th Nov 2020 - The HR Director Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullNow you can work remotely from Iceland for six months
The Work in Iceland program previously allowed teleworkers to stay for 90 days, but the country believes that by making it easier for foreign nationals to work from Iceland, they add value, knowledge and connections in Iceland that support its innovative environment. The introduction of this visa means that the country has expanded its long-term visa program beyond the European Schengen area, and applies to any foreign national not required to have a visa to enter Iceland. Successful applicants must be permanently employed by foreign companies and meet supplemental health insurance requirements.
25th Nov 2020 - Lonely Planet Travel News
Remote work brings new hacking risks
The pandemic has millions of Americans working remotely from home to avoid an outbreak in the workplace — but the coronavirus isn’t the only bug that could find its way into the office. According to cybersecurity professionals, remote work has opened the door for phishing scams, ransomware and other risks and breaches that can come back to bite employees and companies alike. Brian Horton, founder and CEO of Breadcrumb Cybersecurity in Fresno, explained that working away from the office can make an employee far more vulnerable to a hack.
24th Nov 2020 - The Business Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullWays to foster a company culture of respect, inclusion and trust in a remote work environment
The work environment has drastically changed over recent months. For many companies, it has been very difficult to hold onto the culture it once proudly boasted about. We all know of companies that spent a significant amount of time fostering a culture with a work hard, play hard attitude. Those that held ping pong tournaments, happy hours, pizza parties and lunch and learns, are struggling right now, too. Chance meetings at the watercooler, catching up with a colleague over lunch and even office celebrations of company wins have all but disappeared. Even if this is not how you would describe your office culture, have you taken the time to consider what is important to your employees in today’s challenging work environment?
24th Nov 2020 - Boston Business Journal
Iceland's New Remote-Work Visa Program Is Only for People Who Make More Than $88,000 a Year
A couple weeks ago, Work In Iceland — a collaborative effort between The Federation of Icelandic Industries and the Iceland Ministry of Industries and Innovation — announced some big-time visa changes for remote workers. Under a newly signed amendment, foreign nationals (people from eligible nations outside the European Schengen Area, including the United States) would be eligible for a long-term visa that allows them and their families to stay in Iceland for up to six months. All that interested individuals would need to do is demonstrate an employment relationship with a foreign company, or verify self-employment in the country where they have a permanent residence.
24th Nov 2020 - InsideHook
Remote Work: The Biggest Legacy Of Covid-19
The biggest impact of Covid-19 may be remote work. Pre-pandemic, roughly five percent of full-time employees with office jobs worked primarily from home. That figure is likely to settle at 20-30 percent in the new normal, with variation across occupations and industries. Location will become less important in hiring. More white-collar workers will live farther from city centers, in different parts of the U.S. and even outside the country, accelerating and changing geographic trends.
24th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Remote work can make you more creative
Many of the online HR conference sessions I’ve joined recently have been dominated by discussions around finding ways to make our remote workforce more productive and efficient. Yet while productivity matters, creativity often gets left out of that conversation. If creativity is discussed at all, it’s often seen as something that we’ve lost with the move to remote work because of the assumption that creativity is the output of in-person brainstorming sessions, with creativity being measured by the number of Post-its on meeting room walls.
24th Nov 2020 - Fast Company
Nearly 7 in 10 Remote Workers Work Weekends
The idea of working from home in pajamas may sound appealing, but the reality may not be so pleasant. In fact, many employees doing their jobs remotely amid the pandemic are finding themselves with a seemingly never-ending workload. Among those who have started working from home during the coronavirus outbreak, more than two-thirds (68%) say their workload has them clocking in on weekends, according to a new survey from staffing firm Robert Half. Meanwhile, nearly half of remote employees (45%) reported spending more than eight hours a day performing job duties, perhaps leaving some workers longing for the days of commuting to the office.
24th Nov 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
The changing world of remote working – or maybe not?
You are probably fed up reading articles on home-working over the last few months. But there are a number of aspects of this topic that are going to shape the world of work going forward, long after the pandemic has disappeared. The key challenge is that organisations and their employees need to think and plan for these now. While many people assume that remote working is a relatively new phenomenon, it has been around for most of our recorded history. The industrial revolution changed that for good. As the world, and the world of work, transformed radically, most workers came to spend their days in factories or offices.
23rd Nov 2020 - The Irish News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhat Canada’s top CEOs think about remote work
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, millions of Canadians switched from working in a central office location to working from home. Days turned into weeks, and weeks have turned into months. Now it’s almost 2021, and millions of employees in Canada still work from home full time with no end in sight. Many Canadians wish to continue working remotely once the pandemic ends, which raises the question: Is remote work here to stay? For millions of employees, the answer will depend on what their senior management decides. In my recent research, I analyzed the language used by chief executive officers (CEOs) in quarterly earnings calls with investors and analysts. While the discussion of remote work was limited in the years prior to 2020, it was central in the public companies’ earnings calls this year.
23rd Nov 2020 - The Conversation CA
Taxing questions being asked about remote working
Economists at Deutsche Bank Research recently floated the idea of imposing a 5 per cent tax on those who choose to work from home after the pandemic has passed, arguing that remote workers contribute less to the infrastructure of the economy while still receiving its benefits. Bank strategist Luke Templeman summed it up thus: “For years, we have needed a tax on remote workers – Covid has just made it obvious.” He and his team argue that employees can afford to pay for working from home because they spend less on commuting, lunch on the go, and even office clothing. They calculate that such a tax would raise £7 billion a year in the UK that could be redistributed to low-income earners who are unable to work remotely, and who thus assume higher costs.
23rd Nov 2020 - HeraldScotland
Remote working could lead to jobs being pushed offshore
Remote working is damaging productivity and could even lead to jobs being moved abroad, a member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee has claimed. In an interview with The Times newspaper this weekend, Professor Jonathan Haskel – who also works as an economics professor at Imperial College Business School – said that employees were working more hours, and that higher levels of output experienced by businesses while employees have been working remotely is unsustainable. He referred to research carried out by the Bank of England into hours worked, concluding that remote workers were devoting the average 59 minutes they saved each day on commuting to work tasks, rather than leisure. “Once many of these firms start working from home, it might expand the labour pool in some way,” he told The Times, referring to the opening up of opportunities for parents with childcare responsibilities offered by remote working.
23rd Nov 2020 - Personnel Today
The shift to remote work carries an inherent risk
This year’s mass experiment with remote working has, for some, triggered a prickling sense of unease: if I can do my job from home in London, Brooklyn or Canberra, could someone else do it more cheaply from Sofia, Mumbai or Manila? In the corporate world, we might have enjoyed skipping commutes and ditching office wear, but will we feel as smug in a few years if we have joined factory workers in the ranks of the “left behind”? It is not a new fear. In 2007, Alan Blinder, an economist at Princeton University, estimated that “stunning advances in computerised telecommunications technology” meant that between 22 and 29 per cent of US jobs were already offshorable, or would be within a decade or two.
23rd Nov 2020 - Financial Times
Equity In The Pandemic: What If Some People Can’t Work Remotely?
It’s becoming an issue in more organizations: some employees have been able to work from home during this crisis while others in the same company have jobs that require them to come into work every day. Many of these latter workers feel they should be seeing more benefits for the increased risk they’re assuming. A study from the university of Chicago has found some 37% of jobs in America can be done entirely from home, a lot higher than was represented by the 8% of Americans who telecommuted full-time before the pandemic. Of course, there are unique challenges to working remotely: from loneliness and lack of collaboration, to bosses expecting you to be available 24/7, to kids or other loved ones distracting you. But say some of those who are braving the pandemic: none of that compares to the health risk of this virus, costs of transportation going to and from their workplace (not to mention time), and increased accountability that can come with in-person work.
23rd Nov 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhy a tax on remote workers is disconnected thinking
Surveying his new life working from home, a friend who does something I don’t understand in the City put it quite simply. “A week before the first lockdown I would have told anyone who asked that I couldn’t possibly do my job from home,” he said. “Two weeks in and I knew I was never going back to the office full time again.” He sent an email to his boss listing the pros and cons. The pros were many and detailed, reflecting on his improved mental health, the joy of not catching the 05.47, his happier marriage, his kids remembering they had a dad and his renewed enthusiasm for whatever it is that he does. The only con: the coffee wasn’t as good. I imagine
22nd Nov 2020 - The Times
Why remote work may be hardest on junior employees
We're eight months into corporate America’s great work-from-home experiment, and it hasn't gone quite the way business leaders expected. Their scattered workforces, even in the midst of a stressful pandemic while shouldering extra burdens like childcare, have been remarkably productive. Of course, that doesn't mean the period has been easy on employees, and leaders have also been surprised by what parts of their workforce remote work has been hardest on.
22nd Nov 2020 - Fortune
DEBATE: Are fears about remote working’s damage to Britain’s creative potential overblown?
Are fears about remote working’s damage to Britain’s creative potential overblown?
Kristine Dahl Steidel, vice president EUC EMEA at VMware, says YES. The future of work has arrived in the form of distributed workforces, and businesses should not be using this as an excuse for stagnant growth. The facts speak for themselves: new research shows that remote working is not putting businesses at a disadvantage in cultivating creativity or productivity. In fact, three quarters of UK decision-makers surveyed believe that innovation is now coming from more places in the organisation, while 29 per cent have seen increases in employee productivity thanks to digital work solutions.
22nd Nov 2020 - City A.M.
Young people embrace remote working — from the beach
When Beth Cammack booked a fortnight in Fuerteventura, departing in early September, it was meant to be two weeks in the sunshine. “I just wanted to get away from England for a break,” she said. However, once she settled into life in the Canary Islands she decided to stay, first delaying her flight home, then cancelling it.
“It’s just so much better than the UK at the moment and the sun shines every day,” she said. “I can do most of my work from here so I can split my time between that and surfing. It was a no-brainer.”
22nd Nov 2020 - The Times
Do you work remotely? This program could pay you $10,000 to do so from Tulsa
Are you working remotely but bored and ready to start a new chapter in life, or simply tired of paying a lot in rent for a small apartment? If so, Tulsa Remote will pay you $10,000 to move to Oklahoma. The program wants to attract "talented and energetic people" to Tulsa who care about making a difference in their local community, spokeswoman Katie Bullock told CNN.
Funded by George Kaiser Family Foundation, the program launched in 2018 and has so far received more than 20,000 applications from people all over the world looking for a new place to call home.
22nd Nov 2020 - CNN
Home working fails to boost productivity, says Bank of England policymaker Jonathan Haskel
Remote working is leading to longer hours and could result in jobs being moved abroad, a member of Bank of England’s rate-setting committee has said. Jonathan Haskel, an external member of the Bank’s monetary policy committee, told The Times that the shift towards home working was unlikely to last as most companies had not found it to be productive. Professor Haskel, an economist at Imperial College Business School in London, said he was sceptical about claims that remote working could boost productivity, which is key to unlocking wage growth and higher living standards. Businesses may experience higher levels of output when employees work from home, but he said that the Bank had found “credible evidence that people are working longer hours”.
21st Nov 2020 - The Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 shift to remote working adds to Earth’s growing e-waste problem
The uptick in remote working-related IT kit purchases caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked concerns over how enterprises are planning to deal with the increase in electronic waste (e-waste) these deployments may cause.
19th Nov 2020 - Computer Weekly
Flexible vs remote working: why understanding the difference between the two is so important
Although the majority of us probably didn’t have ‘adapt to a whole new way of working’ on our to-do lists for 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has forced all of us to change our approach. Gone are the days when our 9-5 was dominated by office chat and rounds of tea – in 2020, a combination of makeshift desks, daily Zoom calls and endless emails has become our ‘new normal’.
19th Nov 2020 - Stylist
4 Powerful Ways To Improve Creative Collaboration When Working Remotely
The pandemic changed the way we work almost overnight. Offices went dark as employees switched to remote work, and teams had to find new ways to collaborate. Research shows that telecommuting can make us more productive when faced with creative tasks, but being stuck at home indefinitely can leave us feeling uninspired. Working as a team on creative projects is even more difficult. According to a recent report, collaboration is one of remote employees’ top challenges. Brainstorming via Slack and Zoom just isn’t the same as bouncing ideas around in the office. But just because you’re working remotely doesn’t mean creative collaboration has to suffer. You just need some fresh ideas for working together while apart.
19th Nov 2020 - Forbes
5 Ways To Make Remote Working Your New And Better Normal
The pandemic has changed so much about our lives, including how we work. COVID-19 forced companies to switch to remote working quickly, but as more and more people work from home for more extended periods, many believe it will become the new normal for the way work gets done. A study by global digital consultancy Publicis Sapient found that remote workers want the flexibility to work from home in some capacity even after offices reopen. Close to 40% of US respondents said they'd prefer to work remotely full-time, and only 16% said they would want to go into the office every day.
19th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Union calls for more public holidays, increased remote working and four-day week
Trade union Fórsa is calling for more public holidays, an increase in remote working and the introduction of a four-day working week. Reduced working time is better for business, workers, women and the environment, it said. Ireland’s largest public sector union is calling for pilot projects to explore the feasibility of a four-day working week without loss of pay or productivity. Speaking at the Fórsa biennial conference today, the union’s vice-president Eugene Gargan said automation and other new technologies were set to erode “vast volumes” of routine work.
19th Nov 2020 - Independent.ie
Managers are much more positive about flexible working and staff working from home since the pandemic - says new study.
Managers are much more positive about their staff working from home and working flexibly since lockdown says a new study undertaken jointly by the Equal Parenting Project at the University of Birmingham and the Work Autonomy, Flexibility and Work-Life Balance at the University of Kent.
19th Nov 2020 - University of Birmingham
What does a growing need for remote working mean for the NHS?
The coronavirus pandemic has brought in a remote working revolution in the NHS, which brings with it new challenges and opportunities. An HSJ webinar, supported by IBM, explored this key issue. When David Probert reflects on how the pandemic has changed his organisation’s approach to remote working, he doesn’t hold back. “From a clinical perspective, I would be as bold as to say we’ve probably squashed 10 years of digital transformation into about three months.”
19th Nov 2020 - Health Service Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullSurvey: More than 11% of American households plan to relocate as remote work persists
As many as 23 million Americans plan to relocate to a new city as working from home becomes more popular, according to a recent survey from online freelance company Upwork. More than 11% of households surveyed said they plan to move, implying U.S. migration rates will be three to four times higher than normal, according to Upwork, which polled 20,000 people for their report. These Americans are likely to move within the next year, said Adam Ozimek, Upwork’s chief economist.
18th Nov 2020 - Seattle Times
Majority of German companies plan to 'focus more on remote working'
Nearly 70 percent of German companies have long-term plans for remote working, according to a new survey. Throughout the coronavirus crisis in Germany, many employees shifted to working from home. During the pandemic, 'Home Office' became not only more culturally acceptable, but encouraged when possible. But will employers will continue to embrace the trend even when the pandemic is over? According to a new survey by management consultants Deloitte, the answer is clear.
18th Nov 2020 - The Local Germany
NI: JMK Solicitors embrace remote working across Europe
Staff at Belfast and Newry firm JMK Solicitors have been working remotely from across Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Izabella Andrzejewska, a member of the JMK graduate programme, has availed of the opportunity to work full-time from her home in Poland, around 1,500 miles away from Belfast. Ms Andrzejewska said: “After spending months in isolation here in Northern Ireland, I asked our team in JMK if it would be possible for me to take the computer and work for a couple of weeks from Poland. After a few days my partner and I were all packed and ready to fly home.”
18th Nov 2020 - Irish Legal News
You could get paid £7,500 to move to Arkansas and work remotely
The region of Northwest Arkansas is trying to attract new residents and it is offering people $10,000 (£7,500) and a free bike to move there. The Life Works Here initiative aims to bring new talent to the area, focusing on people who can work remotely. The council explains: ‘Northwest Arkansas has more than 10,000 job openings right now and has a shortage of talent to fill available STEAM jobs. We want to attract talent who will help us build a richer long-term talent pipeline that supports our thriving local economy.
18th Nov 2020 - Metro.co.uk
Working from home has offered people a glimpse of how things could be different
I had begun to forget the sensation of hope. This is the year that I scaled hopefulness back: it became bread in the oven or bulbs in the ground – small packages of potential, just significant enough to give the soul a little lift. Then, the news of not one, but two pioneering vaccines, and hope rustled its feathers again. After months of making future promises for “when this is all over”, it seems that it could, one day, be over.
18th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Now is the time to invest in remote working
With such a dispersed workforce likely to remain the status quo for the foreseeable future, the charity sector must look towards remote working solutions in order to build sustainable operations.
18th Nov 2020 - Charity Digital News
Strategy on remote working to be published - Tánaiste
The Government is to publish a new strategy on remote working before the end of the year, which will include proposals for a country-wide network of digital hubs, as well as new tax and expense arrangements. Speaking during a Dáil debate on a Labour Private Members' Bill aimed at enhancing protections for employees who are working remotely, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said it was essential that the costs of working from home were borne in a fair way.
18th Nov 2020 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullTech jobs spring up as companies adapt to new world of work
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the world of work as we know it. Reducing human contact has led to the mass adoption of working from home and accelerated companies’ reliance on digital technology and the telecoms networks that underpin it. Meanwhile, thousands of workers have been forced to move to new industries as the pandemic threatens the future of their chosen sector, and the trauma of a global pandemic and recession has highlighted the need for mental health support at work. So what jobs are likely to be in demand in the economy of the future? The FT asked experts and companies around the world for five real life examples:
18th Nov 2020 - Financial Times
The worst work model of the future? It's not all office, or fully remote
A Harvard Business School professor who has studied remote work for years says companies risk making big mistakes in a rushed moved to new employment models after Covid. He referenced GitLab, a 1,300-employee company that has been fully remote since it was founded and built rigorous processes from Day One to make it work. GitLab’s CEO says hybrid work models, which many companies now say they will favor in the future, can turn out to be “horrible.”
18th Nov 2020 - CNBC
Australians are doing $100 billion worth of unpaid overtime, as remote working comes at a cost
Australians are working more than five hours of unpaid overtime every week, according to new research from the Centre for Future Work. Australians are working more than five hours of unpaid work every week, according to new research that put the annual figure of unpaid work at nearly $100 billion. For many, the reality of working from home this year has actually meant living at work, with 70 per cent of those ‘working from home’ pulling more hours than they would in the office. The Centre for Future Work’s 12th annual Go Home on Time Day report shows Australians did $98.6 billion worth of unpaid overtime. In total, that’s the equivalent of seven weeks of full-time work per person.
18th Nov 2020 - SmartCompany
Proposals to boost employment rights for remote workers
The Labour Party has proposed new legislation to boost employment protection for the almost 800,000 people who are doing some or all of their work from home, including a "right to disconnect" from out-of-hours communications. Speaking ahead of the launch of the Working from Home (Covid-19) Bill 2020, which will be debated in the Dáil tomorrow, the party's employment affairs spokesperson Senator Marie Sherlock raised concerns about the impact of working from home on workers.
She acknowledged that remote working had been a positive experience for many workers, but cited a Labour survey of 305 respondents, one third of whom reported negative effects on their mental health as one of the main drawbacks.
17th Nov 2020 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullCumbrian businesses urged to back virtual work experience programme
Businesses of all sizes throughout Cumbria are being invited to support an ambitious work experience programme aimed at providing 3,000 placements for young people throughout the county. Cumbria Careers Hub has teamed up with the national charity Speakers for Schools, founded in 2010 by ITV’s Political Editor Robert Peston with a mission to help level the playing field for young people of all backgrounds. The two organisations are aiming to recruit up to 50 employers within Cumbria to take part in the programme by offering virtual work placements of between one and five days to a target of 3,000 young people, aged 14-19.
16th Nov 2020 - News and Star
Half of remote workers are suffering from WFH fatigue
According to a survey carried out by Resilience First, more than half of remote workers are now suffering from working from home fatigue, a condition that can reflect many of these downsides. And this is likely to be a long term situation, with Europe entering a second lockdown and three quarters of the biggest employers now saying that remote working in some shape is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Some are beginning to question whether the traditional office is ‘obsolete’. Others have indicated that they will promote a ‘culture that values and supports remote working’ with a goal of having around a third of the workforce working from home or near home in the future. What is clear is that returning to the office is proving to be slower and more difficult than dispersal in the first instance.
16th Nov 2020 - The HR Director Magazine
Levelling up is easier in a world of remote work
Whether it is called “levelling up”, “rebalancing” or “regeneration”, politicians have been promising to fix regional inequality for as long as it’s been a problem. But they have often felt as if they were “pushing water uphill”, in the words of Clare Foges, who was a speech writer for former UK prime minister David Cameron. It’s true that powerful economic and technological forces have propelled the rise of cities and the decline of post-industrial areas. But Covid-19 has opened up a new possibility: that people could disperse from overcrowded and expensive metropolises into other areas, taking their good jobs with them. Politicians who want to reduce regional inequality have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help this trend along. They just need the imagination to seize it.
16th Nov 2020 - Financial Times
Digital nomads in Barbados share what it's like working in paradise - Insider
Earlier this year, Barbados launched a new visa for remote workers called the Welcome Stamp, which costs $2,000 and allows you to spend a year on the Caribbean island. About 2,800 people, mainly from the US, Canada, and the UK, have taken it up so far, but many more have arrived to do the same thing on tourist visas lasting up to six months. I went to Barbados to meet some of the people settling into Barbados' burgeoning community of digital nomads. They said Barbados appealed to them with its friendly atmosphere, beautiful beaches, and lower number of COVID-19 cases, though it's worth noting the coronavirus is still present in the country.
16th Nov 2020 - INSIDER
The long-term shift to working from home could result in more prejudice, UK study indicates
Survation polled 11,701 adults in England and Wales on behalf of the Woolf Institute. People who were “economically inactive” were 37% more likely than those in work to only have friends within their own ethic group. More than three quarters of people surveyed worked in places that were ethnically, nationally or religiously diverse.
16th Nov 2020 - CNBC
Small Cities Are A Big Draw For Remote Workers During The Pandemic
Rising from the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, just south of the Canadian border, this distant city looks like a quaint throwback, with Victorian-era architecture, church steeples and a main shopping street laid with brick. But over the last few years, Burlington, Vt., has become home to an invisible economy of people who work remotely for the world's most cutting-edge technology businesses — and the pandemic has only increased the number decamping to this bucolic enclave. Exactly how many Burlington residents work remotely for companies such as Apple, Google, Twitter and IBM "is hard to gauge because we all are sort of like hermit crabs in our own little shells and under our own little rocks," said Tyler Littwin, art director at the marketing software developer HubSpot. Littwin moved to Vermont from HubSpot's headquarters outside Boston and started telecommuting in 2013.
16th Nov 2020 - NPR
New Research Says Remote Workers Want More Appreciation From Their Leaders Or Else
A SWNS research study found that remote workers say they aren’t feeling the love from higher-ups as they toil from home, especially with the struggles of 2020. The study of 2,000 Americans conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Motivosity revealed over half of employed respondents working from home said they haven't felt much gratitude from their job since they stopped commuting.
16th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullDon’t Tax Working from Home
A proposal to tax working from home has gotten some attention this week. You can find a description of and case for it on pp. 32-34 of this DeutscheBank report. Here’s how it would work: [T]he tax will only apply outside the times when the government advises people to work from home (of course, the self-employed and those on low incomes can be excluded). The tax itself will be paid by the employer if it does not provide a worker with a permanent desk. If it does, and the staff member chooses to work from home, the employee will pay the tax out of their salary for each day they work from home. This can be audited by coordinating with company travel and technology systems.
13th Nov 2020 - National Review
What you should consider before working remotely from a vacation destination
Why work from home when you can do so from a resort? That’s what many managers of hotels, large and small, are hoping would-be travelers are thinking about these days as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to stall the travel industry worldwide. Over the past few months, many top hotel chains have started offering remote working packages, spurring another new pandemic trend: the “workcation.”
“The hotels and destinations that are offering ‘work from hotel’ packages are trying to attract all types of travelers. But I think these opportunities will definitely appeal to people traveling on their own or to families who have children who are attending school remotely,” says Brian Kelly, founder and CEO of The Points Guy.
14th Nov 2020 - Fortune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullWork-from-home perks will outlast COVID-19. What this means
Before the pandemic, software engineer Allen Dantes commuted every day from his apartment in Mar Vista to the Playa Vista headquarters of ChowNow, about four miles away. The online food ordering platform sent employees home in March until further notice, leaving Dantes, 27, to work from the small two-bedroom apartment he shared with his girlfriend. A few weeks ago, they moved into a 1,500-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bathroom Craftsman they bought for $415,000.
13th Nov 2020 - Los Angeles Times
Would You Change Jobs To Ensure Permanent Remote Working? Over Half Say Yes.
With ever rising cases in Covid-19 and remote work seemingly the norm for the forseeable future, it’s an open question whether this trend will continue once we are all permitted to return to our workplaces. The biggest U.S. tech giants of Google, Apple, Facebook etc. have all said yes to the newer ways of working, but what say the workers? It is uncontroversial to say some have loved the potential idea of working remotely permanently, while others have shown a little more apprehension. This piqued the interest of tech company Tehama, whose core "Desktop as a Service" (DaaS) business relies on prolonged industrial remote working. Tehama commissioned a questionnaire to ascertain the future of work patterns — Is this feasible? What extra demands would remote workers want from a company?
12th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Staff Who Continue To Work Remotely Should Pay A “Privilege” Tax, Deutsche Bank Says
Employees who choose to continue working from home beyond the Covid-19 pandemic should be taxed to help support workers whose jobs are under threat, a new report from Deutsche Bank Research has suggested. The controversial “Konzept” report says that workers should be taxed 5% for each day that they choose to work remotely. Deutsche Bank argues this taxation is fair as remote workers are saving money and not paying into the system like those who have to go out to work. An average person would be no worse off if they paid this tax, the report claims, because by working remotely they save money on travel, food, and clothes. Deutsche Bank thematic strategist Luke Templeman said that a tax on remote workers had been needed for years but "Covid-19 has just made it obvious."
12th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Remote work has built – rather than broken – trust among colleagues. Here’s how
Remote work has enabled us to have a new-found appreciation for the acquisition of skills and allowed us to witness manifestations of our shared values in a more transparent way.
12th Nov 2020 - The Conversation
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullWays managers can provide feedback during remote working
The current situation has forced companies to make their employees work remotely from their homes. To maintain the essential rule of social distancing, employees from various regions and places are practising work from home. Communication has become very difficult to maintain and everyone is struggling to communicate their feelings and stance on the vast change in workplaces.
12th Nov 2020 - Times of India
Staff who work from home after pandemic 'should pay more tax'
Economists at Deutsche Bank have proposed making staff pay a 5% tax for each day they choose to work remotely. They argue it would leave the average employee no worse off because of savings made by not commuting and not buying lunch on-the-go and fewer purchases of work clothing. Alternatively, the report suggests the tax could be paid by employers who do not provide their workforce with a permanent desk.
11th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Meet the Travelers Who Are Taking Advantage of Long-term Remote Work Visas in Paradise
If you are a globetrotter bemoaning the long pause on international travel, try setting your sights on an area of the industry that is actually growing amid the pandemic: the remote work visa. A legion of new foreign visas for full-time workers, freelancers, and digital nomads have been introduced over the last few months, offering a sundry of options for those keen on changing their lifestyles and real-life Zoom backgrounds. Many of these palm-studded countries, like Bermuda, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Mauritius, and even the United Arab of Emirates, rely on tourism to sustain their economies, and they’ve realized they can attract long-term visitors who suddenly find themselves with the freedom to work remotely. Of course, visiting for months at a time lets you contribute to the economy without taking away local jobs for the ultimate win-win.
11th Nov 2020 - Travel + Leisure
Remote work is 'here to stay' — even with a vaccine, says former IBM CEO
Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said she believes pandemic-driven tech trends will continue after scientists find a Covid-19 vaccine. Her comments came on the heels of Pfizer’s announcement that its coronavirus vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing infections. Investors are trying to gauge whether trends such as working from home will continue after a vaccine arrives.
11th Nov 2020 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullQuestions that you need to ask when applying for a remote job
When you interview for a remote job, considering the pandemic situation that we are in, your top priority should be digging into the culture of the company you're hoping to work in. Understanding the remote work culture is all the more essential. This is because remote work provides you with many things like freedom from commute and an environment of your own choice. It is also crucial to make sure that you're able to work well with your teammates, manager and flourish in your role. This is why there are a few questions that you must ask in an interview before you take a job offer
11th Nov 2020 - Times of India
Not just a tourist destination: Why Spain’s Canary Islands are hoping to attract 30,000 remote workers
Liz Clitheroe is going to be one of the few British residents who spend the rest of the year in Spain’s Canary Islands. The 35-year-old Briton arrived last Monday in Gran Canaria to escape England’s second home lockdown, which came into effect last Thursday, as well as the country’s winter season. The difference is that unlike most British visitors to the archipelago, she has not come for a vacation, but rather to work remotely. “My company gives me the freedom to work wherever I want, so a friend and I have come with our laptops instead of remaining locked up in London,” she tells EL PAÍS by phone. She does not expect to return to the UK until January.
10th Nov 2020 - El Pais
UCLan Reimagines Remote Working For Small Businesses
A new set of principles to improve the lives of employees working from home and enhance productivity has been launched by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and regional partners. Small and medium sized business across the north of England are being encouraged to embrace new remote working principles to ensure staff working remotely receive the same support and development opportunities and are not disadvantaged by working from home. Six remote working principles have been developed from research into Covid-19 on SMEs, they are designed to support SMEs, health and wellbeing and productivity. With over half of jobs in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber region working in typically office-based environments and now being asked to work from home, there is a significant lack of good home working practices for the four million northern remote workers1.
10th Nov 2020 - Preston Hub
Work from Home: The 'New Normal'
Could we be on the cusp of a new technology driven business revolution? Working from home has become commonplace during this pandemic. But is it a temporary trend as we await a vaccine? In March of this year, we spoke with a leading remote work consultant about the future of the workplace. At the time, Firstbase HQ had nearly 600 companies on its waiting list. Now, nearly 8,000 companies are asking for those best practices.
10th Nov 2020 - ABC NEWS 4
Want to work from home forever? Here's what you need to know
Many companies are announcing plans to let employees work remotely permanently. And even if your employer hasn't made such a pledge, making the case to work remotely might be easier now that we've been forced to do it for so long. But before packing up your belongings in search of a new zip code, there are some things to take into consideration.
10th Nov 2020 - CNN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe latest innovations in working remotely
From software to hardware to everything in-between, new innovative ideas are flooding the market to assist people with what has become a new way of operating.
People are working remotely more than ever before, and these are a few things that have been making a difference in our virtual lives. HARDware: According to Wired, the perfect solution to working from home is all about the set up. These are some of their must haves to make your home office a place of work, concentration and productivity:
10th Nov 2020 - Business Matters
Remote learning adds pressure for teachers who work second shift as mothers
The transition to remote learning coupled with an unequal distribution of second-shift responsibilities has placed teachers who are also mothers under immense stress, according to new University at Buffalo research.
10th Nov 2020 - Phys.org
Deurbanization Rising: Covid-19, Remote Work, And Electric Aviation Will Reshape Living Patterns
Between 2006 and 2019, remote work expanded 170% to the point where about 8% of people with jobs worked remotely. By August 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic helped drive that figure to 20%, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Global Workforce Analytics believes percentage of telecommuters will hit 25% to 30% by the end of 2021.
10th Nov 2020 - Forbes
Workers favour remote working
Stockton-based telecommunications firm Odyssey Systems says the second lockdown adds further weight to the trend towards a permanent adoption of working from home. Mike Odysseas, founder and managing director of the firm, said many businesses and organisations want to avoid the uncertainty of future coronavirus restrictions by adopting new working arrangements. This, he said, is evidenced by a survey that reveals more than 90 percent of British employees do not want a full-time return to the office.
10th Nov 2020 - The Northern Echo
Lockdown 2: a remote work how-to guide for leaders
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the office, a second wave of coronavirus is forcing many workers to stay at home. The wobbly chairs have been fixed, the broadband upgraded, the Zoom-friendly lighting improved. Still, it is up to leaders to show they have learnt the lessons of Lockdown 1. As police chief Martin Brody says in the sequel to Jaws: “I know what a shark looks like. I’ve seen one up close. And you’d better do something about this one, because I don’t intend to go through that hell again.”
10th Nov 2020 - Financial Times
We may be working remotely even 10 years from now: Report
Going back to office may not be the same, and may not even happen at all. A study by Swedish telecom company Ericsson on the future of work suggests we could still be working from home 10 years from now, but with far more realistic immersion in the virtual workspace.
10th Nov 2020 - Times of India
UK office workers want to continue working remotely after Covid restrictions lift
UK office workers want to continue working remotely after Covid-19 restrictions lift, despite admitting their productivity is significantly reduced, according to new research released today. Research by YouGov for workspace analytics provider Locatee provides insight into UK office workers’ attitudes towards productivity, job security, and the prospect of further Covid-19 restrictions. According to Locatee’s research, if given the choice, just 7% of respondents would opt to return to the office full time.
10th Nov 2020 - Insider.co.uk
Should employers let staff work remotely from abroad during lockdown?
Home working has undoubtedly caused many employees tired of staring at the same four walls to feel a degree of cabin fever. So it’s understandable some have decided to boost their wellbeing by weathering this period of remote working abroad. But while the process of employees swapping their UK-based home office for a more exotic location may seem straightforward, there are multiple considerations for both workers and employers. A number of City banks have reportedly warned high-paid executives spending the pandemic at second homes in warmer climates that they could face large tax bills if they don’t return to working remotely in the UK.
10th Nov 2020 - People Management Magazine
Reimaging remote work for SMEs
A new set of principles to improve the lives of employees working from home and enhance productivity has been launched by the University of Central Lancashire and regional partners. Small and medium sized business across the north of England are being encouraged to embrace new remote working principles to ensure staff working remotely receive the same support and development opportunities and are not disadvantaged by working from home. Six remote working principles have been developed from research into Covid-19 on SMEs, they are designed to support SMEs, health and wellbeing and productivity. With over half of jobs in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and Humber region working in typically office based environments and now being asked to work from home, there is a significant lack of good home working practices for the four million northern remote workers
9th Nov 2020 - Business Up North
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow Remote Working Can Transform Small Town Life
As remote working has boomed during COVID-19, the rise in the number of people working from home has prompted many to reconsider where they wish to live. It's causing what new research from the University of Utah refers to as "Zoom Towns", which are places that have experienced a flood of remote workers fleeing cities to seek a quieter, often greener existence, and "commuting" to work electronically.
"This trend was already happening, but amenity migration into these communities has been expedited and it can have destructive consequences if not planned for and managed. Many of these places are, as some people say, at risk of being loved to death," the researchers explain.
8th Nov 2020 - Forbes
University of Iowa reimagines employee experience in the wake of COVID-19 remote working
When COVID-19 crippled campus operations in March, a vast majority of University of Iowa employees made a rushed shift to remote work, and now UI administrators are asking whether a more thorough reimagination of the workplace is in order. Via a new 25-member Employee Experience Committee, the campus aims to “re-imagine the employee experience to align with emerging talent needs and trends.”
The group of faculty, staff and student representatives will consider how and where employees work — and how to foster innovation. Specifically, the group will discuss flexibility for employees who are balancing children at home, along with virtual schooling; those living in different locations but bringing certain expertise to the UI workforce; and a growing need to be more open about how work can be productively performed.
8th Nov 2020 - The Gazette
Battered by COVID-19, hotels pitch themselves as remote workspaces
Rose Lounsbury, an entrepreneur in Dayton, Ohio, was supposed to go to a retreat in California this past spring, just as she does twice a year. Instead, she attended the retreat via Zoom from her house. It didn't go well. She wound up getting distracted by laundry and her 11-year-old triplets' virtual schooling. "It was just terrible," she said. "It was worse than a normal day." When it came time for the fall retreat, Lounsbury tried something different: She booked "a cute loft apartment above a store" three miles from her house through AirBnB.
8th Nov 2020 - USA TODAY
'1 in 4 private sector staff capable of remote working'
More than 1 in 4 private sector employees in this country are capable of working remotely and the development of co-working hubs with high speed broadband has the potential to open up economic and environmental opportunities and stimulate inclusive recovery in the regions, a new report has found. The regional co-working analysis, which was prepared by the three regional assemblies of Ireland, found that 387,000 private sector workers are capable of operating remotely, with just over 186,000 likely to be based in Dublin as of quarter 2, 2020.
8th Nov 2020 - Agriland
COVID-19: Remote work requires reconsidering how employees are evaluated, paid
Remote work is about more than just working from home — it means working differently. Because working from home may become much more prevalent even after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, it’s time to adapt employee evaluation and compensation schemes to address the new reality. Performance evaluation systems have a long history, dating back to the United States military’s rating system during the First World War. Since then, profit-driven employers have implemented employee assessments with the ultimate goal of aligning worker motivation with organizational objectives. Decades of research have tried to map out best practices in this area.
8th Nov 2020 - BayToday
Thompson: Creativity while working remotely
Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.” Little did I know that an onslaught of a global pandemic would have brought Einstein’s words to life. Creativity has helped us retain access to art and culture, certainly, but it also has been crucial to business continuity as so many of us transitioned from our traditional working environments to something that looks and feels much different.
8th Nov 2020 - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
If you worked remotely due to Covid-19, a state tax surprise could be coming
More than half of adults who worked remotely during the pandemic are unaware that they could face tax consequences because they didn’t update their tax withholding to reflect their new location, a study by the American Institute of CPAs found. People working from different locations could find themselves on the hook for non-resident state taxes when filing next year. Track your locations and the length of time you’ve spent working in other states. You may need to adjust your state tax withholding.
8th Nov 2020 - CNBC
How to Keep Your Sense of Purpose While Working Remotely
How does remote work affect people’s ability to find purpose and satisfaction in their work? Remote work is both an enormous convenience and terribly disruptive, sometimes for the same people at different times. The initial giddiness that many people experienced at being able to “catch up” on work at home and not facing tiresome commutes has faded into a sense of missing those we work with and who structure our working lives. For others, this time has been an extraordinary challenge that has brought home and work spheres into direct conflict. Being productive (and professional) while managing care for dependents in real time has been the reality for many as they’ve had to work from home during the pandemic.
6th Nov 2020 - Yale Insights
Strategies for remote-work success: Set clear start and end times, check in on people, have patience
If you’re working in technology you’re likely working remotely, whether you want to or not. Working remotely is not new; for years people have embraced its many advantages. But with COVID-19 forcing entire industries to adopt remote work, many people, myself included, theorized remote-work was here to stay. Why is it then, when so many of us are working remotely, and companies such as Dropbox are transforming their office spaces into collaboration spaces, that we find people unsatisfied with what was supposed to be a utopian vision of our future? The answer is simple: remote work was never meant for everyone. Now, entire companies are forced to adopt whether they, their managers, or their organizations are ready. I wanted to share best practices I’ve learned over more than five years of working 100% remotely as a technology executive — practices that could make you a world-class remote worker.
6th Nov 2020 - GeekWire
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullBrazil's public-sector employees opt for remote working: survey
A large portion of Brazil's public-sector employees want to have the option of working remotely even after the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is over, according to a survey published Thursday by local media. According to the survey carried out by the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) in association with the World Bank and the Economy Ministry, when face-to-face work resumes, 57 percent of employees would like to return to activities in shifts or on alternate days, and only 4.8 percent expect all professionals to return at the same time. Regarding the ability to continue remote working, 45 percent of federal employees said they wanted the option even after the pandemic, with only 12 percent saying they would be comfortable returning to in-person work full time. A significant number of respondents, 38 percent, were strongly against returning to face-to-face work, and 90 percent expressed concern about contracting COVID-19 at work and infecting family members.
6th Nov 2020 - Xinhua
Remote working hubs for public servants to be rolled out across rural Ireland - Minister
Remote working hubs specifically designed for public servants will be rolled out in rural towns across Ireland, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has told the Dáil. The Minister said the Covid-19 pandemic over the last seven months showed the significant opportunity to develop remote working faciliities that will allow people to work in their home area and provide rural towns with increased trade. She is also encouraging remote working from islands off the coast and said there is no reason why people employed by multinationals could not live on an island and work from there. Ms Humphreys was speaking as she answered a series of parliamentary questions about the development of remote working hubs where people could live near home in rural areas and work in shared facilities or hubs specifically kitted out with desks and ICT services and security, alongside employees of other companies or those running their own businesses.
6th Nov 2020 - The Irish Times
'Working from home has made childcare easier'
With a great many of us continuing to work from home, is it levelling the playing field for working mothers who previously had to put their children before their careers? Journalist Katherine Latham, herself a mum of three young kids, takes a closer look. Something you don't learn at your antenatal classes is how hard it is to hold down a paid job and be a mum at the same time. You aren't told that you will have to make a choice: to continue on your career path, earn a good living, and realise your ambitions - or prioritise caring for your children. Studies show that it is a widespread issue. A government report last year found that almost a third of women in the UK with a child aged 14 or under had needed to cut their working hours because of childcare issues. For men it was just one in 10.
6th Nov 2020 - BBC News
Is Working Remotely Bad for Your Health?
How can working from the comfort of your own bed, couch or park be bad for anyone’s health? But on the other hand, you would miss the office gossip or that funny guy in the IT department. Get remote writers’ jobs and enhance your financial position to create a relaxing and rewarding career. Whether working remotely is good or bad for your health will depend on what you do while you work remotely. A look at the pros and cons of working remotely will help you understand the good or the bad elements of this approach to work.
6th Nov 2020 - South Florida Reporter
How to keep staff motivated remotely
My staff have been working remotely for more than six months now. How can I keep them motivated and productive? A. Remote working can indeed impact the productivity of employees, but this is subjective and so calls for a subjective approach. I say this because the way one employee has adjusted to homeworking will be different from another. Employers may therefore want to consider assessing who may be struggling more at home and who is not. The assessment to determine the former may include those with children, a pre-existing mental health condition (or are predisposed to it), and those who have expressed that they are struggling with the change from working in the office to working at home.
6th Nov 2020 - FT Adviser
Working remotely from paradise? What it means for your taxes
Bermuda and Barbados are among the nations with programs to attract remote workers. Americans abroad may be eligible for tax breaks on the income they earn while away, but that depends on a range of factors, including how long the are out of the country. Consult an expert in foreign taxes before packing your bags.
6th Nov 2020 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullWorking Remotely Expected To Continue After Coronavirus Pandemic Is Over
Millions started working from home when the coronavirus forced the closure of office buildings in March of this year, and it looks like the trend will continue even after the pandemic is over. In a recent survey from Cisco, 87% of remote workers said they want the option to keep working from home. Several major corporations, including Twitter, Facebook, Slack, Microsoft, and Zillow, are offering many of their employees the ability to do their jobs at home permanently.
5th Nov 2020 - CBS Miami
COVID-19: Benefit and challenges when working remotely
It is expected that there will be greater demand for flexible working as the economy reopens post-COVID-19. A recent report commissioned by Vodafone looked at the economic impact of six regional working hubs. When the results were extrapolated for the country as a whole, it estimated the national economic impact at €312m, with 5,200 direct staff employed and 3,640 jobs indirectly supported.
4th Nov 2020 - Irish Tech News
Lockdown Scotland: All the Glasgow cafes, restaurants and bars you can work remotely from
As we are getting used to the new restrictions in Glasgow, many of us are getting a bit too used to our working-from-home set up. With some people in the city entering their 8th or 9th month of home working, joggies and juggling childcare or desk arrangements have become the norm. At the same time, many restaurants, bars and cafés are also rebranding into spaces where people can work remotely in.
4th Nov 2020 - Glasgow Live
Shift to remote working likely to become more permanent – study
Companies are facing the prospect of an increasingly flexible workforce in the future as the shift to remote working is likely to become more permanent, a study from Microsoft has found. The Future of Work report, which questioned business leaders and employees across the spectrum of Irish businesses, discovered companies believe 45 per cent of employees will continue to work remotely, while employees expect to spend up to a third of their time outside the office. “Almost every business leader cited the importance of changing their organisation’s way of working to become innovative and flexible,” said Aisling Curtis, commercial director with Microsoft Ireland. “That’s the theme that goes through the whole way. If you think about it, we are in a 200-year model of a nine-to-five, commuting either side of it, that now has been turned upside down with the onset of Covid.”
4th Nov 2020 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in full4 ways for employers to ethically monitor their employees in the remote-work era
Monitoring your employees while they work from home can be unethical — and even illegal — if done improperly. Unethical monitoring practices include collecting personal data without their knowledge or outside of working hours and not having a logical reason for observing their work. Employers should craft a plan, detail what, how, and when their personal data will be collected and used, and gather consent from employees.
3rd Nov 2020 - Business Insider
Major banks tell London staff to return home ahead of England lockdown
Major banks in London have started directing all but essential workers to revert to home working, following the government’s plans for a month-long lockdown in England from Thursday. The switch will be a further blow to the City of London and Canary Wharf financial districts, whose skyscrapers have sat largely empty for most of the year with footfall at local businesses a fraction of normal levels. Several investment banks had been encouraging more staff to work in their offices in recent months since the first lockdown in March, but the latest measures by the government have forced them into a reversal of policy.
3rd Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Why management styles have to adapt for remote working
Widespread working from home is creating an imperative for teams to review and adopt different management styles. Paida Dube examines how not adapting might risk legal complaints. Effective remote working requires employers to adjust more than just working processes. How teams are led and managed when staff are working from home is highly influential in nurturing workforce performance and positive morale. Getting this wrong risks employee discord and workplace disputes.
Most organisations will have in place a general flexible working policy, developed largely for piecemeal adoption. However, as the pandemic persists, and as many workers become increasingly expectant of such flexibility, working from home, especially in relation to office jobs, now demands longer term consideration from employers.
3rd Nov 2020 - Personnel Today
Working From Home: It's Not Everyone's Cup Of Tea
At the start of 2020, I couldn’t have imagined that working from home would prove to be productive, and that it would positively impact efficiencies in employees in certain industries. But here we are. Personally though, I am still sitting on the fence on this topic. Several reasons have contributed to my opinion on this matter, which I will delve into this piece. Firstly, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here. Whether we look at it from a personal front or a professional perspective, it took some to adjust to working from home, even for those who took it as fish to water. The fact remains that working remotely is here to stay a little while longer, whether we like it or not. Back in March, there was no choice but to settle into this new routine. After all, the outside world was a strange and unsafe place. With no external stimulation available, there was no other choice but to give your best to work.
3rd Nov 2020 - Entrepreneur
Maintaining Passion: How To Inspire Teams While Remote
Depending on the part of the world you live in, you’re currently working out of an office with reduced staff, or you’re still working remotely, with no plans to return to the office on the horizon yet. Either way, your work environment is likely very different than the environment you were accustomed to in January. It’s even more likely that you haven’t been in a room with all your colleagues in a very long time.
Like it or not, we’re now all part of a distributed workforce. Even looking at the post-pandemic landscape, we may never return to our normal offices. For those who go back to the office full time, some of their colleagues may not. Many workers are embracing the convenience of remote work and will opt for more flexible schedules. That means properly managing the realities of remote work will be an integral part of the future success of most businesses.
3rd Nov 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullAnguilla To Remote Workers: If You Can Work From Anywhere, Why Not Our Island?
Work from an island? Why not! That’s the pitch that Anguilla, and some other tourism-reliant tropical destinations, have for remote workers who can now qualify for extended stays to experience a work-life-vacation balance,
3rd Nov 2020 - Forbes
Is It Time For A Reset For Remote Work? Reimagining The Virtual Workplace 2.0 For Manufacturers
Many manufacturing companies are beginning to envision what the workplace will look like in the near future. While some manufacturing work cannot be done remotely because it is impossible or impractical, many companies were able to shift certain types of work to the virtual workplace in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to limit the number of employees within their manufacturing facilities.
3rd Nov 2020 - JD Supra
Just the two of us: how creative duos are surviving remote working
How have creative duos been coping, when they've been amputated from their other half by the pandemic? Can the work ever be as good when you're not in the same room? The Drum talks to creative duos from VMLY&R, TBWAChiatDay, Mischief @ No Fixed Address and Leo Burnett, to find out how they've been keeping their creative juices flowing during this time.
2nd Nov 2020 - The Drum
Five ways to create or maintain an innovative culture while working remotely
Following the release of Aalbun’s first Expert Discussion — Promoting Innovation while Working Remotely, the team has extracted five key points that can help you or your company create and maintain an innovative culture.
2nd Nov 2020 - Cambridge Network
UK: working remotely may hinder people's creativity
Chief economist of the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, has declared that working remotely could suppress creativity and lower productivity if it continues on the long run. He, himself has not been to the office within the previous six months except for two times. He expressed that the sudden change to working from home because of Covid-19 pandemic had made people happier, but is nowhere near the face-to-face interactions that stimulate creativity and productivity for most workers.
2nd Nov 2020 - MENAFN.COM
How to keep remote working employees engaged and motivated over the holiday season
The end of the year is fast approaching. And, for most businesses, it’s a time to come together as a workforce, celebrate the past year, and let your hair down as we enter the holiday season.
2nd Nov 2020 - Elite Business Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullTánaiste's department says remote working for its civil servants will be 'permanent feature' in future
The Department of Business has said that remote working for its staff will likely become a “permanent feature” of how it operates into the future. Prior to the pandemic, 70% of its staff had no previous experience in working from home and the department is now planning to spend up to €60,000 on a programme that will aim to get the most out of its staff while many of them are still working remotely.
1st Nov 2020 - TheJournal.ie
These Are The Best European Cities To Remotely Job Hunt In....
Working from home during this year's pandemic has been a game-changer. Suddenly the idea of relocating to the coast or somewhere more peaceful doesn't seem quite so out of reach for many of us. It's also opened up the possibility of working remotely from a European city and applying for jobs in Europe which you can do remotely from your home in the UK. The main benefit of applying for jobs based in Europe, of course, is the potential to unlock a better salary. In certain sectors you can also delve into a far larger pool of job opportunities. According to new research by DirectlyApply, Copenhagen is the best city for Brits to apply for remote jobs in. The Danish capital has a high percentage of English speakers, a decent number of jobs that can be done remotely, and relatively affordable return flights from the UK. Crucially, the average monthly salary in Copenhagen is around £600 higher than in the UK – much more than small change. Luxembourg places second on the list, thanks largely to its large average monthly income of £3,246, which is around £900 greater than the UK's average. Reykjavik in Iceland finishes third. Its average monthly income is around £600 higher than in the UK, but it's worth noting that return flights to the Icelandic capital are also relatively costly. The research estimates that remote British workers would have to shell out £200 every time they were required to make a trip to their Reykjavik office.
1st Nov 2020 - Refinery29
Remote Work: Liberating Or A Step Into A Bottomless Pit? - Coronavirus (COVID-19) - United States
The pandemic has forced employers and employees into work situations they never imagined with the widespread use of remote work as a means of continuing business operations in the face of Executive Orders precluding the performance of on-site work. Many employees relished the thought of escaping the ever-watchful eyes of supervisors and even co-workers and the opportunity to work from the comfort of their homes. So, how has the initial enthusiasm aged as the weeks of remote work are turning into months? The Thrill is Gone - That initial embrace of at-home work is losing its luster as the pandemic continues and employees contemplate a long-term future of working at home. Surveys show that 51% of employees report stress and burnout as a result of working at home.
1st Nov 2020 - Mondaq News Alerts
Remote working, digital services has been 'fairly seamless' for Town of Innisfil
The COVID-19 pandemic required the Town of Innisfil to quickly embrace digital customer service offerings and remote working, and depending on what the data shows, they could be here to stay. Having already invested in many digital services before the pandemic struck, the move to digital services and remote working went well for the town, said customer service supervisor Lisa Biegel. “It was actually fairly seamless, to be quite honest with you,” Biegel said. “We did not have any disruption in our service.”
30th Oct 2020 - BarrieToday
These Countries Are Offering Visas for Remote Workers
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, more people are working remotely than ever before. However, working remotely while living through various stages of stay-at-home orders has caused many to reconsider their living arrangements, sometimes leading to an exit from big-city living to a new location in search of more space, better weather or greater access to nature. Some countries have taken notice and decided to capitalize on the opportunity by offering remote work visas to help attract those who can do their job from their laptop. So, if you’ve dreamed of living on a tropical island during the winter, or amid the picturesque landscapes of Europe during the summer, you’re in luck.
30th Oct 2020 - TheStreet
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullUp to 23 million people in U.S. could move thanks to remote work, survey finds
America’s biggest cities should brace for a chunk of families moving out because they prefer to work remotely from less crowded and less expensive areas, according to a survey by Upwork released Thursday. The survey showed 14 million to 23 million people plan to pack up, many of them from big U.S. cities. The trend is no surprise since the pandemic made it dangerous to commute on mass transit and work in crowded offices. Still, Upwork chief economist Adam Ozimek said the large number was a surprise.
30th Oct 2020 - Reuters
Pandemic deepens our relationship with remote working life, culture
As more of us work from home and use video conferencing to communicate with colleagues, the practice has become almost a rite of passage for 2020. In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that 86 percent of people who are working from home are doing so because of COVID-19 measures, so the remote digital culture is still a new one for many people. In China, remote working initially drew a mixed response. Many employees complained about intrusive bosses who had trust issues with employees, while some line managers were suspicious of family members distracting their employees, or them finding it difficult to focus in other ways. However, as time passes, and remote working becomes more of a fact of life in a COVID-19 world, many people are embracing the experience, reporting that it does in fact improve productivity and well-being.
30th Oct 2020 - Chinadaily USA
Countries that will give you a remote-work visa, and how to get to them
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, more people are working remotely than ever before. However, working remotely while living through various stages of stay-at-home orders has caused many to reconsider their living arrangements, sometimes leading to an exit from big-city living to a new location in search of more space, better weather or greater access to nature. Some countries have taken notice and decided to capitalize on the opportunity by offering remote work visas to help attract those who can do their job from their laptop. So, if you’ve dreamed of living on a tropical island during the winter, or amid the picturesque landscapes of Europe during the summer, you’re in luck.
29th Oct 2020 - MarketWatch
Is the hybrid remote-office model the future of work worldwide?
Which do you prefer, going into the office part-time, or working from home all week? Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, many organisations have been obliged to implement a new hybrid remote-working model, which might mean working remotely on Mondays and Tuesdays, for instance, and going in to work for the rest of the week.
28th Oct 2020 - Lifestyle Asia
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhat should HR do to promote wellbeing whilst employees are working remotely?
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, HR leaders are having to ask themselves questions they’ve never had to before. A key one being: “how do we address the blurred boundary between work and home life for our employees during Covid-19 restrictions?” The reality is that lockdowns and restrictions have blurred that boundary, and merging one’s private life and working day can have a negative impact on an individual’s wellbeing.
28th Oct 2020 - FE News
Cayman Islands allowing remote workers earning $100,000-plus a year
For those with a salary of at least $100,000 a year (or $150,000 for married couples and domestic partnerships) the Cayman Islands is willing to grant a certificate to work there for two years. In order to apply, workers must submit proof of health insurance, a criminal background check, a valid passport, and notarized bank letter. COVID-19 cases have been low in the country, with only 239 confirmed cases as of October 27. Barbados, Bermuda, and Anguilla have their own versions of a remote work program.
28th Oct 2020 - Business Insider
Will We See A Technology Repatriation Post-Covid?
Tech adoption rates are up dramatically in the last six months due in large part to COVID. Almost overnight, even the least tech literate companies were forced to move business to the cloud, buy collaboration platforms, and start using SaaS applications to keep their business running and their employees safe. Events and meetings moved online. Companies from Facebook to Microsoft are allowing remote work to continue likely for all of 2021. But at some point in the future, however, the world will return to some semblance of normal. Travel will be safer and easier. Deals will be made over dinner and a glass of wine again. Companies will return to their abandoned offices and employees will return to work like normal.
28th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Women say their WFH setup falls short - Bizwomen
As many workers stare down several more months of operating remotely, a new survey highlights a gender gap in satisfaction related to work-from-home setups.
LendingTree discovered men are far more likely than women to have a dedicated home office space. As of early September, close to half of those polled were still working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Most likely to work remotely? Gen Xers, men, Northeasterners and those making at least $100,000 per year.
28th Oct 2020 - The Business Journals
The remote work revolution could spark essential job creation and economic empowerment for First Nations
Aside from well-documented issues such as inadequate housing, access to clean drinking water and systemic racism, most Indigenous peoples in hard-to-reach communities also face difficult life choices. Although they have the right to earn a living in their ancestral lands, reality often dictates they have to leave their communities to get a good education and access to a broader range of career opportunities. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The work-from-home movement spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with advances in technology, present a unique opportunity to create jobs and economic empowerment for Indigenous communities.
28th Oct 2020 - The Globe and Mail
Moscow extends remote working, online learning COVID-19 restrictions: Mayor
A remote working period for businesses in Moscow will be extended until Nov. 29, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on his website on Wednesday, and online learning for secondary school students will continue until Nov. 8. “There is no need to introduce new restrictions today,” said Sobyanin. “But at the same time, it is premature to soften existing restrictions, as they could lead to detabilisation of the situation.” Russia on Wednesday said it would send army medics to a region in the Urals hit by a surge in COVID-19 cases, after doctors there made a public plea to President Vladimir Putin for help.
28th Oct 2020 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in full4 Ways Men Can Support Their Female Colleagues — Remotely
Everyday gender biases and barriers remain a persistent problem in office culture. But men with a keen awareness of how women experience the workplace and how gender inequities torpedo profitability and mission outcomes can actively deploy strategies to overcome them. In the in-person work environment, these strategies include ensuring that women have a seat (and a nameplate) at the table; confronting other men when they make biased or sexist statements, including to women in team social events; and validating and normalizing women’s experiences in the moment. Men now have to adapt these strategies for the remote workplace.
27th Oct 2020 - Harvard Business Review
Remote Working Will Transform Employer Benefit Offerings
As of June 2020, forty-two percent of the U.S. labor force was working from home full-time, and remote working has proven more successful than many employers could have ever anticipated. According to Randstad Sourceright’s COVID-19 Surveillance Report, 76 percent of employers in the U.S. and Canada reported that working from home is more effective than they thought it would be, and 50 percent believe that employees are even more productive in their homes than in a physical office. Because of this success, as well as stay-at-home restrictions still in effect in some states, North American businesses anticipate that 49 percent of their staff will continue working remotely into 2021.
27th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Moving during COVID-19? Relocating for work could come with a massive pay cut
Relocating during COVID-19? Pulling up stakes could come with a substantial pay cut. With the pandemic upending office life, some employees working remotely are contemplating moves from densely packed cities to less costly and greener destinations where they can be closer to family or fresh air. Though workers may no longer need to put up with tight spaces and high costs to land top work opportunities, moving from the nation's hottest job markets could cost them as much as 30%, according to new research Glassdoor shared exclusively with USA TODAY.
27th Oct 2020 - USA TODAY
Working from home ‘damaging Britain's creative potential and economic wellbeing’
Working from home is damaging Britain’s creative potential and could harm personal wellbeing and the economy if it is maintained long after the coronavirus pandemic has receded, the Bank of England’s chief economist has said. Andy Haldane said the mass shift to remote working during the Covid emergency had benefited many workers and their employers, helping to boost wellbeing and productivity. However, he warned that lockdown working arrangements had been far less constructive for others, and that the sharp decline of face-to-face interaction was destroying vital opportunities for creative expression and innovation. Drawing on his own personal experience of working remotely from the Bank since March, he said: “I do not miss the commute. But I feel acutely the loss of working relationships and external stimuli – the chance conversations, listening to very different people with very different lived experiences, the exposure to new ideas and experiences.
26th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
How to foster innovation in a remote-working world
Collaboration is a key ingredient of innovation in any workplace. While working remotely can cause hiccups in the normal process among teams, companies can still stay nimble and creative. At the recent Fast Company Innovation Festival, a panel discussion presented by PepsiCo featured senior executives from leading companies offering advice on building a culture of creativity when your workforce goes virtual. Here are five key takeaways from that event. (Some quotes have been edited for clarity.)
24th Oct 2020 - Fast Company
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe great rebalancing: working from home fuels rise of the 'secondary city'
Amy Kaper has never met her colleagues. Though her employer is based in Washington DC, she works from her apartment in Arizona. Kaper’s chronic health issues made an office job difficult, and working remotely – in IT in the healthcare industry – gives her more autonomy, and more time. “It was a huge adjustment – but I feel really lucky,” she says. This year, the proportion of Americans working from home like Kaper has skyrocketed – from 8% in February to 35% in May. Most countries have experienced a similar jump during the pandemic, as remote working has gone from a fringe benefit to a necessity. Analysis suggests roughly 28% of jobs in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK can be carried out remotely, and as many as 37% in the US.
26th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Remote Workforce to Double in 2021 Due to Improved Productivity: CIO Survey
The CIOs also expressed increased optimism about business prospects in 2021, as they see an increase in tech budgets by 2.1%, compared with a 4.1% decline this year due to the lockdowns triggered by the pandemic. The survey said information technology decision-makers expect permanent remote work to double to 34.4% of their companies’ workforces in 2021, compared with 16.4% before the coronavirus outbreak, a result of positive productivity trends. About 72% of their companies’ total global workforce is currently working remotely, according to the CIOs. Of the more than 1,000 CIOs interviewed for the survey, 48.6% reported that productivity has improved since workers began working remotely, with only 28.7% of respondents indicating a decline in productivity.
26th Oct 2020 - Insurance Journal
Want to work remotely overseas? These countries offer 'digital nomad' visas to South Africans
If all you need to do your job is a laptop, phone and strong internet connection, you may be able to apply for a "digital nomad" visa in some countries. This will allow you to work from another country. But you will have to prove that you earn a good income.
26th Oct 2020 - Business Insider South Africa
Five Ways to Work Better From Home
For millions of Americans, November will mark the eighth month of remote work.
Some have adapted: A recent survey of more than 4,000 people working full time remotely during the pandemic found that 65% would like to make the arrangement permanent, according to FlexJobs, a remote job-listings website. But a survey of more than 12,000 employees, managers, human-resources leaders and executives in 11 countries released this month by Oracle and the advisory firm Workplace Intelligence found that seven in 10 people called this the most stressful year of their working lives; 41% said there no longer was a distinction between their personal and professional lives.
25th Oct 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Fund managers grapple with limits of remote working
Top executives at UK fund house Jupiter were brimming with enthusiasm to have returned part-time to the company’s London office last month. “Our managers are really enjoying the interaction with other colleagues,” chief executive Andrew Formica told clients in a video interview. “It’s great being back in an office environment again,” agreed veteran equity manager Richard Buxton. “[I missed] wandering around the office chatting to different people and getting their perception of markets.”
But the staff reunion did not last long. Just a week later, the UK government’s retreat from its push to get workers to return to offices threw Jupiter’s plans into disarray.
25th Oct 2020 - Financial Times
Some things will never change, but remote toil could revamp the workplace landscape
While the numbers are down significantly from a peak early in the COVID-19 pandemic, some 33 million U.S. workers are still toiling from remote locations in a massive, albeit compulsory, experiment in redefining the American workplace. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those 33 million employees represent just under a quarter of the total U.S. workforce, and the Utah Department of Workforce Services believes that ratio likely holds up amid the state’s 1.6 million wage earners. The timeline for a safe, en masse return to the in-person workplace remains hazy, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that many of those now grinding it out from home are having a fine time and are in no hurry to revert to commuter days. With the increasing possibility of a tidal wave of new, permanently out-of-office employees comes the realization the workplaces left behind last spring by the 400,000 or so current remote Utah workers may never look the same again.
25th Oct 2020 - Deseret News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote work can work out for the best
The Covid-19 pandemic has crushed the economy, sent joblessness soaring and killed over a million people worldwide. But there are a few ways in which it may prompt society to improve, and one is remote work. Though it was initially necessary to keep employees from getting sick, remote work promises to make people more productive and happier while helping the environment and preserving infrastructure. When the coronavirus struck, those who could do their jobs remotely often did. The numbers have gradually declined as our understanding of safety measures increased, but they are still substantial. And while many people will go back to the office after the pandemic is over, part of the shift will probably be permanent.
25th Oct 2020 - The Straits Times
Which parts of Ireland are most prepared for remote working?
According to a new report from the Regional Assemblies of Ireland, people working in the east and midlands could be best prepared for a remote future. New research from the three Regional Assemblies of Ireland sheds light on how prepared different parts of the country may be for remote working.
25th Oct 2020 - Siliconrepublic.com
Work from the Caribbean with this digital nomad visa in the Caymans
You could work remotely from a sunny Caribbean location as the Cayman Islands introduces a new visa that allows digital nomads to live there for up to two years.
The program is called the Global Citizen Concierge Program (GCCP) and allows people to keep their job in their home country while working remotely from the Cayman Islands – moving their laptops to more tropical surroundings.
25th Oct 2020 - Lonely Planet Travel News
Permanently remote workers seen doubling in 2021 due to pandemic productivity: survey
The percentage of workers around the world that is permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021 as productivity has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey from U.S.-based Enterprise Technology Research (ETR).
25th Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
How to Manage Your Employees Effectively When Working Remotely
The business trend of working remotely has been accelerated recently because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many employers are struggling to adapt to this sudden change and manage their teams effectively so that everyone is still working productively despite the disruption. Fortunately, there are plenty of solutions to this predicament. For this reason, we encourage you to keep reading if you would like to find out some different tips and tricks for managing your employees whilst working remotely.
25th Oct 2020 - Business Manchester
Lovewell's logic: Is remote working leading to employee burnout?
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, much has been written in both the industry and national press on the impact this has had on various aspects of the nation’s mental health and wellbeing. One conversation I have had several times over the past couple of weeks, however, is around the potential for remote or homeworking arrangements to lead to employee burnout.
On the face of it, working remotely offers employees the opportunity to structure their working day around personal commitments such as caring responsibilities. However, some employees have reported feeling pressure to combat the perception that working from home is less productive than working in an office environment in sight of management, particularly following media reports in September that several organisations have installed monitoring and surveillance tools to keep track of what their employees are doing while working remotely.
24th Oct 2020 - Employee Benefits
COVID-19 pandemic: How long will remote working last?
The number of employees permanently working remotely globally is set to double in 2021, according to a new survey by a U.S. technology research firm. According to their results, the percentage of permanent remote workers will rise from 16.4% to 34.4%. This would have ramifications in areas from retail to real estate.
23rd Oct 2020 - World Economic Forum
Why remote workers need to have conversations instead of emailing
People connect with each other when they speak in a way they don’t with email, according to research. They also make assumptions that a conversation could be awkward, which are usually wrong. As remote work looks here to stay, speaking more rather than emailing could improve our connection with colleagues, and our well-being.
23rd Oct 2020 - World Economic Forum
Remote working? No, we prefer to keep it close to home
Everyone is on the hunt for silver linings to this pandemic trauma. Shop closures were going to end our materialism, but we’re buying more than ever now we can’t go out. Exceptional times would bring us together as a nation, then we stopped clapping and started scrapping about local lockdowns. The most persistently proclaimed silver lining is that we’ve learned that tech makes full remote working the future. Zoom, Teams and the rest are apparently going to spread out good work across the country with no need for offices or densely populated cities. Parking the fact that less dense living is a climate change disaster, what does history tell us about the impact of big improvements in communications technology? A recent study investigated the case of mobile phones, examining 15m phone calls and texts a day. The question is whether mobile communications substitute for face-to-face meetings, allowing us to build networks in places where we don’t live or work.
18th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work Isn’t Just for White-Collar Jobs Anymore
On the ground floor of a towering office building overlooking Tokyo Bay, in a space intended to resemble the interior of a moon base, a convenience store is tended by a humanoid robot. This robot isn’t out front, wowing customers. No, it is in the back, doing the unglamorous job of keeping shelves stocked. It has broad shoulders, wide eyes, a boomerang-shaped head and strange hands, capable of grabbing objects with both suction and a trio of opposable thumbs. But the machine isn’t acting on a set of preprogrammed instructions. Like a marionette on invisible, miles-long strings, the robot at the Lawson convenience store is controlled remotely, by a person elsewhere in the city wearing a virtual-reality headset.
22nd Oct 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Older workers are working from home more successfully than their younger colleagues
Returning to the office isn’t going to happen anytime soon. COVID-19 cases are on the rise again. And the result is that remote working is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Only 28% of U.S. employees expect to return to their workplaces by the end of 2020, according to a recent Conference Board survey of more than 1,100 U.S. workers. Another 38% of those workers expect to return at some point in 2021 or beyond. That’s troubling because working from home has already taken a toll on the mental health of workers, according to a new global study of people between age 22 and 74 by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm.
22nd Oct 2020 - MarketWatch
Work Remotely for Up to 2 Years in the Cayman Islands With Their New WFH Program
At a time when kitchen tables and coffee tables have become the new office, the Cayman Islands is proposing something a bit more exciting for deskbound employees working from home due to COVID-19. This week, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT) launched a new program aimed at digital nomads looking for new options when it comes to their home office environment. Entitled the Global Citizen Concierge Program (GCCP), it allows travelers to stay in the Cayman Islands for up to two years while working remotely.
22nd Oct 2020 - Travel + Leisure
How to mentor a remote working team
Ifty Nasir, is the co-founder and CEO of Vestd, the Share Scheme platform. Vestd has been managing their team remotely for many years, having initially started out in a shared office. Here he shares his advice based on that experience. We have just witnessed a revolution in the way we work. It now appears doubtful that most people will ever return to working in an office five days a week. What does that mean for management?
22nd Oct 2020 - Bdaily
Blog: Three ways to be more efficient working remotely
Andy Fairchild, of Applied Systems, considers how to get the best out of teams who are working from home. As we think over the last few months, businesses in every industry have been facing new and unprecedented challenges. Independent brokers have had to evaluate and launch new plans to get staff working from home and continue to serve customers in their preferred method as face-to-face has been limited. The response to many of the day-to-day work challenges presented by the pandemic has been to lean heavily on technology. Previously planned digital strategies have been fast tracked to timeframes that were unimaginable before the pandemic struck, and capabilities that were under utilised are more critical than ever before.
22nd Oct 2020 - Insurance Age
Permanently remote workers seen doubling in 2021 due to pandemic productivity - survey
The percentage of workers around the world that is permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021 as productivity has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey from U.S.-based Enterprise Technology Research (ETR). ETR in September surveyed about 1,200 chief information officers from around the world across different industries. The CIOs also expressed increased optimism about business prospects in 2021, as they see an increase in tech budgets by 2.1%, compared with a 4.1% decline this year due to the lockdowns triggered by the pandemic. The survey said information technology decision-makers expect permanent remote work to double to 34.4% of their companies’ workforces in 2021, compared with 16.4% before the coronavirus outbreak, a result of positive productivity trends.
22nd Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullHybrid and remote work leadership tips from the experts
One of the most impactful legacies of the pandemic will be the massive shift from the traditional workplace to virtual work models. Many workers were forced, seemingly overnight, from their corporate offices to work-from-home situations. While temporary at first, for many it has become a permanent part of operations. A recent survey by research firm Gartner, Inc. revealed that 82% of company leaders intend to implement hybrid work models going forward. My company has been operating with a full-fledged work-from-home team and hybrid work employees for over six years. In that time, we have made the Inc. 5000 list two times in a row. What can we tell you about what we’ve learned? Managing work-from-home, remote work and hybrid employees requires several unique skills, techniques and tools that may be unfamiliar to the traditional workplace leader. We’ll share the top ones with you now.
21st Oct 2020 - The Business Journals
Remote working: 'If any group can deal with it, graduates can'
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the workplace as we know it. But as businesses move away from traditional office environments, those beginning their careers have have shown admirable resilience
21st Oct 2020 - The Guardian
How Remote Working Affects Your Mental Health
Seven months and seemingly a lifetime ago, as the news of the coronavirus pandemic was first spreading in the United States, so too was a wave of concern in the therapeutic world. How would clients get the care they needed if they could not access it in-person? How would providers be able to respond and offer the necessary support if offices were to close?
21st Oct 2020 - Forbes
Employees work an extra 26 hours a month when remote
Only months ago, a growing number of businesses were experimenting with or adopting a four-day workweek, but remote work policies imposed by the coronavirus pandemic have pivoted this trend in the opposite direction. Full-time employees are working an extra 26 hours a month when remote, adding nearly an extra day of work to the week, according to a new report from Owl Labs, a video conferencing technology company. The increase in work hours may be due to employees needing more time to adapt to new changes businesses have made in response to the pandemic, says Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs. Having the workplace always available — as employees work right in their house — is also blurring the lines between work and home, possibly adding to their hours worked.
21st Oct 2020 - Employee Benefit News
Research suggests that remote working is aggravating secondary stressors which are causing people to feel burned out more than ever before
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the world earlier this year, everything had to be shut down for security measures. Work and study from home became the new norm, especially the work-from-home trend received a lot of appreciation from many people because it alleviated some major stress-causing issues. Commuting, conveyance problems, going to the office daily at a fixed time, dress code, and all such issues that used to be quite tedious for many people around the globe were suddenly gone because of the new set-up and routine. Some tech giants like Twitter, Spotify, Shopify, etc. had even announced that if their employees are more comfortable with this new routine, they can continue working remotely even after the pandemic.
21st Oct 2020 - Digital Information World
How much does remote working impact on productivity?
Employers expect to move about 44% of workers to work from home during the pandemic, according to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2020.
But 78% of business leaders think hybrid and home-working will have a negative impact on productivity. Those working from home face mental health and well-being challenges, including childcare pressures and digital connectivity.
21st Oct 2020 - World Economic Forum
How to get along with your boss while working remotely
There's one person at work you need to have a good relationship with for the sake of your career: your boss. But not all of us do. And working remotely could cause additional strain to an already-tense relationship. "If the conflict is around work, then working remotely may actually make things worse or at best, create a certain amount of confusion," said Marie McIntyre, a career coach in Atlanta and author of "Secrets to Winning at Office Politics." If you found your boss to be annoying, working separately might actually improve the relationship. A change in work settings could also be a good opportunity to redefine your relationship with your boss. Here's how to get started:
21st Oct 2020 - CNN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe Accessibility of Remote Work Alone Doesn’t Make a Company Inclusive. You Must Be Intentional About Diversity.
Some companies feel they’ve checked the inclusivity box by merely offering remote work. But remote work is the beginning, not the end, of the quest for inclusion. Haley Shoaf, the VP of impact at LaunchCode, outlines three actionable steps company leaders can take to practice intentional inclusivity. Before COVID-19, remote work was something of a luxury reserved for particular kinds of workplaces. Now, more of us are working remotely than ever, and companies that had never imagined a flexible workforce are waking up to the idea.
20th Oct 2020 - CEOWORLD magazine
Is remote working sexist?
The pandemic-induced shift to remote working is something of a double-edged sword for equality. On the one hand, according to research by Gartner, it seems to be normalising a more flexible approach to work that would tend to benefit working women who have been disproportionately held back by parental and other caring responsibilities. This is backed up by Management Today’s own research, which found that 86.4 per cent of business leaders surveyed believe offering remote working improves talent attraction and/or retention. But at the same time, the rise in remote working could also stump female career progression. Speaking at the Gartner ReimagineHR conference, Gartner HR chief Brian Kropp warned that despite in-office and remote workers performing at the same level, managers are biased against remote workers.
20th Oct 2020 - Management Today
Why Aren’t More Companies Making Remote Work Permanent? Hint—It’s Not Just About Productivity
Most of the corporate world is entering the eighth month of pandemic-driven remote work and by this point, a long list of companies have taken the plunge and announced that employees can work from home permanently. Companies embracing this shift include tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Slack, along with a host of non-tech enterprises like Nationwide. Most companies however are taking a shorter-term approach to remote work, notifying employees to standby; they should expect to return to offices at some point in time with target dates for reopening ranging from next spring to summer.
20th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Employers must invest in remote working conditions
Indeed, a 2019 study revealed flexible working (which includes remote working) to be one of the top three most sought after employee benefits. And it seemed that businesses across the UK were willing to accommodate their workforces’ demands, with many offering the option to work from home once or twice a week. That said, the onset of the coronavirus has, of course, accelerated this trend at an unprecedented pace. When the UK went into lockdown in March, employers were forced to overhaul their remote working policy overnight, with millions of employees swapping their office desks for their kitchen tables. At the beginning of lockdown, some organisations optimistically believed that the virus would be short-lived, assuming normality would resume within a few months. Consequently, they failed to invest to support long-term home working; they did not purchase IT hardware and software, or long-term strategies to protect employees’ mental and physical health, for example.
20th Oct 2020 - HR News
GP training: Working remotely as a GP trainee during the pandemic
Dr Zoe Brown was in her first year of GP training and pregnant as lockdown began. She describes how working remotely during the first peak of the pandemic affected her and the impact it has had on her training.
20th Oct 2020 - GP online
UK staff working remotely abroad could raise 'fundamental' tax problems
A shift towards more employees working remotely overseas for UK-based organisations could become a “fundamental issue” for the tax system in future, a leading business group has warned. The pandemic has seen millions more staff working from home, and some of the rise in remote working is widely expected to outlive the coronavirus pandemic. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has received “anecdotal” evidence from member firms that some of their employees had taken the opportunity to work remotely from overseas.
20th Oct 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullWork From Home Fallout: Productivity Up, Innovation Down
The now seven-month-long grand work-from-home experiment among knowledge and office workers has shattered many of the pre-conceived notions of managers that it can’t be done in a productive way. However, the ability to foster innovation across solely electronic interactions is still a challenge. That’s the finding of a recent survey of 9,000 managers and employees across Europe, conducted by Boston Consulting Group and KRC Research, commissioned by Microsoft. Executives say their remote teams have been highly productive, with 82% saying they saw productivity levels either hold steady or increase as people shifted to remote work. More than half also see it as a powerful way to retain top talent.
18th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Remote working is emptying Ottawa's downtown, but is it a permanent shift?
For the legions of employees across Ottawa who have been working remotely since March, the home office is beginning to feel like the new normal. While the federal government's official plan anticipates the tens of thousands of public servants currently working from home will eventually return to the office, other major employers in the city, like Shopify, have already announced remote working is a permanent arrangement. Walk through Ottawa's downtown core these days, and the effects of the pandemic are plain to see: a few workers trickle out of LRT stations, but parking garages have plenty of space, sidewalks are uncrowded and "for lease" signs are a street-level reminder of the hit to downtown business.
18th Oct 2020 - CBC.ca
Increased support for remote working after Covid crisis
The latest National Remote Working Employee Survey has found 94% of workers would like to work remotely some or all of the time when the Covid-19 crisis ends.
The survey carried out by NUI Galway and the Western Development Commission shows that 23% of respondents would even consider relocating because of the possibility of remote working, while 7% have already moved. The first phase of the research published last April found that 83% of respondents favoured working from home.
18th Oct 2020 - RTE.ie
Working Remotely: Don’t Forget Boundaries
“Mary Ann” is one of those quintessential island songs that you may remember from a past Caribbean holiday. Even if you don’t recognize the title, you’re probably familiar with some variation of the chorus: “All day, all night … Mary Ann; Down by the seaside … sifting sand.” According to my research the song was composed by Rafael de Leon, a World War II-era calypso singer from Trinidad, who performed professionally using the stage name Roaring Lion. The song has been recorded by a slew of performers including, in 1957, “The Hilltoppers” and “Terry Gilkyson and the Easy Riders.” Both of the 1957 recordings were Billboard Top 10 hits, with the Gilkyson-Easy Riders record climbing to #1 in my native Australia.
18th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullUK Lockdown has forced people to reconsider their careers, especially for those enjoying remote working, claims business psychologist
One of the UK’s top business psychologists believes the impact of remote working and furlough over the past six months has forced many people to seriously consider their future career direction. Jivan Dempsey, a business psychologist from specialist HR consultancy, FiveRivers Consulting, says that many people have enjoyed the flexibility of working from home and are reluctant to return to offices five days a week. According to Jivan, lots of these workers – as well as the 9.4 million people that have been on furlough – will be thinking about the best next step for their careers, with starting their own business or becoming a freelancer or contractor among the possibilities.
18th Oct 2020 - Bdaily
What People Really Love (and Hate) About Remote Work
For the millions of Americans working remotely since March, it has been a year of challenges, opportunities, and getting really, really comfortable with Zoom. Some have found unprecedented flexibility, fitting in workouts and lunch breaks where they couldn’t before, or moving to new places. Others have struggled to balance the demands of virtual school with back-to-back video conferences. Even those eager to keep working remotely in a post-pandemic future miss catching up with co-workers in the elevator and chatting in person with clients.
18th Oct 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
As new wave of COVID-19 cases hits, remote work becomes the norm
Months into the global coronavirus pandemic, the remote working arrangements that felt temporary in the spring are beginning to feel much more permanent. Earlier this month, three major tech companies – Dropbox, Twitter and Square – all announced they would be letting employees work remotely forever. And even companies that want to bring people back to the office – like media giant The New York Times – say workers won’t be returning until the summer of 2021. Remote work is, in many ways, a privilege. Thirty-three percent of the American labour force is currently working from home full-time, according to Gallup data, and an additional 25 percent of those surveyed say they work remotely sometimes. But young people and workers of colour are less likely to be employed at jobs that offer remote work arrangements.
18th Oct 2020 - Al Jazeera English
9 Ways To Make Working Remotely A Game Changer For Work Life Balance
Thanks to remote working, according to the Harvard Business Review, workers are focusing on work that really matters - 12% fewer large meetings and 9% more interactions with customers and external partners. The research also states that workers "rate the things they do as valuable to their employer as well as themselves." With a quiet space to work and fewer distractions, one can get more important work done. The extra time is a game changer for work/life balance. Some people may use that extra hour or two to be ultra productive, exercise more or finally write that book — a great use of added time.
18th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Can I work from home abroad? The Britons working remotely overseas — and how you can do it too
The Covid pandemic has accelerated the decline of the office, as lockdown forced thousands of UK employees to work from home. In fact, a survey by Redfield and Wilton Strategies found that 44 per cent of people who would normally work in the office were still working remotely in September – and nearly six in 10 of those currently working at home believe they will be doing so at least until 2021. But while some of us reconfigured our living rooms to allow for makeshift home offices and scoured stores for desks, a growing number of nomadic workers chose to pack their bags and set work from abroad.
18th Oct 2020 - iNews
As new wave of COVID-19 cases hits, remote work becomes the norm
Gina DeRosa was thrilled when her year-long internship at the Department of Education in Pennsylvania in the United States turned into her first full-time job out of college. But two months into her role, DeRosa has never met her colleagues in person. Trained entirely online by her supervisor, who she had met prior to Philadelphia’s COVID-19 lockdown, DeRosa interacts with her coworkers exclusively over Zoom.
18th Oct 2020 - Al Jazeera English
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullTaoiseach: 'It is time to go back to remote working. We know it works'
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said if more people work from home it will have an impact on the virus transmission rate. “It is time to go back to remote working. We know it works. It is possible, and it would have a very significant impact in reducing transmission rates in our view,” he said. The Cabinet this evening agreed that Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan will be put under Level 4 Covid-19 restrictions.
15th Oct 2020 - TheJournal.ie
How Much Will Remote Work Continue After The Pandemic?
A new study of pandemic-induced remote workers and their employers suggests that at least 16 percent will remain at-home workers long after the COVID-19 crisis has receded. The survey of 1,800 people in both small and larger businesses also found: While overall levels of remote work are high, there is considerable variation across industries. Remote work is much more common in industries with better educated and better paid workers.
15th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Dubai offers tourists one-year remote working visa
Overseas professionals can now apply for a one-year remote working visa to live in Dubai while remaining employed abroad. Dubai Tourism announced the new visa, which appeals to people who are due to be working virtually from home for the foreseeable future. The new programme promises that visa holders will have access to all required services, including telecoms, utilities, and schooling options. The initiative encourages applicants to bring their families, and enjoy everything that Dubai has to offer.
15th Oct 2020 - What's On
Remote working hubs to be funded by Government as part of State strategy
The Government plans to fund remote hubs in rural towns and villages over the next two years as part of the development of a State strategy on remote working.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the strategy would be published by the end of the year and 522 submissions had been received in a public consultation process. But he also warned that “we have to look at the risks to the country as well of people who currently live in Ireland perhaps remote working from the Canaries, or Ibiza or Poland or India. That’s a real risk to us in terms of losing jobs”.
15th Oct 2020 - The Irish Times
How to foster innovation in a remote working world
One of the core tenets of consumer-centric thinking is to dismantle silos—that game-changing innovation occurs when disparate members on the company org chart join forces to solve problems. But what happens when teams—and the individuals within them—can no longer brainstorm in the same room when we’re working remotely? And how do blue chip companies that have doubled down on their commitment to diversity put it into practice in such an environment? In this timely panel from the 2020 Fast Company Innovation Festival, senior executives from PepsiCo and other leading companies examined how to build a culture of experimentation with cross-functional teams during this unique, challenging time.
15th Oct 2020 - Fast Company
FT editor Roula Khalaf warns against long-term switch to remote working for journalists
Financial Times editor Roula Khalaf has warned that long-term remote working could be “problematic” for news companies as they “have to be able to share ideas”. Speaking at the FT’s Future of News event on Wednesday, Khalaf said she disliked working from home and wanted to see a return to the office – and that many “underestimate what we lose” from not being there. Almost all FT staff began working from home ten days before the UK went into full lockdown, similarly to many companies, which Khalaf said was initially tough before she realised the full potential of what could still be produced.
15th Oct 2020 - Press Gazette
Coronavirus: Rise in office workers leaving city to ‘work from home’ abroad or by the coast
Office workers are adopting a “work from anywhere” approach by looking for temporary home offices on the coast or away from the cities, a study found. A survey of 2,000 “WFH” adults found six in 10 would consider working remotely from somewhere other than their primary residence. And the average office worker would like to pack up their PC and spend two-and-a-half weeks doing their job from a more exciting or exotic location.
15th Oct 2020 - The Independent
How to Connect With Co-Workers When Working Remotely
According to a recent survey by the Morning Consult, 58 percent of remote workers feel like they are disconnected from their co-workers.
15th Oct 2020 - Yahoo News UK
55% of staff willing to take pay cut to work remotely
Just under half (45%) of employees would be interested in taking a pay cut to continue working remotely long-term, according to research by Owl Labs. Its study of 2,000 UK employees found that 15% of staff would take a pay cut of 5% to continue working remotely, however, just under half of respondents (46%) would leave if their organisation chose to reduce their pay as a cost-cutting measure. A further 41% of staff would consider resigning if they were forced to return to the office. More than three-quarters (84%) of respondents will continue to work remotely for the rest of 2020, with 44% of employees planning to work from home five days a week and 55% planning to work a hybrid of home and office working with up to four days being office-based.
15th Oct 2020 - Employee Benefits
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullA psychiatrist explains how to handle difficult colleagues while working from home | 5 Questions
Every office has at least one, it seems. And with the pandemic, the pest factor has only increased, researchers have learned. Here to explain difficult colleagues — what to do about them and how to avoid becoming one yourself — is Jody Foster, chair of the department of psychiatry at Pennsylvania Hospital and Penn Medicine’s first assistant dean for professionalism at the Perelman School of Medicine. In that position, she is responsible for shepherding initiatives to foster professionalism in the workplace and in schools.
14th Oct 2020 - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Top workplaces 2020: Work-life balance while working from home
At work while at home: The new paradigm - A look at changes in the effort to bring harmony to the work-life balance
14th Oct 2020 - The Washington Post
Coronavirus Silver Lining: A Better Work-Life Balance?
Many people want to both have and raise children. And just as many also understand that a job is necessary to help support this family. The problem is that family and professional obligations often pull workers in opposite directions. One way to help alleviate this struggle for a work-life balance is with remote work. Once the Internet and technology reached a certain level of ubiquity and affordability, telecommuting became far more common and accepted. But for whatever reason, working from home didn’t quite reach its potential prior to 2020. However, the coronavirus pandemic might be changing that.
14th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Atlassian study reveals the impact of working remotely
The results of an Atlassian study examining how working remotely has impacted knowledge workers during the COVID-19 pandemic provides valuable insights into how to lead a fragmented workforce. The three-monthly long global study, which surveyed over 5,0000 employees, found an employee’s readiness for remote work was based on three key factors: Household Complexity – the level of care duties a person has responsibility for and the density of the household both impact a person’s remote working experience. Role Complexity – the complexity of an employee’s workflow and the level of social interaction required to perform the role successfully influences his or her performance and satisfaction. Network Quality – access to personal and workplace networks contributes to a person’s sense of belonging and support.
14th Oct 2020 - DynamicBusiness
Working Remotely Has Become A Norm In A Lot Of Countries
A total of 24 days – that’s the minimum amount of time that a German employee could soon be entitled to work remotely each year. In Germany, a bill is currently being prepared that may well introduce a new labour standard. While the country may be among the first to legislate telework, other countries have not waited for the global health crisis to entrench the rights of teleworkers. The European Union has already encouraged its member states to increasingly secure the status of employees working from home or remotely. A historic agreement was in fact reached in 2002, signed by European social partners so that each country could have its own legislation on telework. Rather than a uniform text establishing the same teleworking conditions for a Dutch, Polish or Greek employee, it is a European legal framework that aims to ensure, for the citizens concerned, the same rights for employees working from home as those working in the office.
14th Oct 2020 - AUGUSTMAN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullDid someone say free food? Companies are getting creative with WFH perks
Free food at the office used to make a stressful day better. But with so many employees still working remotely, how can bosses show their appreciation?
I asked companies what they are doing to keep the office culture alive in a virtual world. E-commerce checkout company Fast said it's sending gift cards to employees for a weekly team meal, along with a weekly snack box. Another company, UKG, which offered its working parents a virtual summer camp for their kids, is now offering after-school help this fall. It's a win-win situation: kids are entertained, while parents get a break so they can be more productive at work.
13th Oct 2020 - CNN
Remote Work in Spain: Another Turning Point of the Pandemic?
The new regulation for teleworking in Spain, approved on September 22nd and agreed with employers and unions, comes into force on Tuesday. The Royal Decree Law includes the rules that will govern teleworking in Spain. The implementation has been accelerated by the covid-19 pandemic, since up until now there was no specific regulation. “Fundamental rights are preserved,” Minister of Labour, Yolanda Díaz flagged. She considers the approval of this regulation as the starting point for “a wave of reforms” for a 21st century labour market. The text of the regulation, which is the result of extensive negotiations, will not apply to remote work deployed due to COVID-19, apart from the issue of necessary measures.
13th Oct 2020 - The Corner
Government intends to develop remote working strategy
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said working from home or remote working had been “an essential part” of the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Donohoe said an inter-departmental group had been set up to work on the Government’s commitment to develop a strategy for remote working and remote service delivery. The Minister outlined the supports that were in place for remote working. These include employees not facing a benefit-in-kind tax charge on up to €3.20 paid a day by employers towards the expenses of working from home. A worker may claim a tax deduction for utility expenses such as gas or electricity for heating and electricity bills where an employer does not make a contribution.
13th Oct 2020 - The Irish Times
How To Support Parents Juggling Kids And Working Remotely
Fall has brought a new productivity challenge for working parents and the leaders who manage them—how to get work done from home, while also trying to supervise online schooling for one or more children. Here’s the truth that no one wants to address: It’s almost impossible to consistently do both in a reasonable work day.
13th Oct 2020 - Forbes
Two in five Indian professionals stressed due to remote work
Two in five professionals in India are experiencing increased stress or anxiety due to the pandemic while one in three professionals believe remote working is slowing career progression, making them feel more lonely and harming work-life balance, revealed a new LinkedIn survey. The findings showed that only one in four (23 per cent) professionals in the country were being offered emotional well-being initiatives and flexible work hours by their employers in the early months of the lockdown. “The ongoing stress around the 3 Rs — remote work, return to work, and risk of exposure — are adversely impacting the mental health of Indian professionals. Companies in India are beginning to bolster their mental health programmes to support their employees in such times, ” said Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, Linkedin.
12th Oct 2020 - SME Futures
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullTracksuits and laundry service: Companies are getting creative with remote employee perks
Keeping employees engaged and happy while they are working remotely has become a challenge for companies. "There is remote work, and then there is pandemic work," said Doug Merritt, president and CEO of San Francisco-based Splunk, a data platform company. "I am so much more tired at the end of the day, even though my hours are relativity consistent. The end of an office day is so different then the end of a Zoom day." Corporate leaders realize that a big part of the company's culture is tied to the experience of being in the office: the amenities, the food, the social gatherings. And replicating these things is hard when employees are working from home.
12th Oct 2020 - CNN
Working From Home Is Here to Stay, So Let’s Get It Right
The Covid-19 pandemic has crushed the economy, sent joblessness soaring, and killed over a million people worldwide. But there are a few ways in which the pandemic may prompt society to improve, and one is remote work. Though it was initially necessary to keep employees from getting sick, remote work promises to make people more productive and happier while helping the environment and preserving infrastructure. When the coronavirus struck, those who could do their jobs remotely often did. The number has gradually declined as our understanding of safety measures increased, but it's still substantial:
12th Oct 2020 - Bloomberg
80% of companies anticipate remote work as the new norm on the labour market
Most companies (80%) respondents to PwC’s global survey ”The future of remote work” shows that adopting remote work is the new norm on the labour market, and over 53% currently have created and implemented arrangement policies in this respect. Of the remainder (47%), more than 50% of companies anticipate that they will refine or implement a remote work arrangement policy by the end of 2020. The top three priorities for enabling remote work arrangements are health and safety of employees (70%), enhancing the employee experience (65%) and attracting and retaining key talent (60%).
12th Oct 2020 - Business Review
Remote work requires us to reconsider how to evaluate and pay employees
Remote work is about more than just working from home — it means working differently. Because working from home may become much more prevalent even after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, it’s time to adapt employee evaluation and compensation schemes to address the new reality. Performance evaluation systems have a long history, dating back to the United States military’s rating system during the First World War.
Since then, profit-driven employers have implemented employee assessments with the ultimate goal of aligning worker motivation with organizational objectives. Decades of research have tried to map out best practices in this area.
12th Oct 2020 - The Conversation CA
How Covid-19 is changing the European workplace
Nearly 70% of European employers responding to the survey plan to continue remote work for employees unless their jobs really require them to be in the workplace. Additionally, 80% of respondents are – either somewhat or to a great extent – requiring or considering requiring more employees to work remotely. Those employers say they are considering this shift to achieve greater productivity (41%), address the difficulty and cost of implementing new safety measures (38%) and allow for the closure of offices (25%). The function of offices may change from working spot to meeting place. This shift is remarkable on its own and will likely become more pervasive as reluctant employers follow suit to compete for talent in a post-pandemic environment. These changes will obviously also have legal consequences for employers.
12th Oct 2020 - The Global Legal Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullWomen bear brunt of Covid-related work stress, UK study finds
Women are being disproportionately affected by a rise in mental health problems caused by increasing workloads as people do their jobs from home amid the pandemic. The length of the working day has increased steadily, resulting in a 49% rise in mental distress reported by employees when compared with 2017-19. Women are bearing the brunt of problems as they juggle work and childcare, according to a report by the 4 Day Week campaign and thinktanks Compass and Autonomy.
9th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Microsoft is letting more employees work from home permanently
Microsoft is allowing more of its employees to work from home permanently, the company announced Friday. While the vast majority of Microsoft employees are still working from home during the ongoing pandemic, the software maker has unveiled “hybrid workplace” guidance internally to allow for far greater flexibility once US offices eventually reopen. The Verge has received Microsoft’s internal guidance, and it outlines the company’s flexible working plans for the future. Microsoft will now allow employees to work from home freely for less than 50 percent of their working week, or for managers to approve permanent remote work. Employees who opt for the permanent remote work option will give up their assigned office space, but still have options to use touchdown space available at Microsoft’s offices.
11th Oct 2020 - The Verge
Barbados hopes a new visa will attract remote workers : The Indicator from Planet Money
The next stage of working remotely — very remotely — starts with a Caribbean island with a problem, and an opportunity. The problem: The coronavirus pandemic has hurt countries like Barbados that rely on tourism for their economy. International tourists globally were down 65% in the first half of the year. The opportunity: With so many people discovering they could work remotely, Barbados announced the Welcome Stamp, a visa that allows people to work for their employer back home while living — and spending — in Barbados for a year.
11th Oct 2020 - NPR
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhat employees really think about working from home
The shift to the home office may have led to longer workdays and more work, but workers are much happier and three in four are annoyed it took a pandemic for bosses to finally embrace remote work. A global study from Atlassian reveals that nearly seven in 10 Australian workers say their job satisfaction and work-life balance has improved since the shift to remote work. The study looked at the work-from-home experiences of more than 5000 workers in Australia, France, Germany...
8th Oct 2020 - The Australian Financial Review
Handling Mental Health While Working Remotely
After months of millions of people working from home for the first time, it has become clear that there are both pros and cons to this work arrangement. The benefits have always been highlighted, such as no commutes, dressing casually and being able to complete home-related tasks in between meetings. However, a new study of 12,000 people across 11 countries conducted by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence revealed the downsides of remote working. The research found that 78% of respondents saw a negative impact to their mental health this year. Additionally, 41% said they are feeling challenged due to blurred lines between home and work lives. Even more staggering, 85% said mental health issues are impacting their home life due to sleep deprivation, poor physical health, decreased happiness, problems with family relationships and being isolated from friends.
8th Oct 2020 - Allwork.Space
3 in 5 Indian professionals have felt lonely while working remotely
Around 3 in 5 (60%) Indian professionals have felt lonely at at some point while working remotely in the last few months, while 37% still feel lonely now. These are the findings of the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index, an online survey of 16,199 Indian professionals conducted between April and September to understand the impact of the pandemic and remote work on their mental health
8th Oct 2020 - Times of India
Most Target HQ Employees To Work Remotely Until June 2021
Target has informed its corporate employees that all who are currently working remotely will now continue to do so until June 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came in an email sent to employees Thursday morning. “It’s hard to believe we’ve been living with the pandemic for more than a half a year already. I never imagined that we’d transition to remote work in the spring and that I’d be writing this message to you, still from home, in the fall,” chief human resources officer Melissa Kremer wrote. The company has taken a gradual approach to returning workers to headquarters, with what the company termed as a “very small portion” of them working on the premises. Kremer said that many workers have clearly adapted to working virtually
8th Oct 2020 - CBS Minnesota
These 6 countries are accepting American travelers for remote-work trips
The pandemic has proved challenging for digital nomads, people who travel the world working remotely. With countries closing their borders and air travel heavily restricted, working abroad has become extremely difficult if not totally impossible for Americans. And as some destinations begin to allow foreign visitors, travelers from the United States may still be banned because of the America’s escalating number of coronavirus cases. But there are exceptions. Some countries are welcoming working travelers, including Americans, back again despite the pandemic.
8th Oct 2020 - Washington Post
The Secret's Out: Remote Work Just Works
As we look to 2021, most companies are debating how they’re going to work in the future. They’re asking themselves: Are we a remote team now? Should we go back to the office? What many are starting to realize is that the cat is very much out of the bag — remote work is possible and even effective. And it means companies aren’t just going remote, they’re also starting to wonder how they can combine the benefits of working from home with the best parts of working from an office.
8th Oct 2020 - CMSWire
How We're Turning Remote Work Into Better Management
This year has seen one of the fastest and most dramatic changes in how we work, ever. At the end of the first quarter, millions of people shifted to working from home, aided by digital advances in communications and collaboration. Soon after that, retail delivery, distributed teams, logistics, and planning went through their own accelerations. Many more aspects of work are likely to change as well, in ways that will endure long after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. As a technologist, there's never been a stronger proof point that advanced digital technologies are ready for prime time. On a personal level, I feel lucky: There is a long history of pandemics, but this is the first time we've had the technology to connect with loved ones and co-workers, work remotely, and entertain ourselves while at home.
8th Oct 2020 - CIO
Microsoft CEO says remote work can feel like 'sleeping at work'
Microsoft has been a major beneficiary of the work-from-home boom spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. But chief executive officer Satya Nadella is realizing the pitfalls of being away from the office for so long. Online meetings can make employees tired and make it difficult to transition from a work mindset to private life, the executive said at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council on Tuesday. "When you are working from home, it sometimes feels like you are sleeping at work,” he added.
8th Oct 2020 - Employee Benefit News
Mental Health And Remote Work: Survey Reveals 80% Of Workers Would Quit Their Jobs For This
Mental health matters, for today’s remote workforce: a vast majority of workers (80%) would consider quitting their current position for a job that focused more on employees’ mental health. That’s according to a recent survey of 1,000 Americans, published by TELUS International. Research indicates that 75% of U.S. workers have struggled at work due to anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent world events. On the eve of World Mental Health Day, it seems that the coronavirus has created massive amounts of stress, anxiety and uncertainty for remote workers and leaders alike. Below you will find three things that companies can do, today, to help employees during this difficult time.
8th Oct 2020 - Forbes
10 essential soft skills for the remote work era
How can you best support your colleagues and teams during this ongoing period of remote work? Prioritize and cultivate these soft skills, leaders. Fostering connections during this initially unexpected (and now ongoing) period of remote work may be one of the bigger unforeseen management challenges of our times. It’s also an area where most IT leaders don’t have extensive experience. Interpersonal skills – particularly those that foster a culture of open and honest communication – are key to the success of remote IT organizations in this time of extreme change.
8th Oct 2020 - The Enterprisers Project
City firms consider axing office space as remote working continues
Demand for remote working is forcing City firms to review how much office space they really need, according to new research. A financial services survey from the CBI and PwC has found that 74% of London-based banks and insurance firms have been assessing their office needs, according to The Guardian. The companies are thought to be looking at how they can either use office space differently or reduce it. Of the 133 financial firms that took part in the survey, 88% said that COVID-19 had resulted in a greater shift towards working from home with more than 90% of their workers able to do their jobs without being tied to a physical office.
8th Oct 2020 - IT Pro
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullMore than half of Brazilians would change jobs if they could work remotely
Brazilians see remote working as a desirable feature of employment, but the ability to work from is not translating into greater access to job opportunities, according to research. A study carried out with over 20,000 participants globally by software firm Salesforce has found that 53% of Brazilian workers would change jobs if it means they could work from home. However, 87% are not seeing any change regarding job opportunities despite the increased uptake of remote working: the majority of respondents (71%) have said they see that format of work as restricted to only a parcel of the population. Unemployment in Brazil is currently affecting over 13 million people, according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.
8th Oct 2020 - ZDNet
Working remotely can feel remote
Working remotely during the pandemic has led many large employers to embrace this mode of employment with enthusiasm. It turns out that productivity has improved, for the most part, rather than diminished. Most young, well-educated folks with a modicum of self-discipline, have what it takes to successfully work remotely. But one needs to have a space that is dedicated to nothing but work. The couch in front of the TV would be a bad choice. And it is also best if you have a set time to start working. Get your coffee, and take that short commute into your home office. I’ve also been told that it is important to first get dressed. There’s something that just doesn’t feel right about working in your jammies or underwear. We’ve all seen those commercials where the guy in the shirt and tie drops his laptop and everyone sees that he’s in his boxers.
7th Oct 2020 - Red Bluff Daily News
Burnt out parent working remotely? Elaine Varelas offers her advice
While many people are adapting to remote life during the pandemic, for some, the load only seems to be heavier. Working parents with children staying home are facing a greater workload now than ever. Elaine Varelas encourages balancing time and workload in order to prevent burning out.
7th Oct 2020 - Boston.com
How do workers really feel about remote working? This survey had some surprising results
Managers believe they’re doing well at supporting staff through changes to work wrought by the pandemic - new global survey. But employees disagree, telling researchers they are tired and overworked. Workers say they lack the training and support needed. More than a fifth of global workers have either been furloughed or lost their jobs.
7th Oct 2020 - World Economic Forum
Developer says remote working is slowing planning deals
For Urban & Civic, this is particularly acute at Catesby Estates, the strategic land promotion business that it acquired in 2015. “Land sales in Catesby have been delayed, not through a lack of house-builder demand but on account of slowed Section 106 agreements resulting from the additional complexities of planning and legal officers working remotely,” Urban & Civic said. However, it added that there were encouraging signs. “The first post lockdown sale was completed last week, with a second conditional contract outstanding. Catesby currently has a further four consented sites awaiting local authority finalisations.”
7th Oct 2020 - Construction Index News
Remote work is here to stay. Tech workers are starting to worry about their careers
Working from home has been so effective at keeping businesses operational during the coronavirus crisis that many firms are planning to stick with it even after the pandemic has passed. And while some tech workers will welcome the flexibility and lack of commute, others are starting to worry about how to develop their careers if they are always working from home. COVID-19 has had a greater impact on flexible working in tech than it has in almost any other sector, according to a study by the recruitment company Hays.
7th Oct 2020 - ZDNet
The Pitfalls Of Work-From-Home, According To Satya Nadella
Microsoft Corp. has been a major beneficiary of the work-from-home boom spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic. But Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella is realizing the pitfalls of being away from the office for so long. Online meetings can make employees tired and make it difficult to transition from a work mindset to private life, the executive said at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council on Tuesday. "When you are working from home, it sometimes feels like you are sleeping at work," he added.
Video meetings can be particularly enervating, the CEO noted, citing brain studies on the subject. "Thirty minutes into your first video meeting in the morning, because of the concentration one needs to have in video, you are fatigued."
7th Oct 2020 - NDTV
Germany drafts law to protect work-life balance for remote staff
As the pandemic stretches on unevenly around the globe, the German government wants to codify labor conditions for remote employees. It’s moving forward with a set of laws that would protect a person’s ability to work from home when possible, turning what was once a fringe benefit into a personal right. The legislation would also limit the number of hours that people are expected to toil from their kitchen tables, home studies, and bedrooms, long after quitting time, the Financial Times reports.
7th Oct 2020 - Quartz
Half of firms would consider hiring someone who worked fully remotely, poll finds
More than half of businesses that experienced remote working during lockdown would consider hiring an employee who worked fully or mostly from home, a survey has found. The poll of 280 business leaders, conducted by Management Today (MT) and Hays, found 55 per cent would now be more likely to consider hiring an employee who was not within commuting distance to the office and so would work completely or predominantly remotely. This compared to the 45 per cent who said they would not now be more likely to make such a hire. The poll – conducted as part of the report Will hybrid working ever work? – found most employers were not currently advertising jobs as predominantly remote roles, however. Just a third (33 per cent) of respondents said they were advertising jobs as either partly or fully based at home, compared to 67 per cent who were not.
7th Oct 2020 - People Management Magazine
NI people invited to swap Belfast for Barbados to work remotely from the Caribbean island
How would you fancy working remotely, but not from your spare room in Draperstown or Maghera, but - Barbados? The Caribbean island, where the temperature is usually around 30oC, is hoping to attract people with a year-long working visa. Ads on instagram boast the island's “tropical landscape and work-life balance". Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley says “our new visa allows you to relocate and work from one of the world’s most beloved tourism destinations.” What do you reckon? Vinny spoke to Minister for Tourism in Barbados, Senator Lisa Cummins.
7th Oct 2020 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote work erodes workers' sense of belonging
Most Americans want the telework trend to continue after the pandemic, but there's a lingering problem that companies haven't been able to solve: working at home is isolating. Why it matters: A sense of belonging at work is becoming increasingly important to workers — and employers who figure out how to build that into the hybrid work culture of the future will have a critical advantage when recruiting and retaining talent. That's a key takeaway from Slack's inaugural index of remote work as part of the company's new Future Forum, which will be released Wednesday.
Slack surveyed 4,700 teleworkers across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Japan and Australia. The consensus was that working remotely has greatly improved work-life balance but increased isolation.
7th Oct 2020 - Axios
Is Remote Working Ethical?
Remote working is the greatest benefactor of this pandemic worldwide. According to different news outlets, at least 30% of jobs have disappeared. Most of these have been replaced by working from home. The Internet has made this possible, which was inconceivable a few years back.
6th Oct 2020 - Havana Times.org
You could work remotely in the Caribbean with a new 2 year visa - here’s how to get one
Homeworking is now the norm for many due to the coronavirus pandemic, but for those dreaming of the beach, there may be a way you can do both at once. The Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda has launched a new visa, which is specifically for remote workers. The Nomad Digital Residence Programme allows remote workers to go and live on the island for up to two years. You can still work for a company back home, but also enjoy the same benefits as residents in the Caribbean country.
5th Oct 2020 - Northumberland Gazette
The Truth About Working Remotely on a Tropical Island
In early July, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced a new economic initiative called the Barbados Welcome Stamp. The program allows remote workers to move to the island nation for up to a year and not pay income tax, with the hopes that these new residents would help stimulate a local economy that thrives on tourism, an industry hurting badly due to the pandemic. Just last month, another Caribbean nation followed suit: Antigua and Barbuda recently announced a comparable remote worker program, permitting foreign workers to live and work in Antigua on a visa for up to two years. From cities like Detroit and Tulsa (which offer financial incentives like fellowships and discounted — and in some cases free — homes) to states like Vermont and Maine that want to attract a younger generation to mitigate their aging workforce, why do places offer this kind of economic incentive? And is it really worth it?
6th Oct 2020 - InsideHook
Microsoft CEO Says Remote Work Can Feel Like ‘Sleeping at Work’
Microsoft Corp. has been a major beneficiary of the work-from-home boom spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic. But Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella is realizing the pitfalls of being away from the office for so long. Online meetings can make employees tired and make it difficult to transition from a work mindset to private life, the executive said at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council on Tuesday. "When you are working from home, it sometimes feels like you are sleeping at work,” he added.
6th Oct 2020 - Bloomberg
Companies to Shrink Offices as Remote Work Becomes ‘New Normal’
More than half of companies plan to shrink their offices as working from home becomes a regular fixture after the Covid-19 pandemic ends, according to a survey by Cisco Systems Inc. Some 53% of larger organizations plan to reduce the size of their office space and more than three quarters will increase work flexibility. Almost all of the respondents were uncomfortable returning to work because they fear contracting the virus, the poll found. Cisco, the largest maker of networking equipment, recently surveyed 1,569 executives, knowledge workers and others who are responsible for employee environments in the post-Covid era. The findings suggest many of this year’s radical changes to work life will remain long after the pandemic subsides
6th Oct 2020 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 has changed working patterns for good, UK survey finds
Most office workers do not intend to spend five days a week in the workplace once the Covid-19 crisis is over, with both bosses and employees seeing home working as a long-term trend. The pandemic has changed working patterns for good, a survey from the British Council for Offices (BCO) has found. In future white-collar workers will adopt a mixed approach, combining remote working with several days a week in the office. The Institute of Directors agrees that more firms are taking a mixed approach to where their employees work.
5th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Second phase of remote working survey to be carried out
The experience of remote working is to be the subject of a second national survey carried out by NUI Galway and the Western Development Commission. The first phase of the survey was carried out in April, in the immediate aftermath of the national lockdown. It revealed that 83% of the 7,200 employees who responded wanted to continue working from home either fully or part of the time. Professor Alma McCarthy of NUIG's JE Cairnes School of Business and Economics noted that when the first research was carried out in April, it was an "emergency" situation where many employees still did not have fully equipped work stations at home.
5th Oct 2020 - RTE.ie
Zoom with a view: The number of Scots heading overseas is expected to rocket as pandemic changes the way we work
The CIPD survey of more than 1,000 employers shows they believe 37% of staff will be working from home once the coronavirus crisis is over compared to just 16% who did so before lockdown, with 30% of employers stating increased homeworking has boosted productivity or efficiency. The organisation’s head in Scotland, Lee Ann Panglea, believes this greater commitment to flexible working could pave the way for more workations overseas. She said: “The pandemic is going to have a long-lasting effect on how we work, with a step change in the proportion of people who work from home on a much more regular basis. “While our research did not cover remote working outside the UK, we can see anecdotally that this more flexible approach could open doors to more people working overseas. As an organisation we have colleagues working all over the world. It is very much something that we support.”
5th Oct 2020 - The Sunday Post
Remote working brings rich opportunities for Russia’s recruiters
Until last month, the chief executive of Russia’s Alfa-Bank had always assumed he was the only person employed at the lender who hailed from Tarusa, a small town of just 9,000 people. Now he knows of three others; all hired in the bank’s IT development department over the summer as part of a major pan-national recruitment spree that, as a result of Covid-19, no longer relies on the talent pool in Moscow and a handful of other big cities. The pandemic’s enforced shift to remote working has unlocked the opportunity for many Russian recruiters to tap far more of the country’s 145m strong population, the majority of whom are based thousands of miles from businesses in Moscow or St Petersburg, across a vast country spanning 11 time zones.
5th Oct 2020 - Financial Times
Working from home? Slow broadband, remote security remain top issues
Unreliable home broadband connectivity is the primary technical challenge businesses are having to deal with as remote working continues during the COVID-19 pandemic. That's one takeaway from a survey of 100 C-level executives and IT professionals in the US by Navisite designed to highlight the biggest headaches for organizations providing IT services to workers since offices began to close in March.
5th Oct 2020 - Computerworld
You could work remotely in the Caribbean with a new 2 year visa - here’s how to get one
Homeworking is now the norm for many due to the coronavirus pandemic, but for those dreaming of the beach, there may be a way you can do both at once. The Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda has launched a new visa, which is specifically for remote workers.
5th Oct 2020 - Boston Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullIndeed introduces new remote-working policy
Recruitment search engine Indeed is offering its 10,000 employees a new flexible working policy, following on from the change in working patterns that were put in place due to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. Dependent on their role within the organisation, employees will have the option to either work full-time in the office or at home, or split their time flexibly between both. The vast majority of employees at Indeed are currently working remotely until July 2021 but the organisation outlined the new policy and confirmed it has no plans to move to a permanent remote working solution once all of its offices are safe to be reopened.
4th Oct 2020 - Employee Benefits
Working from home in UK over winter ‘will add £100 to fuel bills’
Millions of employees preparing to work from home this winter will face a collective hike of almost £2bn on their energy bills, and tougher working conditions, with only a “pittance” in compensation from their employers. Half the UK’s workforce is likely to work primarily from home over the coming months as they help to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and may see their winter energy bills rise by a fifth as radiators and boilers are kept running through the day. The average household energy bill could climb by £107 this winter for those working from home five days a week, according to a study by Energy Helpline, which would mean a £1.9bn hike for the energy bills of working households between October and March.
4th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Employees at the Starbucks Headquarters in Seattle Can Work from Home Until October 2021
On September 30, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson wrote a letter addressed to the company’s 4,000 corporate employees in Seattle detailing adjustments the coffee giant is making during the pandemic. Employees at the headquarters in SoDo can now work remotely until October 2021 (the remote working policy was originally set to expire in January). Starbucks HQ, known as the Seattle Support Center (SSC), will be restructured to allow for more work flexibility, which could include using virtual whiteboards, more online conferences, and less floor space. Johnson also mentioned possibly using mobile devices to order lunch from food trucks in the neighborhood. The time between now and when employees plan to return to the headquarters next fall will be taken to revamp the layout and other aspects of the building.
4th Oct 2020 - Eater Seattle
This Caribbean country is offering remote work visa to digital nomads; find out
In keeping with the current trend of providing people remote-work visas, Caribbean country Antigua and Barbuda has become the latest nation to open its doors for people looking for a change of scene. According to The Independent, the country is willing to welcome digital nomads amid the pandemic — which has made it clear that for many jobs, one does not need a designated office space, but instead they can work remotely from any part of the world and still get the work done.
4th Oct 2020 - The Indian Express
Don’t let remote-working people on your team drift out of touch
As a leader, when did you last walk the floor, talk to a member of your team and ask them how they are, how their family are getting on, and how they are coping with today’s challenges? Has it been days, weeks or months? We’re human beings, and those connections are important. A simple “how are you?” from a senior manager can brighten someone’s day. But for many, remote working has taken that opportunity away.
4th Oct 2020 - The Times
Jennifer O’Connell: The dark side of the remote working revolution
There is a woman living in my part of the country who gets up early every day, puts on her work clothes, and leaves the house to commute to the office. This “commute” involves walking around the housing estate, looping back to her own front door, going inside and sitting at her desk until 6pm, when she repeats the whole process in reverse. Her neighbours might think she’s mad, but she swears her daily commute is the only thing keeping her sane. Not everyone is missing the office as much as her. About 42 per cent of full-time workers are now doing their jobs from home, according to a survey by Behaviours and Attitudes for RTÉ’s Prime Time. In 2018, just one in 20 Europeans worked from home regularly.
3rd Oct 2020 - The Irish Times
White House Faces Remote-Work, Security Challenges as Trump Treated for Covid-19
President Trump’s positive Covid-19 test has created perhaps the ultimate remote-work challenge. With Mr. Trump moved to the hospital Friday, and many White House aides sent home, the administration will rely more on the type of virtual teamwork that many companies have adopted during the coronavirus pandemic.
The White House has beefed up its digital contingency plans in recent years to prepare for events that could disrupt normal work routines, former officials say. But the new reliance on remote-work tools comes as law-enforcement officials and cybersecurity experts warn of an uptick in hacking threats to government computer systems.
2nd Oct 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullSamsung Launches Annual $2 Million Solve for Tomorrow Contest Engaging Virtual and In-Person Classrooms in STEM Education
Samsung today announced the launch of the 11 th annual $2 million* Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, which challenges students in grades 6–12 and their teachers to use STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to tackle local issues of national importance. Now through December 13, 2020, public school teachers across the U.S. can apply** for this year’s program and submit their activity plans that enable students to create real-world change in their communities using problem-based learning.
1st Oct 2020 - Associated Press
Moscow mayor orders firms to send 30% of staff to remote-work as COVID-19 cases surge
Moscow may reinstate tough measures if its 13 million population ignores COVID-19 protection rules, its mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Thursday after the Russian capital started to record increases in daily cases of infection. Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, registered 2,424 new cases overnight, up from below 700 in new daily cases in early September. In an attempt to curb the recent spike in infections, Sobyanin has earlier ordered to extend an upcoming school holiday by a week and advised anyone with chronic health problems or those older than 65 to stay home.
1st Oct 2020 - Reuters
New normal: Rise of remote work reshaping future of organisations
Working from home is an ideology that was not embraced so much before coronavirus but became more rampant after Covid. - All signs indicate that while working from home may be a temporary move for some organisations, many hope to make it a permanent part of their work life.
1st Oct 2020 - The Star, Kenya
Is remote working here to stay?
Will working from home become the new normal? Yes, according to The Case for Remote Work, a new report from think tank The Entrepreneurs Network by innovation economist Dr Matt Clancy. Reviewing a wide range of research from across economics and social science, it argues that the business case for remote work has improved significantly over the past decade.
1st Oct 2020 - Business Leader
Remote work could bring about the next wave of globalization
COVID-19 has changed the way we work forever. In response to lockdowns, many companies moved their operations online, effectively allowing employees to work from anywhere in the world. The effect that this will have on the world remains unknown, but many predict it could bring about a new wave of globalization.
1st Oct 2020 - World Economic Forum
Free to Work Remotely, Young Americans Are Covid Road Tripping
You might think that a global pandemic isn’t a great time for a road trip. For some young Americans, it’s the perfect time. Over the summer, Bret Collazzi and his fiancee Di Gao decided to give up the lease on their New York apartment, buy a car and spend the foreseeable future traveling throughout the country while working remotely. They first spent a few weeks in the Catskills, and the plan for the fall is to drive from New York to Seattle, then head to cities in California, Texas and back through Louisiana.
1st Oct 2020 - Bloomberg
Twitter employees can now work from home forever
From his home base on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Anton Andryeyev is running Twitter’s efforts to chase Russian bots and other rogue actors off the platform. A year ago, he traded his office in the company’s San Francisco headquarters for this tropical home office two thousand miles away, surrounded by standup paddle boards and a monitor large enough to see his entire 25-person engineering team all at once. Andryeyev’s remote office represents a sweeping experiment in the future of work: allowing white-collar workers to work from anywhere, forever.
1st Oct 2020 - The Washington Post
ACT public servants to stay working remotely
ACT public servants will stay working remotely, despite federal bureaucrats being told to return to the office. Tens of thousands of Australian public servants were told to return to the office if safe to do so in a circular from the Australian Public Service Commission on Tuesday. It came six months after departments began working remotely due to COVID-19. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would ask state and territory leaders to encourage their public servants to do the same.
"It's time to get our CBDs humming again and I think the Commonwealth public service taking the lead in that regard is a good thing," Mr Morrison said.
1st Oct 2020 - The Canberra Times
Facebook's Workplace partners Deloitte to help companies work remotely
Facebook on Thursday announced a global alliance with Deloitte to help companies to use the social media group’s Workplace tool to meet the challenges of remote working. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed work for millions around the world who have switched from being in the office to working from home, fuelling demand for enterprise connectivity platforms, such as Workplace, Slack and Microsoft Teams. The proportion of staff travelling to work in Britain was only 59% in the last week, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday, with the numbers in London and other major cities lower still.
1st Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
Half of organizations experienced security incidents while working remotely
A new report from email security company Tessian reveals that 75% of IT decision makers believe the future of work will be remote or “hybrid” - where employees choose to split their time between working in the office and anywhere else they’d like. As businesses try to deliver a seamless hybrid experience, Tessian’s Securing the Future of Hybrid Working report reveals the security risks they must overcome and the pressures on IT teams.
1st Oct 2020 - Security Magazine
Companies are now hiring 'directors of remote working' to manage staff who never see the office
Employers are hiring 'heads of remote' to manage staff working from home - Data shows that vacancies for remote-working roles have risen by 147 per cent - Remote working is 'here to stay', according to the co-founder of jobs site Adzuna
1st Oct 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullNurturing Community When Working Remotely
After nearly seven months into an unprecedented pandemic, the excitement of transitioning to remote working has settled and the hours spent on Zoom may be causing the cabin fever to settle in. Now, business leaders are planning their next move in terms of the workplace and what the best method of conducting operations will be in the future. While there have been criticisms of working from home over the last several months, it is important to note that being forced to work remotely offers a different experience than having the choice to do so. Of course, workers are enjoying the lack of commute, but the freedom to actually choose where you work and create your own schedule without considering childcare and home-related responsibilities is lost.
30th Sep 2020 - AllWork.Space
Remote work could reshape company sustainability goals
In September 2019, e-commerce giant Shopify launched a Sustainability Fund, committing to invest at least $5 million every year into technology and projects to fight climate change. At the time of the announcement, the company couldn’t have anticipated that less than a year later, in May 2020, they would decide that their workforce would be digital-by-default, a move spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Working remotely would now be the norm for its employees, and it would change the way Shopify looked at its own sustainability efforts.
30th Sep 2020 - Fast Company
Google asks staff remote working from abroad to return
During the height of the pandemic, the firm allowed some of its staff to move abroad for personal reasons, such as returning to their home country, and continue working remotely
30th Sep 2020 - Irish Examiner
Does your profession suit remote working?
In the work-from-home revolution, no two styles of working are the same: flexibility in work hours and location gives employees some degree of freedom and autonomy that in-office work might not. Behind this facet of telecommuting, however, not all workers are able to enjoy the same privilege. In the US alone, more than 100 million people hold jobs that cannot be performed at home. The era of social distancing is thus creating a new kind of digital divide: between those who have the option to work from home and those who don’t.
30th Sep 2020 - Human Resources Director
90% of employers have addressed staff mental health
Nine in 10 (90%) of employers in Europe have taken positive steps to look after the mental health and wellbeing of their employees during the pandemic, according to research by Littler. Its European Employer Covid-19 2020 research published in September 2020, which surveyed 750 European employers, also found that almost three in five (57%) of respondents were offering flexible working schedules so employees can look after children or sick family members during the pandemic. Furthermore, over half (51%) of employees say they were communicating with their employees on a regular basis to update them on how their organisation is dealing with the pandemic, and answering any questions or concerns they might have.
30th Sep 2020 - Employee Benefits
IT Chiefs Address Growing Set of Collaboration Problems Tied to Remote Work
Half a year into the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, information-technology leaders are tackling a new set of communication problems, as companies extend their remote-work infrastructure beyond business continuity and into employee well-being. Most of their efforts are aimed at bridging a sprawling communications gap between corporate managers and their workers, who are no longer under the same roof.
“Covid-19 has accelerated all our projects, especially those related to technology and how it could help us bring people together during this moment,” said Iuri Miranda, chief executive officer of Burger King Brazil.
30th Sep 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
UCLA Allowing Faculty And Staff Successfully Working Remotely to Stay Home Through March
UCLA announced Tuesday it will allow some faculty and staff to work remotely through the end of its winter quarter, March 19, in an effort to limit the number of people on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The extension applies to "faculty and staff at UCLA who have successfully been able to work remotely,'' the university said. It does not apply to those who have been working on campus, are "associated with the ramp-up of UCLA research'' or instructors and support staff who have been approved to conduct winter courses with an on-campus component.
29th Sep 2020 - NBC Southern California
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullFrances Benge: Remote working during lockdown might prompt more permanent change
Inspiration Point director Jocelyn Bray spoke to a series of New Zealand non-profit leaders about their experience of lockdown. This week, it is Frances Benge, chief executive Cure Kids. 1. What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given recently? Working remotely ensures we focus on the skill sets of colleagues and not their personalties. Personalities can be a distraction to productivity and remote working has provided greater collegiality and collaboration and respect for each other.
30th Sep 2020 - Stuff.co.nz
Stay Secure and Productive While Working Remotely
The COVID-19 outbreak has forced organisations to re-think their approach towards mobile and remote working overnight. In the past, organisations have used remote working as a perk to attract and retain talent. However, the pandemic’s onset changed remote working from optional to essential, creating new habits amongst teams and individuals. With lock-down lifting in most countries, we are now at a crossroads and CIOs must decide whether the five-month remote-working experiment is worth incorporating into the company’s long-term strategy. In this article, I’ll take a fresh new look into the two most significant remote working elements, namely people and technology, and discuss how enterprises can ensure their employees are safe and productive while working remotely.
29th Sep 2020 - UC Today
Working Remotely From Now On
For some, working from home during the pandemic has been - and still expected to be - temporary. But for others, the move to remote work has become permanent, because employers - and employees - have decided it’s better that way.
29th Sep 2020 - WUTC
Teambuilding Ideas For Newly Remote Workers
Before 2020, less than 4% of companies had remote workers. Now, one in three companies is offering remote work, and many are looking to make the shift permanent. This is a drastic change in a short period. Working remotely provides benefits that are uncommon in a traditional office, but it can also lead to a shift in team dynamics. How can you increase collaboration and build team spirit remotely, and why is connection important to productivity and success?
29th Sep 2020 - AllWork.Space
How Companies Are Supporting Employees in The Times of Remote Working
Before the Covid-19 pandemic isolated everyone into their homes, physical office spaces offered immense opportunities for team building. Earlier companies were able to focus on the personal as well as professional development of their employees by organising activities such as office parties, lunches, bonding exercises and office breaks. These activities play a key role in making employees feel they are contributing to something larger and increase the overall team spirit. In particular, office parties, activities and bonding sessions help employees to trust each other and increase their motivation to work as a team.
29th Sep 2020 - Entrepreneur
BusinessWise: Kids at home while you work? Some ways to cope
Question: I am working remotely, and my children are doing school online from home. Do you have any tips for staying productive while adjusting to working from home with my kids? A: The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way people across the country work. Many people moved to remote work early in the pandemic, and for those with children, working from home became a lot more challenging. With some child care facilities indefinitely shut down and many school districts transitioning to online learning this semester, remote workers have struggled to simultaneously work productively and actively parent. Some tips for working remotely with school-age children:
29th Sep 2020 - The Cincinnati Enquirer
Utah wants to incentivize companies to work remotely
Remote work has been on UCAIR’s drawing board of potential clean air policies for some years. They just couldn’t figure out how to get the state’s politicians and businesses on board. “All our data before [the stay home directive] showed three major stumbling blocks. One was attitudes—executives, in particular, like to be around people,” Thom Carter, executive director of UCAIR says. Other concerns included a perception that productivity declines when workers work remotely and a belief that doing so would cost businesses more money by forcing them to provide laptops and other equipment for their employees. UCAIR tried convincing local businesses that remote work was good for the environment and for the local economy, but it was a hard sell. Then came the pandemic and the stay-home orders, and something remarkable happened—global concentrations of air pollution fell by as much as 60 percent, proving the potential environmental benefits were even greater than previously imagined. “Necessity is often the mother of invention, and people went home,” Carter says. As they did, local attitudes toward remote work began to rapidly shift.
29th Sep 2020 - Utah Business
Is Remote Working Here to Stay?
Work-from-home (WFH) has become a very controversial employment scheme. Although the benefits have been discussed, governments and companies were resistant to making it the norm. But the case against remote working was more about prejudices. Employers typically thought that a lack of direct contact would permit employees to shirk their duties, among other reservations. In recent years, we have seen a surge in remote working, with more companies adopting this type of work as a benefit included in their compensation packages. Remote working for one or two days per week became a common fixture in many sectors. But it was not until Covid-19 that we saw an exponential increase in WFH arrangements
29th Sep 2020 - Nearshore Americas
State of Our Schools: Moms worried about balancing work, remote learning
Back to school has come with headaches for many parents who are struggling to balance work and remote learning, especially those whose kids require special-education services.
29th Sep 2020 - News 12 New Jersey
JPMorgan Says Most Consumer Staff to Work From Home Until 2021
JPMorgan Chase & Co. told thousands of office workers across its consumer unit they can plan to continue working remotely until next year, breaking with the firm’s Wall Street operations, which mandated that senior traders return to work. The directive, which was communicated to staff in several memos Monday, applies to most U.S.-based employees in the consumer unit who have been working remotely to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. It excludes branch workers and some in operations, according to a person briefed on the staffing plans. The consumer and community banking unit, which operates primarily in the U.S., has 122,089 employees, the most of any of the firm’s divisions.
29th Sep 2020 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in full27% of staff working remotely considering their career
Over a quarter (27%) of employees who are working from home during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) are reconsidering their career options due how their organisation has dealt with the pandemic, according to research by Canada Life.
The survey of 624 working adults in the UK, published 28 September 2020, also found that over a quarter (26%) of respondents would prefer to work flexible working hours, while 15% would prefer their organisation to provide better mental health support. Furthermore, just under two in five (17%) would want better home office setups when working remotely, with 13% of respondents wanting their employee to upgrade their WiFi connection so they can work from home more efficiently.
28th Sep 2020 - Employee Benefits
Managerial Support Needed For Remote Working To Endure
The coronavirus pandemic has meant huge swathes of the population have been working from home for the last few months. As workplaces begin to re-open, the question turns to whether this shift is temporary, or whether those of us who have been advocating remote working for many years might finally see a more permanent change. New research from Harvard Business School suggests that after Covid-19, the majority of us will trudge back into the office again. After a survey of around 1,800 from a range of small and large businesses, the researchers found that just 16% of those currently working from home will continue to do so.
28th Sep 2020 - Forbes
JPMorgan Chase tells thousands of workers across U.S. to work remotely into 2021
JPMorgan Chase & Co. told thousands of office workers across its consumer unit they can plan to continue working remotely until next year, breaking with the firm’s Wall Street operations, which mandated that senior traders return to work. The directive, which was communicated to staff in several memos Monday, applies to most U.S.-based employees in the consumer unit who have been working remotely to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. It excludes branch workers and some in operations, according to a person briefed on the staffing plans.
28th Sep 2020 - The Dallas Morning News
Brazilian government achieves multimillion-dollar savings with remote working
The Brazilian government estimates it has achieved savings of more than 1 billion reais (US$ 180 million) with remote working since the start of the pandemic, and a new framework has been introduced this month with rules that include employee responsibility for expenses such as electricity. According to the report released on Friday (25) by the Ministry of Economy, the figure considers 859 million (US$ 154 million) in fixed expenses relating to the maintenance of physical offices. The savings reported also take into account a reduction of 161 million reais (US$ 29 million) in benefits to workers between April and August 2020.
28th Sep 2020 - ZDNet
House buyers look outside the cities as remote working grows
The price of a three-bedroom semi-detached house across the country rose by 0.6 per cent over the past three months to €236,046, an annual increase of 0.4 per cent. Reflecting the beginnings of a flight to rural locations, prices in the rest of the country’s towns rose by almost 1 per cent in 12 weeks to €163,345. It comes amid reports of house buyers queueing overnight to purchase homes in Carlow over the weekend. The Irish Times reports that more than 30 people queued in bitter weather to better their chances of getting a home among the 18 new properties in Castle Oaks estate in Carlow town, with the houses coming on to the market on Saturday morning. Auctioneer June Doran maintains that the “unprecedented” interest comes from how work has been affected by the coronavirus; working from home has “freed up” people to consider moving beyond Dublin, she says.
28th Sep 2020 - BreakingNews.ie
Remote working opening doors to jobs on the road
Millions of Americans are now working at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while some are working far away from home. Travel blogger Lindsey Myers and her husband like to rent out their home in Charleston while they travel the world. Most recently they spent a two-month stint in Tulum, Mexico. "We did it in Bali for a couple months, we've done Scotland and Ireland we did Belgium," Myers says.
28th Sep 2020 - WNYT
Tim Cook's Optimism On Remote Working
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., has expressed his confidence about employees’ ability to work remotely and expects that this new way of working will stick around for years to come. In an interview at The Atlantic Festival, Cook added he does not foresee the workforce returning to normal operations in the future as “we’ve found that there are some things that actually work really well virtually.” He added that 10% to 15% of Apple workers have returned to the office and still hopes that employees can come back to the company’s new Silicon Valley campus next year.
While Cook has been primarily optimistic about remote working, he admits that there is no replication of working in person with colleagues, which can help spark creativity.
28th Sep 2020 - AllWork.Space
The rise of remote work can be unexpectedly liberating
In the initial months of the pandemic, remote work seemed full of upsides: more flexibility for employees and an expectation of greater profits, productivity and retention for their employers. But what if the long-studied benefits of remote work look different in a post-pandemic world? In particular, what if employee loyalty and engagement decrease once remote work is no longer an exception but rather the norm? And what if that’s not a bad thing? What if a more disconnected work force leads to changes that could make employees happier and companies more compassionate? I’m a fan of remote work, but it presents unique challenges in helping staffs feel connected to their teammates and the company.
28th Sep 2020 - Economic Times
Japan wants people to work remotely from beautiful national parks - Insider
Japan is hoping to attract people to work remotely from its national parks.
Several parks have added wifi access points, built rentable workstations, and even have staff who will bring workers food. "We want people to engage in remote work while relaxing in an environment away from their usual daily life," an official at the Kyukamura Kishu Kada resort hotel at Setonaikai National Park told Japan Times.
28th Sep 2020 - INSIDER
Long commutes may be behind shift to remote working as London workers shun the office
Commute times and long work days and weeks could be contributing to a longer-term shift to remote working for UK workers, according to big data platform Stratigens. UK workers, especially in London, have been slower to return to traditional office workspaces compared to workers in major European cities and countries, Stratigens said. Data from Stratigens, synthesised from 1,500 big data sources, finds that: London’s broadband speed is slower than that in other major capitals such as Madrid, Paris, Brussels and Berlin London has a higher percentage of the population commuting than any of the other cities analysed – Paris, Milan, Brussels, Berlin Commute time for London is longer than other major European cities. London’s average commute time is 45 minutes compared to 35 minutes in Madrid and 24 minutes in Berlin - London has the longest working day and working week but productivity is lower. London employees work an average of eight hours per day and a 36-hour week – higher than Berlin, Brussels, Milan or Paris.
28th Sep 2020 - Recruiter
It’s time to commit to remote working
It’s been six months since many of us have been to the office. What started as a crisis response to a pandemic has segued into A New Normal – and we don’t know when things are likely to change. A recent survey on LinkedIn from Digivizer CEO Emma Lo Russo found that 63% of respondents were still working from home. Facebook, Uber and Google aren’t planning on sending staff back to the office until mid-2021. Most organisations have pivoted remarkably well to remote working. Productivity is up, interest in exercise has increased and fathers are reportedly spending more time caring for their children.
28th Sep 2020 - Mumbrella
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullAustralians want to work from home more post-COVID
75% of workers think employers will support future work from home plans - More Australians want to work from home an average of two days per week after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey by the University of Sydney Business School. The Transport Opinion Survey, conducted by the University of Sydney Business School’s internationally respected Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS), found that across all industries, one in five employees worked from home regularly before the pandemic. Three in four workers believe that post-COVID-19, their employers are more likely to support work from home than they did before the pandemic. During the pandemic, the number of work from home days doubled for managers and almost tripled for employees in sales and clerical/administration work.
28th Sep 2020 - News - The University of Sydney
The looming legal minefield of working from home
A poll of more than 750 European employers published last week showed 41 per cent have plans to make it easier for staff to keep working remotely once offices reopen. They may not give a fig if their staff are lighting up at home, but they do care about much else, such as how much work is being done. That is already raising potential legal headaches, as I discovered after calling UK employment lawyers last week.
27th Sep 2020 - Financial Times
Working remotely
One of the consequences of the coronavirus on employers has been an increase in the number of persons working remotely, very often working from home. This did not happen just in Malta but also in other countries. Although specific numbers are not fully known, indications are that as many as a third of employees have worked from home during this period. Business meetings were also held online. We got to realise how much time we wasted by being stuck in traffic going to work or driving back home or going to meetings. When I broached the subject of remote working with both employers and employees, I was told that they expect that remote working will remain as staff have got accustomed to it. There is general agreement that it will not be remote working for five days a week but more like one or two days working from home and three days working at the workplace
27th Sep 2020 - Times of Malta
‘Working remotely requires more individual contact, not less’
“The last six months have been like playing a game of chess where all the pieces can move in any direction, even the pawns,” says one middle manager in financial services. “My team has changed twice and I’ve had little or no say in the selection process. I’ve ended up with a very mixed group who don’t know each other and have different expectations and levels of experience. None of us has worked from home before and I’m supposed make it all work seamlessly on Zoom while not dropping the ball on productivity.” This is not untypical of the situation many of those now running distributed teams find themselves in. Working from home sounded great in theory and initially everyone was upbeat about being able to work from the sofa in their PJs if they felt like it. But it hasn’t taken long for the realities of remote working to kick in and for people to realise how much we rely on formal and informal interactions to provide stability and structure during the working day.
27th Sep 2020 - The Irish Times
How global teams working remotely build trust
You were hoping to take advantage of the eight-hour time difference to get answers while you were sleeping, and now you’re annoyed. Do you hold onto that feeling, growing increasingly resentful during the day, and drafting passive-aggressive emails to your Japanese co-worker? Or do you let it go, knowing there was likely a reason they didn’t reply, and that you should be patient? The difference between those two responses is trust. Organizational psychologists and good managers know that a lack of trust between co-workers can quickly lead to a breakdown in teams, particularly those that work across geographies and cultures. Research has shown that the quicker you can establish trust, the more efficiently a team can work on a task, and the more resilient it is to the inevitable stresses caused by time zones, cultural differences, pressures, miscommunications, and conflict. Academics call a global team’s ability to do this at the beginning stage of a project “swift trust formation.”
27th Sep 2020 - Quartz
Five exotic destinations inviting remote workers, including Barbados and Bermuda
Working from home has become the new normal for many of us due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some have struggled to adapt to this new working mode, others have come to the welcome realisation that their job requirements can be completed from anywhere and are beginning to explore their options. As a result, a number of exotic destinations which have seen their tourism revenue pretty much vanish over the past few months are using the situation to their advantage by offering extended visas to remote workers in a bid to inject money into their economies.
27th Sep 2020 - 7NEWS.com.au
Unhappy With Your Old Life? Pandemic Frees Formerly Office-Bound Workers to Experiment With New Ones
Back in July, Chelsea Alexander Paul and her husband, Evan, sat down in their San Francisco apartment and made a spreadsheet of places where they could live and work for the same amount of money or less. The Pauls had lived in the city for four years and once lockdowns began, they spent months working from their one-bedroom home in the Mission District. As of now, their offices won’t reopen until August 2021, freeing them up to focus on a place with better work space and more outdoor activities. “It felt like what we had in the city wasn’t really there anymore and isn’t going to be there for a little while,” said Ms. Paul, who is 32 and senior marketing lead at the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation.
26th Sep 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Productivity, fatigue, cybersecurity emerge as top remote work concerns | TheHill
Six months after states began issuing stay-at-home orders, many employees have settled into working-from-home routines that are likely to persist in some form beyond the pandemic. But with that seismic shift comes concerns about productivity, fatigue and cybersecurity. Those issues are likely to become more prominent as a greater share of the labor force make remote work a long-term practice. A record 49 percent of Americans reported having telecommuted in a Gallup poll released last month, and the average telecommuter spent nearly 12 out of 20 days working at home, up from just below six days the year prior. Among college graduates, 76 percent reported having telecommuted.
25th Sep 2020 - The Hill
The rise of the 'half-tourist' who combines work with a change of scene
Covid-19 has accelerated the decline of the office, but not everyone wants to work from home. We look at travel firms catering to the growing number of nomadic workers
25th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
The Rise of Remote Work Can Be Unexpectedly Liberating
In the initial months of the pandemic, remote work seemed full of upsides: more flexibility for employees and an expectation of greater profits, productivity and retention for their employers. But what if the long-studied benefits of remote work look different in a post-pandemic world? In particular, what if employee loyalty and engagement decrease once remote work is no longer an exception but rather the norm? And what if that’s not a bad thing? What if a more disconnected work force leads to changes that could make employees happier and companies more compassionate?
25th Sep 2020 - The New York Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullSerbia to grant residence, work permits to foreigners working remotely for employers based abroad
Serbia plans to provide foreign citizens working remotely for companies based abroad with an opportunity to receive a one-year residence and work permit as of January 1, labour minister Zoran Djordjevic said. "Our idea is to be the first country in Europe that will introduce the possibility for those working for foreign companies who are not our citizens, to continue doing their job, living in Serbia," Djordjevic said in a press release on Wednesday. Foreign citizens who can prove that they receive a gross monthly salary of more than 3,500 euro ($4,100) from an employer based abroad and want to live in Serbia will be able to obtain a one-year residence and work permit, Djordjevic said. In this way, Serbia will be able to increase its value-added tax (VAT) revenue, Djordjevic added.
25th Sep 2020 - SeeNews
3 Ways To Embed Continuous Learning When Working Remotely
Opportunities to learn and develop are hallmarks of a great place to work, tightly linked to the attraction and retention of top talent. 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development and the opportunity to learn is one of the top reasons why people accept a job offer. 42% of millennial employees say they are likely to leave if they are not learning fast enough. Learning is a mix of formal training, learning from others and on-the-job learning. Usually, we pick up knowledge, skills and advice from watching coworkers solve problems and through interacting in an office environment. So how do we ensure continuous learning when the communal office spaces and water cooler chats have been taken away?
24th Sep 2020 - Forbes
Spain – Government to regulate remote work
The Council defines remote working as work that is done in a three-month reference period, during a minimum 30% of the working day and the equivalent proportional percentage according to the duration of the employment contract.
Minister for Work and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz said more than 3 million workers in Spain have been working remotely during the pandemic, showing that this form of employment increases productivity "and will also undoubtedly increase the competitiveness of the Spanish economy".
24th Sep 2020 - Staffing Industry Analysts
Many Google staff may never return to office full-time post-Covid
Google is planning for a world in which many of its employees never return to the office full-time, its chief executive has revealed. Sundar Pichai said 62% of Google employees had expressed an interest in returning to the officepart-time, and that the company would try to accommodate that desire even after the Covid pandemic subsides. In an interview with Time magazine, which named Pichai as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, he said: “I see the future as being more flexible. We firmly believe that being in-person, being together, having a sense of community is super important when you have to solve hard problems and create something new, so we don’t see that changing. But we do think we need to create more flexibility and more hybrid models.”
24th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Remote Ready: How To Stay Productive When Working Remotely - ZOBUZ
Are you trying to figure out how to stay productive when working remotely? Read this article to learn the best tips for remote workers. Working remotely is a dream for many people. The ability to create your hours and work from the comfort of your home can seem irresistible when you are sitting in a cubicle at your 9-5. However, while working remotely offers many benefits, there are a few challenges as well. Whether you own your own business or just don’t have to work in the office, you are suddenly taking on the role of boss and employee and it can be tempting to figure out how to stay productive.
24th Sep 2020 - Zobuz
Working across time zones can mean being up at 3 a.m. It’s worth it for some travelers.
Tiffany Shan works as a production assistant for a filmmaker who is based in her home state of California. But she wakes up in Sydney around 4 a.m. most Saturdays, when it’s 11 a.m. and still Friday in Pacific time, to do her job. In Belgrade, Serbia, travel blogger Philip Weiss logs on to his laptop in the late afternoon to check in with his team members as they’re waking up in Oregon.
24th Sep 2020 - Washington Post
Log on in paradise: The exotic destinations inviting remote workers
Working from home has become the new normal for many of us due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While some have struggled to adapt to this new working mode, others have come to the welcome realization that their job requirements can be completed from anywhere and are beginning to explore their options. As a result, a number of exotic destinations which have seen their tourism revenue pretty much vanish over the past few months are using the situation to their advantage by offering extended visas to remote workers in a bid to inject money into their economies. From Anguilla to Barbados, here are five of the most alluring destinations currently vying for remote workers.
24th Sep 2020 - CNN
Why Those Working Remotely Have Been Showering And Shaving Less!
Lockdown office workers have been avoiding the shower and shaving while working from home, according to Jonathan Myers ,the chief executive of one of the world’s biggest soap makers. For more we were joined by Dr Orla Cahill - Microbiologist in Technological University Dublin.
24th Sep 2020 - Newstalk
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 accelerated BBC News’ remote working
If there’s one thing the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us in broadcasting, it’s the need to work more flexibly, enabling staff with the right tools to be able to work from wherever they need to: on location, in the office or at home. Furthermore, Covid-19 has made us more reliant on automated vision mixing and delivery in our TV studios, to allow social distancing for our teams. In BBC News, we already had plans and ambitions to create a more remote-capable, connected newsroom. Prior to the pandemic, we’d launched our online planning and deployment tool, Wolftech, and this helped as our teams went into lockdown, quickly having to transition to working from home.
24th Sep 2020 - Broadcast
So you're working remotely and want to move? Read this first
If you've been working from home for the past six months, you may be ready for a change of scenery and may be entertaining the idea of moving. After all, if you don't have to be tethered to your office, maybe you prefer to be closer to family (more babysitting!). Or you'd like to relocate someplace where you can hike or surf. Or you might just want to move someplace cheaper or less crowded. But if you're eyeing a move to another state or region, factor in how that may affect your job, your pay, your benefits and your taxes. Before calling the movers, here are four questions you'll want answers to from your HR and benefits department as well as from a professional tax adviser.
24th Sep 2020 - CNN
UK gov makes U-turn on remote working guidance
Businesses in London have once again reverted to remote working following the latest advice from the UK government, which has seen it once again urge employees to work from home. Some 1,000 members of staff at Barclays have been told to go back to home offices following the government's U-turn, the bank has said.
23rd Sep 2020 - IT PRO
Will remote working lead to longterm travel opportunities
Four months of working from his apartment in Washington, D.C., had him going stir crazy and needing to get out. After researching places where Americans were allowed to travel and reasonable safety precautions seemed to be in place, he jetted to Aruba for a week in July. “I wanted to dip my toes into the water, literally and figuratively,” he says. Now, he’s looking at returning to Aruba or one of the other destinations open to Americans for a longer trip. There are still details to sort out, but he has time: Google’s U.S. offices aren’t reopening until July 2021—at the earliest.
23rd Sep 2020 - National Geographic
What CEOs Really Think About Remote Work
CEOs and other executives say they’ve seen enough to judge whether remote work is working. But the verdict depends on whom you ask. Here’s what some leaders are saying about working from home and the value of an office:
23rd Sep 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Nearly 40% of bosses say staff will be working remotely by end of 2020
Almost 90 per cent of business leaders in Ireland think Covid-19 has accelerated the digital transformation of their organisation, while nearly 40 per cent say the majority of their staff will be working remotely by the end of 2020. That’s according to a poll by the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland. Experts believe the pandemic has triggered a permanent shift in working patterns as more companies and employees embrace the concept of remote working.
23rd Sep 2020 - The Irish Times
Bloomberg - Genpact CEO Tiger Tyagarajan discusses what working remotely has meant for the global company.
Genpact CEO Tiger Tyagarajan discusses what working remotely has meant for the global company. He talks about ways the pandemic has made workers realize the effectiveness of using technology to communicate. Tyagarajan also points out how virtual meetings have provided more seats at tables for diverse individuals.
Hosts: Carol Massar and Jason Kelly. Producer: Doni Holloway.
23rd Sep 2020 - Bloomberg
How to Get a Good Night's Sleep While Working Remotely
As we navigate our new normal, studies are showing that working while sitting in bed, can contribute to sleep disorders or "coronasomnia." With school starting for New York City public school students this week and next week, NY1's Kristen Shaughnessy spoke with psychologist Dr. Dana Galler-Hodkin of NYU Langone Child Study Center—Long Island who teaches us the importance of how kids can learn remotely and get a good night’s sleep. "When it comes to teenagers and sleep, we really want to limit screen time on TV's and smartphones one hour before bed," Galler-Hodkin said. "The blue light suppressess melatonin production in the brain, making it harder to fall asleep." She says social media before bed can affect a teenager's sleep habits and create anxiety making it harder to sleep.
23rd Sep 2020 - Spectrum News NY1
Lets look at how the remote work law will affect you.
The Council of Ministers will today approve a remote work law, a regulation that has been under negotiations for the last few months. The necessity for the new regulations comes due to the Covid-19 state of alarm, which forced millions of employees to carry out their professional work from home since mid March
23rd Sep 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Google will try 'hybrid' work-from-home models, as most employees don't want to come in every day
Most Google employees want to return to the office at some point, but not every day, according to a recent Google survey of its employees’ desires for post-pandemic work. The company said it is planning “hybrid” models for future work, including rearranging its offices, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in an interview with Time magazine on Wednesday. Silicon Valley companies are competing on flexible work options for existing and prospective talent.
23rd Sep 2020 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullAlmost 50 per cent of the UK workforce are now remote working
The Office for National Statistics found that around 47 per cent of people in employment did some work at home in April 2020. Around 86 per cent of these were due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More people are working from home than ever before, and for most a full move back to the office is looking unlikely. According to Alphawise, the research unit for Morgan Stanley, the vast majority (over 82 per cent) who worked from home during the pandemic would like to continue remote working.
24th Sep 2020 - Salisbury Journal
'We won't return to how things were' - Apple CEO on where remote working has worked and where it hasn't
Apple employees will likely not return to a complete office-based working environment after the pandemic, according to CEO Tim Cook. In an interview with The Atlantic, Cook said that between 10 and 15 per cent of Apple employees are working in offices at the moment, with the rest working remotely.
23rd Sep 2020 - CRN
'Work from home': Johnson starts shutting down Britain again as COVID-19 spreads
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell people on Tuesday to work from home and will impose new curbs on pubs, bars and restaurants in a bid to tackle the swiftly accelerating second wave of the coronavirus outbreak.
22nd Sep 2020 - Reuters
Spain's home working draft bill to make employers pay for expenses
The Spanish government has agreed with unions and business leaders that employers must cover home working expenses after the coronavirus pandemic caused millions to work from their living rooms. “It was fundamental to regulate remote working to protect the rights of workers,” Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias told state-owned TV channel TVE on Tuesday. “This new rule will boost productivity and the competitiveness of the Spanish economy”, as well as the working conditions of the Spaniards who partly worked from home in 2020, Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz told a news conference later.
22nd Sep 2020 - Reuters UK
What remote jobs tell us about inequality
Not every worker in every job can hit the ground running in a home-work set-up. That could be a problem for certain individuals – and even entire economies.
22nd Sep 2020 - BBC News
Making friends with coworkers when you're working remotely
Love them or hate them, your coworkers have a big influence over how much you like your job. While they may have less impact when you’re working at home, since you’re not necessarily affected by somebody fun or annoying sitting next to you, work relationships still matter, says Shasta Nelson, author of The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of Our Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time.
22nd Sep 2020 - Fast Company
Cisco: Ensure Collaboration to Better Survive Remote Working
Speaking on a Cisco webinar, Wendy Nather, head of advisory CISOs, said there is need for collaboration over control, as “control presents greater cost for the enterprise.” Asking what you can ask users to take care of on the security side, and what can you no longer enforce, Richard Archdeacon, advisory CISO for Cisco EMEA said there is a chance CISOs are “losing control anyway and will need to become collaborative in order to secure their organizations.” Fellow advisory CISO J. Wolfgang Goerlich said we have seen the workforce has become more savvy, and this has led to “creative things” in terms of the way the business works with the employees. Goerlich said the idea of collaboration is sound, and asked how can we introduce constraints, yet still have good relations with the workforce? “Also, how can we leverage this savviness of the workforce that it is developing, and how can we embrace our shadow so to speak?”
22nd Sep 2020 - Infosecurity Magazine
Companies scramble to reverse UK back-to-office plans
Companies across England were left scrambling to reverse plans to return thousands of staff to their offices on Tuesday after the government abandoned its push to get more people working in towns and city centres. The government has encouraged workers to return to offices since August, ramping up the pressure on businesses to bring back employees after schools returned at the start of September. But just three weeks later, the prime minister announced an abrupt U-turn following a surge in Covid-19 infections, leaving companies frantically rethinking plans for office staff.
22nd Sep 2020 - Financial Times
Apple CEO Tim Cook Exemplifies The Current Trend Of Cautiously Balancing Working Remotely Versus Returning To The Office
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, was one of the few remaining holdouts against the work-from-home movement. Cook is similar to his fellow tech-titan CEOs of Amazon, Google and Facebook that have either leased, purchased or are in the process of building corporate space, while simultaneously telling employees that they could work from home. You can’t blame him for wanting staff to come into the office, as Apple has some magnificent and costly corporate accommodations.
22nd Sep 2020 - Forbes
The contagious risks and rewards of remote working
Netflix’s solution was to hire and keep the most talented team members, which encouraged laggards to raise their game. On to this “talent density”, the group layered radical candour — “only say about someone what you will say to their face” — and transparency, sharing even sensitive financial information with all staff. The Netflix approach fits the growing consensus that transparency is bracingly positive. It helps discourage bad behaviour (“Sunlight is the best disinfectant”, in US Supreme Court judge Louis Brandeis’s famous dictum). It aligns people with the corporate culture. It encourages trust and responsibility.
22nd Sep 2020 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullBelfast named best UK city to work from home
Remote working has become the new normal in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and it has been proven to be a largely successful experiment in many cases, with perks for both employees and employers. There are some areas of the UK that it works particularly well, including Belfast, Birmingham and Nottingham.
A survey carried out by specialist banner printing company instantprint revealed the best and worst cities for working remotely based on a number of key factors, including internet speed, property size and price, rent costs and the cost of living, with Belfast, Birmingham and Nottingham coming out on top.
21st Sep 2020 - Descrier
With remote work flexibility, some people opt to relocate ahead of their retirement
If you are thinking of relocating when you retire, there are several things to consider before you make the move. One of them may now be whether you should do it before you leave the workforce. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, many Americans are working remotely — and may be for some time to come. Several companies have added the option for employees to work from home for the rest of their career, including Twitter, which has said its employees can keep working from home “forever.”
21st Sep 2020 - CNBC
Business Travel’s Fresh Start in the New World of Remote Working
As well as giving employees more flexibility and freedom, business travel also gets a makeover in the next phase of remote working. But that nirvana is still a way off because even after coronavirus, companies will be need to be clinical in their transition to remote working.
That’s according to Darren Murph, head of remote at GitLab. Speaking at the Skift Global Forum opening event on Monday, he said the software services company wrote the “playbook” on distributed workforces, several months before the pandemic began.
21st Sep 2020 - Skift
Flexible working set to take hold like never before
There have been plenty of weighty predictions about the lasting transformations taking place because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with much speculation about the future balance between office and home-based working. A study by the Financial Times found that many employers are planning to keep the majority of their staff working remotely until at least early next year. In a similar exercise, the BBC recently questioned 50 of the UK’s largest employers about their intentions for staff
21st Sep 2020 - HeraldScotland
Apple CEO Impressed by Remote Work, Sees Permanent Changes
Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said he’s been impressed by employees’ ability to operate remotely and predicted that some new work habits will remain after the pandemic. During an interview at The Atlantic Festival on Monday, Cook said Apple created products including new Apple Watches and iPads that are launching on time this year, despite the need for most employees to work away from the office due to Covid-19.
21st Sep 2020 - Bloomberg on MSN.com
Office working was already on the way out, Covid-19 has just hastened its end
When future social historians look back at the second half of the 20th century, they might well conceptualise it as the era of the office, immortalised in the lounge-suit and long-lunch lifestyles of Mad Men. They will also note that even if the pandemic and great lockdown of 2020 accelerated its final demise, that the office ecosystem had been on life-support for more than a decade already; sustained in part by nostalgia and in part by those who remain heavily invested in it. That includes the human resources managers who peddle the myth of open-plan productivity; the restaurants, laundrettes and other services which rely on office traffic, and those whose pension and assets are locked into what they assumed was always going to be a safe bet—real estate and services in the wealthiest parts of town.
21st Sep 2020 - iNews
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullAmid coronavirus, Aruba invites Americans to relocate visa-free for 3 months
Officials in Aruba are inviting weary Americans to relocate visa-free for three months and work remotely (or not) amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Aruba Tourism Authority launched the “One Happy Workation” program this week, inviting anyone with a valid U.S. passport to relocate to the Caribbean isle for 90 days.
21st Sep 2020 - Fox Business
The coronavirus chronicles: What kind of remote worker are you? | Millie F. Dizon
‘You actually go to your office to work?” Many of my colleagues in public relations and marketing express surprise—and disbelief—when they learn that yes, I have been going to office regularly since May. On the other hand, I continue to be amazed on how many continue to work from home, and seem to have settled quite comfortably into it.
21st Sep 2020 - Business Mirror
Agencies explore idea of Finland as 'remote working paradise'
California is seeing a pandemic-induced exodus, Stefan Lindström, Finland's consul general in Los Angeles, told Yle. "One of my friends, an Indian-American, is moving to Estonia next week," he said, adding that countries are now competing for nomadic top talent. In addition to Estonia, which recently launched its Digital Nomad Visa programme, the Netherlands is also fast-tracking visas for start-up entrepreneurs, IT professionals and investors. Canada meanwhile offers two-week processing times for certain work permits. Finland has a lot to offer in this space, according to Lindström.
20th Sep 2020 - YLE News
Here’s the growing list of schools going remote because of COVID-19 (Sept. 19, 2020)
In most cases, the switch to all-remote learning is temporary -- typically for a few to as many as 14 days. And many districts have only had to send home students from one school, where the cases of COVID-19 were found, but students at other schools in that district continue in-person learning. The state Department of Health issued guidelines for schools on how to handle positive cases, when to ask students to quarantine and when schools need to switch to remote learning.
19th Sep 2020 - NJ.com on MSN.com
Average worker gets 'career burnout' at age 32 - and 59% now say that they do MORE hours working from home amid coronavirus lockdowns, survey finds
A study asked 2,000 people if they feel burnout with work and why. More than half reported working more hours because their office is in their home. This is due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing many to leave the office. Other responses included taking on more work and having to always be on
19th Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullLove working from home? Here are 20 of the best jobs and careers for being remote
To help guide those who are job searching amid a pandemic, and particularly looking for jobs they can do from home, our friends at FlexJobs have pinpointed 20 of the most common remote job titles, along with their average pay. We also reached out to those in co-working spaces to take a pulse on remote work and learn, from an on-the-ground level, what fields tend to excel in remote work environments.
18th Sep 2020 - MarketWatch
What is the future of remote working for charities?
We examine how the last few months of remote working have brought charity service delivery in line with people’s wider experience of digital services - and how the pandemic will shape the future of charity service delivery
17th Sep 2020 - Charity Digital News
Aruba Is Inviting Professionals Working From Home to Work From Paradise Instead — What to Know
Aruba Tourism Authority’s new “One Happy Workation” program welcomes professionals working from home to work from the island instead for up to three months
17th Sep 2020 - PEOPLE.com
Parents struggle with remote learning while working from home: 'I'm constantly failing'
In the early days of the pandemic, when schools suddenly shut down and millions of employees were sent to work from home, many parents looked forward to fall as the point when they believed life would return to normal. But back-to-school this fall is anything but routine, with schools across the country either going partially or fully remote. What many thought was going to be a short-term problem could drag into 2021 and beyond. As a result, working parents are panicking as they struggle to figure out how to juggle remote learning and full-time jobs.
17th Sep 2020 - CNBC
Working from home: four in five develop musculoskeletal pain
Poor home working set-ups could be causing thousands of workers discomfort, with four in five who began working remotely in lockdown developing some form of musculoskeletal pain. Charity Versus Arthritis called on firms to encourage their staff to be more open about their home working needs, after it found 89% of those suffering with back, shoulder or neck pain as a result of their new workspace had not told their employer about it.
17th Sep 2020 - Personnel Today
Over 60% of Canadians say they would rather continue to work remotely
Are you dreading heading back to the office? Or, have you gone a little stir-crazy at home and are itching to go back? While the majority of Canadians worked from an external workplace prior to the pandemic, many of them have been working from home during these unprecedented times.
17th Sep 2020 - The Tri-City News
Remote workers completing a week's worth of work in four days
It has long been suggested that remote working boosts employee productivity, but a new report from TalkTalk has shed light on the extent of the improvement. According to the firm, UK workers are in overdrive at home, completing a week's worth of work in four days. “Lockdown Britain has seen a boost in skills and productivity for home workers, with unexpected lessons for how we emerge from the pandemic,” said Tristia Harrison, TalkTalk CEO.
17th Sep 2020 - ITProPortal
Bring some fun into remote work
As a manager of people there seems to be many more things to take into consideration. Work is far more than endless video calls, work is also about building connection and creating shared experiences for all team members. This edition we look at the research and talk to some customers about shared experiences. We’ve looked at best practice and have a number of ways to recognise people (even if working remotely) - a simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way.
We've even got ideas on keeping the kids entertained and having fun this school holidays too.
17th Sep 2020 - LinkedIn Pulse
Will Ireland's next remote working guidelines include a right to disconnect?
William Fry associate Darran Brennan outlines what he expects to see in the Government’s reviewed guidelines for remote work. In July, the Irish Government launched a public consultation on remote working guidelines. Submissions were open up to 7 August, with the responses collected set to help shape public policy on remote working. Darran Brennan, an associate in William Fry’s employment and benefits team, would like to see that any updated guidelines reflect the lessons learned from the nation’s recent dramatic shift to remote working.
16th Sep 2020 - Siliconrepublic.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullEmployers in D.C. Region Expect Some Remote Work Into Mid-2021, Survey Finds
About 60% of respondents anticipated less than a third of workers would return to the office by early September because of coronavirus risks. Some are planning for a portion of staff to still be working remotely even next summer.
16th Sep 2020 - Nextgov
The flexible working genie is out of the bottle – let's embrace it
The coronavirus pandemic has in many ways been a catastrophe for disability equality, but one of the silver linings is that it has forced us to think differently about the workplace. The past six months have brought many employers to embrace, out of necessity, the flexible working measures disabled employees have been requesting for years. And studies suggest that it’s not only disabled people benefiting from this shift — 90 per cent of workers want to continue working from home in some form.
16th Sep 2020 - The Times
North Attleboro allowing high-risk teachers to work remotely
Instead, a projected livestream will broadcast Thornton on a large screen at the front of the classroom. A paraprofessional or substitute teacher will supervise students while Thornton teaches them remotely from his home. He is one of several North Attleboro teachers granted special permission to do so after negotiations with union officials, Superintendent Scott Holcomb said. Accommodations have been made for teachers who are at high-risk of severe complications or even death if they catch COVID-19 or if they live with someone who is high risk. “We are tailoring each situation around people in a high-risk category to maximize their ability to educate, and maximize the ability of our students to learn,” Holcomb said.
16th Sep 2020 - The Sun Chronicle
Facebook hiring remote work director to help with work-from-home shift
Facebook is looking for a director of remote work as it plans for a more permanent shift to working from home. The company is looking for someone to help it develop a long-term remote work plan and to lead Facebook's push "toward remote-first ways of working," according to a job posting for the role. Facebook employees will continue working from home until July 2021, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said he expects half of the company's workforce to work remotely within the next 10 years.
16th Sep 2020 - Business Insider
Productivity Drops as Work From Home Fatigue Sets In, Survey of Employers Finds
Nearly six months into the forced large-scale work-from-home experiment that the coronavirus pandemic caused, companies have started to report a drop in productivity as remote work fatigue starts to set in, a survey by architect and design firm Vocon found. Vocon surveyed the heads of nearly 50 businesses around the country and found that 40 percent of them have started to see decreases in productivity as staff work remotely. Meanwhile, a quarter of them added their employees were feeling exhausted working from home every day. That runs counter to what the leaders told Vocon early on in the pandemic, when 56 percent of them in April rated productivity as “excellent.”
16th Sep 2020 - Commercial Observer
Are More People Working Freelance During The Coronavirus Pandemic? A Look At The Numbers
The share of U.S. workers freelancing has risen to one in three, with the pandemic accelerating the trend. Even as the larger economy has slowly recovered, the shift has not reversed. Many freelancers report higher earnings and satisfaction with work flexibility. Other sources, however, say that freelancers have weaker relations with their bosses and coworkers, and that the vast majority of workers want full-time positions with benefits
16th Sep 2020 - International Business Times
Bosses predict permanent shift in working and an evolution for cities
Bosses in the City of London predict there will be a fundamental shift in how their companies will use offices in the future, with greater flexibility set to stay after the pandemic ends. As white collar staff slowly trickle back to their workplaces, members of the FT’s City Network, a forum of more than 50 senior executives, argue that Covid-19 will have a long-term impact on office life — but believe that city centres will adapt and thrive to the new ways of working.
16th Sep 2020 - The Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullA guide to engaging service users while working remotely
According to the findings of Twilio’s “Covid-19 engagement report”, long-term digital transformation roadmaps got compressed into days and weeks in order to respond to remote working. A staggering 97% of decision-makers across organisations surveyed believe COVID-19 accelerated their company’s digital transformation efforts.
15th Sep 2020 - Charity Digital News
Remote-working revolution has begun - and business leaders should get on board
Remote working (where we work), flexible working (when we work) and smart working (how we work) - these are all themes currently being analysed and discussed. These approaches to work are interwoven, at times indistinguishable and can be confusing. Covid-19 has fast-tracked the debate and made some discussion irrelevant as changes have already occurred. This is not evolution, this is revolution. In 34 years in HR, I have never seen such a radical transformation at such speed.
15th Sep 2020 - Independent.ie
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCompanies are turning to restaurants, cafes and even algorithms to help staff work from anywhere
As some offices remain closed, corporations are looking at co-working spaces and even cafes and restaurants for employees. Staff working remotely are now used to saving time on their commutes and are unlikely to want to return to offices permanently, with a hybrid model likely for some businesses. One New York real estate firm has turn to an algorithm to calculate who gets to go back to the office and for how much time.
14th Sep 2020 - CNBC
30% of workers in Wales could might never return to the office
Around 30% of workers in Wales could regularly work from home even after the coronavirus pandemic, the Welsh government has said. During the worst of the crisis, people from across the UK were told to work at home if possible, a move that resulted in less road congestion and pollution as well as limiting the spread of the coronavirus. Ministers in Wales have said working remotely can also improve the work-life balance and potentially drive regeneration and economic activity in communities.
The plan is for staff to work in the office, at home, or in remote working hubs within easy distance of their homes. It comes after the UK government instructed workers to return to the office last month, concerned about the economic effect of commuters being absent from city centre
14th Sep 2020 - Business Matters
Working from home could be keeping Covid-19 at bay – for proof, look at London
With the number of Covid-19 cases increasing across the country, regional inequalities in lab-confirmed cases have remained stark. Currently, the rate is highest in the north-west (at 824.7 per 100,000 population), Yorkshire and the Humber (726.9), the north-east (689) and West Midlands (576.5). For London, the rate is lower, at 481.9. This is curious because the population density of the capital is more than 10 times greater than other regions – ideal for a virus that spreads fastest between people who are close together. It is also a reversal of an earlier trend – up until mid-April, London had the highest fatality rate of any region. Why is the capital now doing better at containing the disease while places including Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Preston and Rochdale have faced greater restrictions and local lockdowns?
14th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Covid-19 has shown how easy it is to automate white-collar work
This could be said of the impact of digital technology on white-collar work in the age of Covid-19. In this crisis, white-collar workers have been using technology in ways and to an extent that would have seemed barely imaginable until recently.
14th Sep 2020 - Wired UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullAfter Covid: Working from home is long-term ambition
Ministers said its ambition is to see about 30% of the workforce in Wales staying at or near home in the long term. They said it was a chance to adopt culture that "supports remote working". The move could reduce congestion and pollution, and improve work-life balance, they argue. "The UK government instruction for everyone to go back to the office is not one we are repeating in Wales," said Deputy Minister for Transport and Economy, Lee Waters. "We believe many people will want to continue to work remotely in the longer term and this could be a step-change in the way we work in Wales."
13th Sep 2020 - BBC News
Employers were coming around to staff working from home before Covid
Figures mined from the Central Statistics Office labour force survey by Ibec chief economic Gerard Brady show that more than 700,000 people were working from home at the end of March this year. High as that may seem it only represents about a 187,000-person increase from the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of this year. Since 2017, the trend toward remote working has been growing at a remarkable pace, with more than 500,000 workers at the start of this year saying they worked “usually” or “sometimes” at home. The fact that most of us were forced to work remotely earlier this year has led many to suggest that the day of the office is over.
13th Sep 2020 - The Irish Times
San Francisco exodus as tech giants lean in to remote work in Covid-19 era
A work-from-home trend kicked into overdrive by the pandemic is disrupting a city long a mecca for tech talent. “People are leaving San Francisco, and they're taking their jobs with them," Stenkamp said. "There used to be cranes in the landscape, now it's U-Haul trucks." Tech workers who flocked to San Francisco to be near Google, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and other internet firms are moving to parts of the US where life is slower and the cost of living cheaper.
13th Sep 2020 - YAHOO!
'My company has gone fully remote and I'm despairing': who wins in the new world of working from home?
As we move away from the traditional 9 to 5, the boundaries between office and home are increasingly blurred. Meet the bosses trying to get it right
12th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid and the remote working revolution: the end of the office?
A report by academics at Cardiff and Southampton universities backs this up, finding that nine in ten of those who worked from home during lockdown want to carry on doing so in some form. “These figures deliver a conclusive verdict,” says founder of the HomeWorkingClub Ben Taylor. “People want to continue working from home. Governments can fret about the economy all day long, but people will put self-preservation first.”
10th Sep 2020 - Belfast Newsletter
Working virtually? Swap skyrises for ocean views, says Bermuda
When the coronavirus pandemic hit and office workers were asked to work remotely, Abbit Shepherd saw it as an opportunity to swap London's skyrises for something more exotic.
10th Sep 2020 - Reuters UK
Zurich UK introduces flexible working policy for 4500 employees
Insurance organisation Zurich UK has introduced a permanent flexible-working policy for its 4,500 employees due to the high demand for remote working since the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. This new policy is an extension of the original flexible working policy the organisation had in place prior to the pandemic. Employees now have the flexibility to work from home on a full or part-time basis, if they can fulfil their role remotely. Zurich UK introduced the changes after an internal survey found that 59% of employees would like to work from home for more than half of the week when the offices reopen, with a third of these employees only wanting to come into the office once a week.
10th Sep 2020 - Employee Benefits
The pandemic is giving people what they want: flexible working
“All signs indicate that this crisis is going to reshape the experience of work,” says Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab, a US-based think tank focused on work culture. Attending a virtual meeting inside a colleague's home, or seeing their child toddle past in the background of a Zoom call, breaks the fourth wall of the workplace. “Now that we've seen each other's full lives, the case for flexible work is going to be a lot easier to make,” Schulte says.
10th Sep 2020 - Wired.co.uk
The do's and don'ts of working from home during COVID-19
As many employees continue to work from home during COVID-19, the boundaries between work and home have become increasingly blurred, and the link between technology and mental health becomes harder to ignore. When technology is thoughtfully designed and used to consider the impact on how people do their work, then it can help alleviate some of the pressures of work. However, the constant use of technology can also lead to increased employee overload, exhaustion, stress and burnout. As such, technological advances in the workplace can sometimes be a double-edged sword, says Leona Tan, Research Officer in the Workplace Mental Health Research Program at the Black Dog Institute.
10th Sep 2020 - UNSW Newsroom
Should NZ move to remote working for good?
Two in five workers in New Zealand performed at least a portion of their work remotely at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, data from Statistics New Zealand revealed. When the country was on Alert Levels 4 and 3, 42% of the working population continued their tasks from home. Meanwhile, less than a third worked in the office or other premises. Employees who had the opportunity to work remotely on some days (and work on-site on other days) were included in both categories.
10th Sep 2020 - Human Resources Director
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullLawyers consider 'virtual' firms in response to coronavirus
A growing number of lawyers are pivoting to “virtual” firms as they consider life outside of the traditional office environment due to the pandemic. There has been a seven per cent rise in the number of lawyers at virtual firms in the UK since the outbreak of coronavirus according to business advisory firm Hazlewoods.
10th Sep 2020 - City A.M.
New study shows that remote work could be good for mental health
A survey by job search engine FlexJobs found that nearly half of Americans working remotely are happy with their current work-life balance — and they want to continue working from home following the coronavirus pandemic. Studies from IBM and Owl Labs also show that American workers like working from home, which could be a driving force behind so many companies pledging to work from home indefinitely. Other studies, however, including one from Microsoft, found that remote work leads to longer hours and a blurrier line between work and life, showing there are still trade-offs with the mass shift to remote working.
10th Sep 2020 - Business Insider
Irish people invited to work remotely from Barbados
Irish people are asked to come and work remotely from the Caribbean island of Barbados. The new scheme from the government there would allow tourists to work from Barbados remotely for 12 months. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, said the initiative is being offered to people who would like to work from warmer climes rather than facing a winter of contending with COVID-19 at home. Barbados has reported seven deaths and 178 cases since the beginning of the outbreak of COVID-19. Speaking to The Pat Kenny Show, President Mottley said that the global pandemic has made short-term tourism unattractive to travellers, so she is inviting people to stay and work from the island.
10th Sep 2020 - Newstalk
Rich Americans flee to Caribbean as they swap COVID, election and US citizenship for remote working
Business has been booming in recent months for citizenship advisers, government agencies and real estate developers in several Caribbean islands. COVID-19, remote working and election fears are causing a US exodus. Applications for citizenship on Caribbean islands such as St Kitts and Nevis are surging as the rich invest in second and third homes. Others are taking advantage of the 12-month 'Welcome Stamp' initiative launched by Barbados in July, where remote workers can enjoy a long-term stay. More than 1,100 have so far applied for the scheme. Meanwhile people with dual nationality are ditching their US citizenship. A total of 5,816 Americans gave up citizenship in the first half of 2020 - double the number of people in the whole of 2019
9th Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
New Study: Work From Home Forever? COVID-19 Challenges the Traditional Office and Hints at a Future of Remote Work
Stay-at-home mandates closed offices and stopped commutes for many, but new data from Clutch, the leading B2B ratings and reviews firm, reveals that 55% of employees would feel safe returning to their office. In contrast, only 32% of workers would feel unsafe going back to work. While this data suggests that employees are ready to return to business as usual, they are still split on their preferred timeline for returning to the office. The pandemic highlighted benefits of remote work that aren't accessible in traditional office roles, pushing some to prefer working from home.
9th Sep 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullTwo-thirds of employers plan on offering flexible working post-COVID-19
Nearly two-thirds (61%) of employers plan on offering flexible working to their employees following the coronavirus pandemic, a new study from job board, CV-Library found. The rise in home working due to the pandemic has created a shift in workers’ expectations with people looking to flexible working to create more balance between their personal and professional lives, according to CV-Library. Some 93% of employers said they understand that more professionals will want to work flexibly or remotely going forward. The coronavirus pandemic has “forced many companies to shake up their traditional working practises and move away from the traditional 9-5, office-based operation,” said Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library.
8th Sep 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Women Leading Work From Home Innovations Post-COVID-19
COVID-19 forced about two thirds of Americans to hastily pack up their offices and head to homemade workstations. Many will never go back. These six women are making WFH the new reality.
8th Sep 2020 - MarieClaire.com
COVID-19: Many Working Remotely In NYC Looking For 'Winter Homes' In Suburbs
The race is on for New Yorkers who have become accustomed to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and are already looking to lock down a “winter home” away from the city months before snow is even a threat to start falling.
9th Sep 2020 - The Daily Voice
3 Ways AI Will Continue To Accelerate The Transition To Remote Work
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses of all shapes and sizes have had to quickly adapt to remote work. Many experts predict that this year’s rapid transition to remote work constitutes a point of no return. In many ways, the growth of remote work parallels the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). It wasn't so long ago that AI was confined to the realm of science fiction. Now, like remote work, AI promises to transform nearly every industry and every company. As we look to the future, AI will almost inevitably accelerate our transition to remote work after Covid-19.
8th Sep 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote workers swap commute for productivity
More than half (60%) of small business employees who are working from home due to the pandemic are using the time they would be spending on their commute as work time, a new study by Vodafone has found. According to the research, which was conducted by Atomik Research and surveyed 1,003 UK adults from SME companies, 40% of employees who are working from home have put in an average of 642 additional hours, equal to 26 extra days, since lockdown began back in March. A quarter (25%) of the surveyed homeworkers are also contributing to their local economy on a daily basis by swapping major coffee retailers such as Starbucks or Pret a Manger for smaller cafes and coffee shops.
8th Sep 2020 - IT PRO
Will the future of work be remote or in the office?
Before the coronavirus pandemic, working from home was a luxury afforded to only 30% of white-collar workers, according to the Office for National Statistics. By mid-lockdown in April, it was estimated that nearly half of people in employment were working from home in some way. Offices could be a space for convening and group thinking, while homes become the site of undisturbed, productive work.
7th Sep 2020 - World Economic Forum
Netflix boss: Remote working has negative effects
Netflix's chairman has said working from home has no positive effects and makes debating ideas harder. But Reed Hastings, who founded the platform, also said its 8,600 employees would not have to return to the office until most of them had received an approved coronavirus vaccine. And he predicted most people would continue to work from home on one day a week even after the pandemic was over. A new UK government ad campaign is now asking workers to return to workplaces.
7th Sep 2020 - BBC News
Summer's not over yet: Remote workers extend their vacations — to the delight of resort owners
Dana Bates and her husband, both biotech workers, and their 7-year-old daughter were already working and learning remotely from their home in Cloverdale, California. Then, smoke conditions from the California wildfires sent them in search of another venue. They landed in a two-bedroom cabin at the Brasada Ranch resort near Bend, Oregon, where the self-contained units and attention to health and safety were reassuring during an especially stressful time. "It was one level, with rooms on separate sides of the cabin and a desk in each room. Cleaning staff did not come every day, but you could leave bedding and towels out for pick-up and request fresh linens," Bates said. "It was comfortable. We made friends. And I felt very safe from COVID-19."
7th Sep 2020 - NBC News
How far would you go for a more socially distanced life?
Social distancing has become a big part of all our lives, but whether it’s with Covid-19 in mind or just escaping the “rat race” for a better work-life balance, how does life on an isolated island sound? While restrictions imposed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have been tough for some people, especially those unused to relative solitude, others have embraced it. Working from home has allowed some people to recalibrate their outlook on life, escape the commute, and spend more time with loved ones. But one family has taken an even bigger step, uprooting themselves from Cambridge in England and moving to one of Northern Ireland’s most isolated locations – Rathlin Island, off the North Coast
7th Sep 2020 - ITV News
43% of remote workers anxious about returning to work due to Covid-19
43% of remote workers say they are anxious about the risk of exposure to Covid-19 upon returning to the workplace, with two-thirds concerned about the lack of additional mental health supports being offered by their employers. The Return To Work survey, undertaken by Matrix Recruitment, tracked the views of almost 900 adults in Ireland and found that 65% of those in employment have returned to the workplace, while 35% are still working from home. Only a third of those still working from home believe they will be back in the workplace before Christmas. Six per cent have been told that they will continue to work from home on a permanent basis.
7th Sep 2020 - Irish Examiner
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullAs COVID-19 drives a remote work boom, how are Aussies upskilling?
As COVID-19 has shaken up the Australian workforce, more professionals are upskilling online, with healthy work-from-home habits and personal branding, digital and pitching skills proving to be in high demand. That’s according to LinkedIn’s Most Popular Courses list, based on the numbers of virtual attendees to the platform’s LinkedIn Learning courses between July 2019 and July 2020. Many of the courses on the list reflected the new COVID-19 work environment, which has seen thousands of people move into home offices. A course on the foundations of remote work is up there, for example, as is one sharing lessons in time management. And it’s not surprising people are learning the skills they need to work more effectively from home. The move to remote work may well be something that outlasts the pandemic crisis.
7th Sep 2020 - SmartCompany.com.au
While covid-19 continues to force remote work, Europe looks to enforce a right to disconnect
“I’m trying to have a similar rhythm to what I have in the office,” said Ochoa, 39, an administrator at an art business in Madrid. The “right to disconnect” predated the pandemic in much of Europe. The concept, first legislated in France in 2017, limits how much employees can be made to answer phone calls and emails outside working hours. But the massive shift to remote work this year — and the recognition that office life may never resume as it was — has Spain, Greece, Ireland and other European countries discussing how they can preserve worker protections when people are working from home.
7th Sep 2020 - The Washington Post
Beyond work from home: Why 'digital nomads' think they're the future of remote life
With more companies telling employees that work-from-home policies will extend through the end of 2020, and in some cases, until summer 2021, or even forever, the digital nomad lifestyle is appealing. Many younger workers at more progressive employers were already working remote from locations across the world before Covid-19, using Airbnbs as well as more specialized work-life lodging options, such as Outsite. Some think the telecommuting work-tourism model of life is poised for broader adoption.
6th Sep 2020 - CNBC
Three-quarters of Britain's workforce say remote working is a positive
The events of recent months have positively impacted workplace culture across Britain with 73% describing it as positive in the current climate and 38% saying it has actively improved since they transitioned to remote working.
6th Sep 2020 - The HR Director Magazine
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhy telling people to 'go back to work' is a step backwards
For months, many of us have been working from home in less than ideal conditions. We’ve been balancing our laptops on our knees on the sofa, working shoulder-to-shoulder with housemates and partners, and juggling the impossible task of looking after children too. Despite the odds, we’ve made it work. And now 53.6% of people do not want to return to the office, according to a global survey by Workvivo, a US software company that helps firms engage with their staff.
4th Sep 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
'Now is not the time for unnecessary trips to the office'
Home working is still a popular choice. Between 27 July and 9 August, 39% of the workforce of businesses still trading was working remotely, according to the Office for National Statistics. As well as reduced contact at work, home working reduces potential exposure to the virus while travelling to and from work. Last month Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, made the case that given the spread of the virus is dependent on contact, working from home remains an important option and there was no need to change the advice.
4th Sep 2020 - SHPonline
Britons slowly returning to workplaces, statistics office says
People in Britain continued to gradually return to their workplaces in late August, something Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to speed up in September to help the economy recover from its historic coronavirus slump. Fifty-seven percent of working adults traveled to work between Aug. 26 and Aug. 30, up from 55% two weeks earlier and 33% in May, the country’s statistics office said on Thursday. Those working exclusively from home slipped to 20% from 22%, the Office for National Statistics said. That figure stood at nearly 40% in June.
3rd Sep 2020 - Reuters UK
Remote working is here to stay – but that doesn't mean the end of offices or city centres
When coronavirus lockdowns were introduced, the shift to remote working was sudden and sweeping. Now the British government is hoping the return to the office will be just as swift– to help the economy “get back to normal”. But pushing everyone back to the office full time fails to recognise the many benefits that working from home has brought. It also fails to capitalise on this moment of change.
The mass homeworking experiment in the middle of a pandemic presented some of the most challenging circumstances possible. Yet, coming out the other side of it, there’s likely to be considerable resistance to simply readopting old ways of working. This is already evident at the start of a new research project I’m leading at Southampton Business School into the effects of COVID-19 on the workplace, called Work After Lockdown, with partners the Institute for Employment Studies and work consultancy Half the Sky.
3rd Sep 2020 - Reaction
Remote-work visas will shape the future of work, travel and citizenship
During lockdown, travel was not only a distant dream, it was unlawful. Some even predicted that how we travel would change forever. Those in power that broke travel bans caused scandals. The empty skies and hopes that climate change could be tackled were a silver lining, of sorts. COVID-19 has certainly made travel morally divisive. Amid these anxieties, many countries eased lockdown restrictions at the exact time the summer holiday season traditionally began. Many avoided flying, opting for staycations, and in mid-August 2020, global flights were down 47% on the previous year. Even so, hundreds of thousands still holidayed abroad, only then to be caught out by sudden quarantine measures.
3rd Sep 2020 - The Conversation UK
Nine in ten people want to keep working remotely
9 in 10 people in the UK who worked remotely during the Covid-19 outbreak want to continue to stay away from the office, according to research conducted by two UK universities. Working from home grew from a tiny 6% of people at the start of the pandemic to 43% in April says the report by Darja Reuschke (University of Southampton) and Alan Felstead (Cardiff University) called Homeworking in the UK: before and during the 2020 lockdown. The survey spoke to more than 6,000 UK residents. 88% said they would like to continue working remotely, with 46% expressing a desire to do it 'often' or 'all of the time'.
3rd Sep 2020 - InAVate
Avoiding burnout in the new normal
During a recent SocialChorus webinar Lucas Millar and Owain Service, experts in neuroscience and behavioural science respectively, discussed that it’s no good holding out for a return to normal because it simply won’t be happening any time soon, if ever. Lucas implored people to rethink and challenge everything we used to do, and by doing so we can start to create new routines and habits that will help us as businesses and individuals to evolve into this new hybrid way of life. Instead of thinking negatively about what has come to pass, we need to hit refresh and introduce new, positive practices for the wellbeing of all. What do those positive practices look like? One of the key things mentioned was a calendar cleanse where teams work together to reduce the number of meetings, which have notably increased since the start of coronavirus as people compensate for not being in the office by being on more calls.
3rd Sep 2020 - Financial Director
Coronavirus and remote working: 40% of UK employees still shunning the office to work from home, poll shows
Majority of office workers believe they will still be working from home until at least 2021 in blow to Government efforts to get people back into the workplace
3rd Sep 2020 - iNews
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullNow is not the time for unnecessary trips to the office
British Safety Council calls on Government not to pressurise employers to get workers back into the office. If people can work from home, they should have the choice to work from home: for the sake of people’s health, wellbeing and the economy. The Government has launched a campaign to encourage people to go back to their workplaces. Its message will be that workplaces are safe and that employers should reassure staff it is safe to return by highlighting measures taken to reduce the spread of Covid-19. This new initiative comes as most schools in England and Wales reopen, relieving thousands of workers from childcare duties and in the face of the damage being done to city centres as people work from home.
2nd Sep 2020 - PoliticsHome.com
Half of British workers will never go back to their pre-lockdown commute, poll finds
More than half of British workers said they will never go back to their pre-lockdown commutes, a poll has found. The survey suggested the coronavirus pandemic has permanently changed working and travelling habits for many workers in the UK. With many Brits either working from home or being furloughed, 73 per cent of 1,000 motorists polled by WeBuyAnyCar.com said they do not miss their commute, while 27 per cent said they miss nothing about the office.
2nd Sep 2020 - Evening Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote Work For Employees Extended In Poland - Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Poland
Employers in Poland are now able to require employees to work remotely until three months after the state of 'epidemiological threat' relating to coronavirus, or the epidemic itself, is declared over. Employers will be able to require employees to work remotely for the duration of the Covid-19 epidemiological threat or the epidemic, and also for three months after they are declared over. Up to now, instructing employees to work remotely was only allowed until 4 September 2020.
The Journal of Laws, introducing this change was published on 20 August 2020. The possibility of this extended period of remote work was provided for in the act of 24 July 2020 on amending the act on posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services and certain other acts (Journal of Laws of 2002, item 1423).
The provisions extending the term of validity of remote work will enter into force on 5 September. Other provisions on remote work have not been changed.
1st Sep 2020 - Mondaq News Alerts
How people who can’t work from home face a ‘double burden’ from COVID-19
Americans who lacked the ability to work from home during the first four months of the pandemic both sustained steeper job losses and showed more symptoms of respiratory illness than their remote-working counterparts, according to a new working paper — with some of the worst effects falling on non-remote workers from the poorest families. As COVID-19’s spread across the U.S. prompted stay-at-home orders and business closures, the share of non-remote workers who lost their employment by early April was three times higher (24%) than the share of remote workers who lost their jobs (8%), estimated the study, conducted by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern California and distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
1st Sep 2020 - MarketWatch
COVID-10 pandemic: Survey of remote workers shows opinions on returning to the office vary
Workers’ opinions about returning to the office amid the COVID-19 pandemic vary greatly based on each individual’s situation, but most want their employer to take certain actions to ensure their safety when they do, results of a recent survey show.
Clutch, a business-to-business ratings and review company, surveyed 400 U.S workers to learn about their experiences working remotely and their thoughts on returning to the office. More than 3 out of 5 respondents (61%) said they haven’t returned to the office or a “shared co-working space.” Other findings: 19% of the respondents want to return to the office as soon as possible. 15% want to return in October or later. 13% would like to wait until next year. 15% don’t want to go back to the office at all.
1st Sep 2020 - Safety+Health magazine
A number of start-ups plan mix of home and office working in September, Seedrs poll finds
A number of start-ups in the capital continue to work remotely, but from this month more will embrace alternating between the office and home desks, according to a new poll. Equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs queried London businesses currently raising with it, or that have, about back to the office plans. Many companies across Britain have had employees doing their jobs from home since the Covid-19 lockdown started in March.
1st Sep 2020 - Evening Standard
Capita expected to shut a third of its offices as remote working proves a success
Capita is expected to shut more than one in three of its UK offices as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic accelerates its plans to cut costs and have more staff working from home. The FTSE 250-listed group will close almost 100 of its 250 office leases, according to reports at the weekend. The group, a major government contractor, is making the move just as Downing Street launches a media campaign to get more people to return to their workplaces, supporting city centre businesses. But Capita, which is working on 100 government pandemic response projects, as well as long-term contracts such as managing London’s congestion charge and electronic tagging for prisoners, swung to a loss in the first half of the year and warned of a slow return to growth.
1st Sep 2020 - Proactive Investors
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullGet back to work: UK government to tell millions of Brits to return to offices
The UK government is preparing to launch a campaign to coax workers back to offices as businesses in deserted City centres struggle to remain afloat during the Covid-19 crisis. The strategy, dubbed “All in, all together”, will inform the public of how to return safely to work with the right health and safety measures in place. It will be launched next week. It will highlight the social and productive benefits of working in an office environment and the benefits of travelling via alternative means, such as walking and cycling, according to a person familiar with the matter. According to July 2015 government census statistics, 18% of people who work in London commute from outside the capital and the average commute is 9.1 miles.
31st Aug 2020 - Financial News
Capita plans to shut offices as staff work from home
One of Britain’s leading government contractors is planning to close more than a third of its 250 offices after concluding that staff are working just as effectively from home. Almost 100 sites are set to be closed as Capita, which has 45,000 staff in the UK, prepares to transform its operations permanently.
31st Aug 2020 - The Times
Kiss the office goodbye: Remote work is winning the hearts of employees
While tens of millions of U.S. workers have been forced to figure out how to navigate their jobs from home thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this grand experiment instigated by a relentless virus may be leading to a profoundly altered business reality. What if they never return to the office? That’s a question now on the minds of many employees who have found that the hassle of getting ready for, and commuting to, their collective office hustles may be a burden best left in the pre-pandemic world. For those lucky enough to have jobs that can translate to remote locations, crowded trains and freeway congestion have been replaced with workdays that start instead with logging in to a Zoom meeting and, perhaps, an outfit that translates a “business casual” vibe only from the waist up.
31st Aug 2020 - Deseret News
Poll: COVID-19 has Americans working many more days from home
Americans are now working many more days remotely than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived months ago, Gallup said in a new survey Monday. The poll showed that there's been a slight increase of the number of U.S. workers who say they have worked remotely before, but a substantial increase in the number of days they're working away from the office.
31st Aug 2020 - UPI News
Warnings of 'ghost towns' if staff do not return to the office
City centres could become "ghost towns" if the prime minister does not do more to encourage workers to go back to the office, the head of the CBI says. Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said allowing staff to work from home had helped keep firms afloat during the pandemic. But as offices stood empty, thousands of local businesses that relied on the passing trade were suffering, she said. It comes as a BBC study found 50 major UK employers had no plans to return all staff to the office full time.
27th Aug 2020 - BBC News
'My shop is dead': The city centre newsagents fighting to survive as office staff work from home
"My shop is dead. I'm doing a quarter of my usual taking". This is the bleak situation newsagents owner Yasin Matadar faces. His shop, Matadar News and Souvenirs, sits in what could be thought of as the perfect location in Manchester city centre. It's on Mount Street, just metres away from St Peter's Square, and would usually be bursting with customers. But Yasin, 42, is starved of his most valued and regular customers - Manchester's army of office staff.
31st Aug 2020 - Manchester Evening News
Capita to close over a third of offices permanently
The firm, which is a major government contractor, is to end its leases on almost 100 workplaces. Business lobby group CBI has warned that the fall in office working is damaging city centre economies. It comes as the government prepares to launch an advertising campaign encouraging more people to return to workplaces. The BBC understands that Capita, which manages London's congestion charge, has been looking at various measures to help it simplify its business for some time, such as embracing more flexible working, which is supported by its employees.
30th Aug 2020 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in full90% Of Employers Say Working Remotely Hasn’t Hurt Productivity
The pandemic has taught employers a lot about the value of having flexible work arrangements for employees. So much so that 83% now say that, even after today’s crisis has passed, they plan to put more flexible work policies in place, such as allowing more people to work from home or letting them adjust their schedules.
That’s according to a recent survey of nearly 800 employers by Mercer, an HR and workplace benefits consulting firm. Working from home has often been viewed skeptically by managers and executives, who assumed it would result in less work getting done if they weren’t there to oversee it. But a full 94% of employers surveyed said their company productivity was actually the same (67%) or higher (27%) than it was before the pandemic, even though so many of their employees have been working remotely this year.
27th Aug 2020 - CBS Boston
Survey: Nearly Half of Workers Expect to Work Remotely Post-COVID
Nearly 80 percent of employees are expected to still be working from home come Labor Day, according to newly released survey results involving 106 companies in Massachusetts and conducted over 11 days this month. The survey, which was released by the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, also found that the number of employees working remotely increased from 18 percent pre-COVID to 82 percent currently. The survey covered businesses representing more than 127,000 employees and found 40 percent of companies are operating 100 percent remotely, and 66 percent of the companies surveyed, representing over 75,000 employees, report that 90 percent or more of all their employees are currently working remotely. Also, employers estimated that 47 percent of their workforce will continue to work remotely after a treatment for COVID-19 has been developed, over twice the number of employees than before the pandemic.
27th Aug 2020 - Banker & Tradesman
Software company Okta will let most of its 2,600 employees work remotely permanently
Workplace software company Okta said Thursday it plans to let most of its employees work remotely on a permanent basis, becoming the latest Silicon Valley company to adopt sweeping office policy changes amid the pandemic — and in the face of shifting US immigration policy. Okta, which provides worker-login software to nearly 9,000 organizations including JetBlue, Nordstrom and Slack, said as much as 85% of its workforce is expected to work remotely under the new policy, up from 30% before the coronavirus crisis. The company has roughly 2,600 employees.
The decision highlights how US businesses are increasingly bracing for a long pandemic. Google has extended its remote work policies until at least July 2021. Earlier this week, Airbnb said it will allow its employees to work remotely through next August, even if their local offices have reopened.
27th Aug 2020 - CNN
Ford Rethinks the Office, Betting That Work Will Be Partly Remote Longer-Term
Thousands of office employees at Ford Motor Co. have come back to work in recent weeks to retrieve their things. All of their things. With its white-collar employees working remotely at least until January because of the coronavirus pandemic, Ford is taking advantage of its empty buildings to reconfigure the workplace for a new era in which employees will have more options to do their jobs remotely, a company real-estate director said in an interview this week. Most of the roughly 30,000 employees who work at or near Ford's Dearborn, Mich., headquarters have returned to the office this summer to clean out their desks and workspaces, all while donning face masks.
27th Aug 2020 - Bangkok Post
Matt Hancock says how well civil servants do their jobs is more important than whether they're back in the office
Matt Hancock has said he cares more about how well his civil servants “perform” in their jobs than whether or not they return to the office, amid pressure on Whitehall to set an example after months of lockdown. The Health Secretary said he had “absolutely no idea” what percentage of staff in his department had returned to the office amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And he heaped praise on officials for “delivering at an unbelievable rate“ during the crisis. Ministers have been under pressure to encourage civil servants to go back to their offices rather than working remotely amid warnings that city centres are suffering from a lack of footfall.
27th Aug 2020 - PoliticsHome.com
How Tech Leaders Can Attain Remote Working Flexibility
The evolution of the remote working model in four waves: the first wave to address cost pressure; the second wave to attract and retain talent; the third wave for COVID-19 business continuity; the fourth wave to establish remote working as a new normal. In this article, I will introduce what challenges top management, especially CIOs, should address if they are to fully realize the potential benefits of remote working for their staff, operations, and the growth of their business.
27th Aug 2020 - CDOTrends
WPP reveals only 3% of UK staff regularly work from office
WPP has highlighted the glacial pace at which staff are returning to work as the coronavirus lockdown eases, with just 3% of UK employees regularly heading in to its offices. The world’s biggest employer in the marketing and advertising sector, which has clients spanning Ford to Facebook, has a workforce of about 10,000 in the UK. WPP revealed on Wednesday that just 300 staff are working in its British offices, as the company takes a cautious approach to health and safety and embraces the homeworking revolution.
27th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Back to the office? Not even by January for many Mass. companies, survey finds.
If you’re not planning to head back to the office anytime soon, you’re not the only one. Many of Massachusetts’s white-collar employees expect to be conducting business remotely into 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey found.
27th Aug 2020 - Boston.com
Why Tourist Spots Like Bermuda Are Offering Remote-Work Visas
With offices still shut and schools in limbo, a handful of countries and resorts are inviting WFH warriors to park their laptops in more scenic surroundings
27th Aug 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Can I work from home overseas?
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, more of us have been getting used to working from home. With social distancing measures still in force, some companies have suggested workers may not be back in the office until 2021. So if you're getting bored of the same four walls, are you allowed to pack up your home office and work remotely from another country?
25th Aug 2020 - BBC News
Most US federal staff don't feel safe from COVID at work, survey finds – Government & civil service news
More than 70% of US federal employees working on-site say their agencies are not doing enough to keep them safe from COVID-19, a survey conducted by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has found. The results also show that nearly 80% of federal employees who have been working remotely during the pandemic say they would feel unsafe if asked to return to the workplace.
AFGE surveyed nearly 2,200 union members between 5-12 August, of whom 56% reported that they are currently working remotely due to the pandemic, with the rest attending their workplaces
25th Aug 2020 - Global Government Forum
The office, as you know it, is dead
Bustling skyscrapers and office parks packed with workers could be a relic of the pre-pandemic world. The health crisis has forced millions of Americans to abandon their offices in favor of working from home, for better or worse. Now there are signs this may not be a short-term phenomenon, but more of a permanent shift in favor of remote work even after a Covid-19 vaccine is in place. More than two-thirds (68%) of large company CEOs plan to downsize their office space, according to a survey released Tuesday by KPMG.
25th Aug 2020 - CNN
The new residency schemes inviting workers abroad
Amid Covid-19, new programmes are popping up that invite workers to settle abroad and work remotely. Could we all soon become ‘digital nomads’?
24th Aug 2020 - BBC News
UK chief executives think shift towards remote working will endure
Over three quarter of UK chief executives believe the shift towards remote working will endure, the results of a survey show as companies continue to look at when to bring staff back to offices. PwC surveyed 699 bosses online in 67 countries/regions (including 96 bosses in the UK) in June and July. The company was looking at how business leaders have responded to the pandemic. The results showed 86% of UK bosses see a long term shift towards remote working enduring, and 68% believe the shift towards lower-density workplaces, with fewer people working together in person, will endure.
23rd Aug 2020 - Evening Standard
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhy workers in some countries are more comfortable about returning to the office
The pandemic brought a huge shift to remote working and attitudes are diverging about what happens next...
24th Aug 2020 - Financial Times
CEOs speed up digital push and downsize offices, KPMG survey shows
Companies around the world have moved more of their operations online, plan to reduce office space and have made recruiting and retaining staff their top priority since the coronavirus pandemic struck, a survey showed on Tuesday. A survey from accounting firm KPMG showed 80% of business leaders had accelerated their digital expansion plans during the lockdown as they adjusted to staff working remotely and dealing with customers online. There was uncertainty about the eventual scale of the shift away from shared workspaces in favour of working from home but 69% were planning to cut their office space in the short term. “Maybe some kind of hybrid finds its way into the new everyday reality,” Bill Thomas, KPMG International’s global chairman and chief executive said.
24th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Silent streets and residents in exile - inside New York's Covid state of mind
Across the former shopping mecca of Manhattan the outlook is bleak. The ordinarily bustling pavements of Fifth Avenue are deserted, the lights off in many of the biggest stores, including the Victoria’s Secret flagship, shut since March, which has not been paying its $937,000 monthly rent. Downtown, high-end SoHo department store Barneys has closed for good. Retailers are abandoning Manhattan in droves, deeming it unsustainable; rents remain colossal, while the city is a ghost town, empty of office workers and tourists.
24th Aug 2020 - Evening Standard
One-Third of Companies Will Have Half of Workforce Remote Post-Pandemic, Study Finds
One third of companies anticipate having half or more of their employees work remotely after the coronavirus pandemic. A study published by human resources consulting firm Mercer found that the number of companies expecting to have half or more of their employees working remotely post the COVID-19 pandemic increased to 1 in 3, compared with 1 in 30 companies that had that many employees working remotely pre-pandemic.
24th Aug 2020 - U.S. News & World Report
You can apply to live and work in Anguilla for up to a year
If working from home for the past six months has made you desperate for a change of scenery, how do powdery white beaches and pristine blue waters sound? The Caribbean island of Anguilla is now accepting online applications for visitors to live and work there, as part of its plans to welcome back tourists following the coronavirus pandemic. The whole idea is to encourage people to come and stay on the island for a long period of time. This means that applicants who plan to stay on the island for up to a year will be prioritised over short-term travellers. According to the island’s application system, visitors can stay and work remotely on the island for up to 12 months. Anguilla’s tourist board is currently looking for people to come to stay before 31 October, those planning to arrive after 1 November can apply at the end of September.
24th Aug 2020 - Metro.co.uk
How to Build an Emotionally Resilient and Productive Remote Workforce
The COVID-19 crisis accelerated many workplace trends, chief among them remote and distributed work. It was a necessary choice in the short term but it looks to be shaping into a long term trend. According to a report from the Society for Human Resource Management and Oxford Economics, 64% of salaried and 49% of hourly employees are now working remotely most of the time, compared to 3% and 2% in January 2020. A March 2020 Gallup survey revealed that 74% of CFOs plan to move more onsite employees to remote workspaces permanently once the COVID-19 crisis is over.
24th Aug 2020 - CMSWire
How Much Will Remote Work Continue After the Pandemic?
A new study of pandemic-induced remote workers and their employers suggests that at least 16 percent will remain at-home workers long after the COVID-19 crisis has receded. The survey of 1,800 people in both small and larger businesses also found: While overall levels of remote work are high, there is considerable variation across industries. Remote work is much more common in industries with better educated and better paid workers. Respondents in better educated and higher paid industries have also observed less productivity loss from the transition to remote work. More than one-third of firms that had employees switch to remote work believe that it will remain more common at their company even after the COVID-19 crisis ends.
24th Aug 2020 - Harvard Business School
No10 urges workers to tell bosses if they want to come back to the office amid home working surge
No10 said businesses had a obligation to offer staff 'Covid-secure workplaces'
NatWest is among banks telling staff they will not return to offices this year
The rise in home working sparked fears for ancillary service industries
24th Aug 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullAviva trialling part-time home working for staff in latest sign that workers may never return to office full-time following coronavirus lockdown
Aviva is trialling part-time home working for staff in the latest sign that workers may never return to the office full-time following the Covid-19 lockdown. The insurance giant has said it will start testing out how to combine home and office working when some of its staff begin returning to its offices in September. Its pilot will take place over the next few months.
23rd Aug 2020 - This is Money
Three-quarters of Britain’s workforce say remote working has positively impacted culture
The events of recent months have positively impacted workplace culture across Britain with 73% describing it as positive in the current climate and 38% saying it has actively improved since they transitioned to remote working, according to a report from UK-based tech-for-good developer, Culture Shift. As half of the UK’s workforce transitioned to remote working earlier this year,[i] organisations were thrust into the spotlight with many standing by to see if they were able to make the transition seamlessly without detrimental impact on their culture. The same report also uncovered that more than one-third (36%) said working from home has boosted their productivity, while more than 28% said working from home has had a positive impact on their mental health and 45% are dreading going back to the workplace.
23rd Aug 2020 - HR News
You can apply to live and work on the Caribbean island of Anguilla for up to a year - Insider
The Caribbean island of Anguilla is now accepting online applications for visitors.
Travelers whose applications are accepted could stay on Anguilla for up to a year and work remotely from the warm-weather destination. The 35-square-mile island was named Travel + Leisure's best island for 2020 across the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda, four years in a row. Since March, Anguilla has reported three positive coronavirus cases and zero deaths, and the CDC has listed it as having a "very low" COVID-19 risk.
23rd Aug 2020 - INSIDER
Many Companies Planned to Reopen Offices After Labor Day. With Coronavirus Still Around, They’re Rethinking That.
This summer, executives at health-care-technology firm Epic Systems announced a plan: Most of the 9,500 employees at its 1,000-acre campus in Wisconsin would be expected back in the office in September. The company, like many others, says its employees do their best work when they can collaborate in the same space. But blowback to the mandate was swift. Employees expressed fears about safety and spreading the new coronavirus. Local health officials questioned the move. So Epic joined legions of other companies making late-in-the-game changes to office-reopening plans, saying this month that staffers could work from home at least through the new year.
23rd Aug 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Remote working leaves office landlords facing worst crunch since 2008
London office vacancy rates are forecast to hit their highest level since the financial crisis next year as companies shrink their headquarters in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In the City, vacancies are forecast to rise from 6.5% this year to 7.2% next year, before peaking at 8% in 2022, according to the estate agency Savills. That compares with a peak of 10.4% during the financial crisis.
23rd Aug 2020 - The Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullSelina capitalizing on its early focus on live-work accommodations
"If I'm in New York and I work remotely for some financial institution right now, and I now have the ability to work and live in Costa Rica for the next six months with access to internet, great food, a beach, sun, surfing and yoga, why not do that?" asked Museri. Selina's new subscription-based products, designed to tap into anticipated demand for live-work accommodations, roll out this month. They include the Selina Nomad Passport, which enables members to purchase 30-, 60- or 90-night credits at discounted rates and use the credits whenever they want at the Selina location of their choice. Also on offer is the Selina CoLive plan, which enables remote workers to stay at any Selina property for a one-, three- or six-month stay. Lastly, the B2B Remote Work Pass allows companies to purchase one- to 12-month stays for their remote-working employees.
21st Aug 2020 - Travel Weekly
The Awkwardness of Starting a New Job Remotely During Coronavirus
José Goicoechea had just left his apartment for a quick trip to the grocery store in April when he got a calendar invitation. “I think I walked out at 11:55 and the meeting was at 12:00,” Mr. Goicoechea, 29, said. The other invitees on the Google Hangout included an H.R. person and Mr. Goicoechea’s manager, “so I was like, ‘Uh oh, this is not good,’” he said. It wasn’t good. Mr. Goicoechea, who had been working from his apartment in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn apartment for a little over a month, was being furloughed from his job as a product designer at a luggage company. The pandemic hit and people weren’t traveling as much. Sales had dropped more than 90 percent, he later learned. “I think I was furloughed on a Tuesday, and my last day of work was on a Friday,” he said. “So I had three days to wrap up and leave.”
20th Aug 2020 - The New York Times
UK tech sector balances the pros and cons of remote working
According to a report from UK-based tech-for-good developer, Culture Shift, the events of recent months have positively impacted the culture of the UK’s industry — more than one-third (39%) of respondents said it has actively improved since they transitioned to remote working. However, while many have welcomed the remote setup, half (50%) of employees in tech have been feeling isolated while working from home.
20th Aug 2020 - Information Age
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullNearly 8 in 10 Employees Say Their Work Has Improved Amid Coronavirus
While the coronavirus pandemic is likely to impact our lives for the foreseeable future, workers appear to be getting used to the new normal. Almost 8 in 10 workers — (79%) — from companies with more than 1,000 employees say the quality of their work improved from April to July as employers have increased support amid the pandemic, according to a new survey by global accounting firm KPMG. Employees are also becoming more comfortable with working remotely and other procedures their employers are putting in place, but there are areas where they can use more support.
19th Aug 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Hugo Boss will only ask staff to work in the office three days a week even after Covid-19
Hugo Boss will allow staff the option of remote working every Monday and Friday, even after the coronavirus pandemic has abated. The German fashion house announced today that it will only require the majority of its staff to come into the office from Tuesday to Thursday, with the option of working from home on Monday and Friday. The company said it had made the decision after an internal survey revealed people were less stressed while working from home. It added that managers had been very happy with the work done remotely. “The future belongs to tailored combinations of office-based and off-site work,” said Jochen Eckhold, human resources director. “Our hybrid working model caters to employees’ growing desire for alternative scheduling and location options.”
19th Aug 2020 - City A.M.
Will you keep the office after COVID-19?
Boris Johnson has just made the announcement that all non-essential businesses must close. Cue employees gathering any possession they can from their workspace - including wheeling ergonomic chairs and heavy desktops across the London underground - and rushing to work from home, completely unaware of how long it would be until they return to the office. While businesses had been talking ad nauseam around how important embracing technology is, nothing could have prepared them for the lockdown which forced them to embrace organisation-wide virtual working.
19th Aug 2020 - Management Today
Why Work From Home When You Can Work From Barbados, Bermuda or … Estonia?
When Lamin Ngobeh, a high-school teacher at the Freire Charter School in Wilmington, Del., saw a social media post last month about working remotely in Barbados for 12 months, his interest was piqued. “My school probably won’t open for in-person classes at least until February 2021, and I want to be in a country that’s safer — health wise — and also enjoy the quality of life,” he said of the reasons for considering a temporary relocation. “I reached out to my school leaders and they were very supportive of my decision.” When it announced its 12-month Welcome Stamp program in mid-July, Barbados became one of the first of several countries, in regions from the Caribbean to Eastern Europe, to create programs for remote workers. The programs employ either special visas or expand existing ones to entice workers to temporarily relocate. Other countries offering similar visas currently include Estonia, Georgia and Bermuda.
19th Aug 2020 - The New York Times
More evidence of permanent switch to working from home
Most office-based staff want to continue working from home at least part of the week, according to a new study, providing fresh evidence of how the world of work is going to change as a result of the coronavirus crisis. A survey of 2,000 office workers by technology giant Huawei found that almost nine out of 10 want to continue working from home at least part of the week. Three out of five respondents said they would prefer to work remotely for at least three days a week.
Many of those working from home said they were setting up their workstation in different rooms, or in the garden or local park.
19th Aug 2020 - expressandstar.com
Londoners want to partially work from home
A significant proportion (43%) of London employees want to work locally for all or some of the time going forwards, a survey commissioned by flexible workspace operator Spacemad found. The most popular option was found to be 2-3 days a week working from a local workspace (61%) and 2-3 from company headquarters.
19th Aug 2020 - Property Wire
Webinar: What does a growing need for remote working mean for the NHS?
The covid-19 pandemic has presented a situation in which most people who do not need to work on a specific site have been asked to work from home – and that includes those employed by NHS organisations. With the virus likely to be around for some time, an increased need to support remote and new ways of working is likely to continue. It has often been suggested that in specialties such as radiology and pathology, greater ability for flexible and remote working could help spread workload more effectively and help address staff shortages. So what would a continuing need for remote and flexible working mean for NHS organisations? How can remote workers work together more efficiently and collaboratively? How can trusts ensure the IT infrastructure and related support is in place for this way of working, and to have a positive impact on patient care? Can healthcare look to other industries and how they are utilising technologies, such as cloud, to support these new, secure ways of working? Might there be lessons to learn from the private healthcare sector?
This free HSJ webinar, run in association with IBM, will bring together a small panel to discuss these important issues and offer practical advice on building such considerations into your digital strategy
19th Aug 2020 - Health Service Journal
The strategic vision for long-term remote work at 12 health systems
One of the CIO's major responsibilities when the pandemic hit was to safely transition thousands of individuals to remote work. Now health systems and organizations are grappling with whether to keep their teams remote and what their plan will be for returning to the office. Here, 12 CIOs and healthcare executives outline their organizational philosophies on remote work and what they're plans are for the future.
19th Aug 2020 - Becker's Hospital Review
Remote work can continue forever, consulting firm Sikich tells employees as it shifts to micro offices
Professional services firm Sikich will allow employees to work from home permanently and plans to shrink the size of its offices in one of the most dramatic responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Chicago. CEO Chris Geier recently told the Chicago-based company’s more than 1,000 employees that remote work can continue “indefinitely,” as part of a reduction in real estate already envisioned before offices all but shut down in March because of COVID-19. Sikich has 307 Chicago-area employees. In the near term, employees have been told to stay away from the office unless absolutely necessary, Geier said. Over the next few years, Sikich plans to replace its current 14 offices throughout the country with about 30 “micro offices” that the firm’s consultants and other employees can use when they’re not working at client offices or from home, Geier said.
19th Aug 2020 - Chicago Tribune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullZoopla names Birmingham as the best UK location for remote working
Zoopla, the UK’s most comprehensive property destination, reveals the best locations for remote working by analysing the average internet speed, number of people working from home, number of cafés, and average property price across the UK. The different towns and cities were each given a total score out of 100 based on these metrics to reveal the best locations.
19th Aug 2020 - HR News
How much of Europe's work can be done from home?
COVID-19 has seen a dramatic increase in teleworking across the world. A new report has found that higher-paid occupations are more suited to remote working. This is causing a new divide between those who can work from home and those who can't.
18th Aug 2020 - World Economic Forum
Why video conferencing solutions are here to stay
During the ten years from 2008 to 2018, the number of people working from home for their main job increased by a staggering 74%1. Despite this, in a pre-Covid-19 world (which seems a distant memory) it was reported that only around 30%2 had ever worked from home. Since the recent pandemic, the accelerated change in working patterns within the last four months has been unprecedented.
18th Aug 2020 - Cambridge Network
Teachers With COVID-19 Health Risks: Who Gets to Stay Home?
As school buildings in some states begin to reopen in various capacities, many teachers who are at higher risk for severe complications from COVID-19 are hoping they won’t have to go back. But there are big questions around who qualifies for a medical exemption from returning to the physical classroom. People who are older than 65 are at higher risk for serious illness due to COVID-19, as are those who are obese, have serious heart conditions, or have Type II diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that people who have immune deficiencies, have asthma, have Type I diabetes, are smokers, or are pregnant might also be at increased risk for serious illness, although the evidence is more limited.
18th Aug 2020 - Education Week
Office rents tumble as leading firms back homeworking
London office rents are projected to fall by 40% before hitting their bottom level, as rental values slide because of stalled deals, increasing vacancy and lease breaks.
According to global membership body the Society of Industrial & Office Realtors (SIOR), leasing activity in the capital has fallen by 57 percentage points compared with the previous quarter. The largest declines in rents have occurred in some of London’s most well-to-do areas, such as Mayfair (-8%) and Soho (-8%). Industry experts said the trends were producing a shift in power in commercial property world. “This sudden increase in availability is already prompting a swing in the balance of power back towards the tenant,” SIOR Europe president-elect Paul Danks said.
18th Aug 2020 - Personnel Today
FEATURE: Digital nomads riding out coronavirus pandemic in a van in Japan
A free-spirited American couple with the guts to pack up and go on a moment's notice is discovering how crucial skills like agility, flexibility and resilience are in extraordinary times like these. Liezl Van Riper, 44, and her husband Viet Nguyen, 49, took their kids out of school last fall to let them learn some life lessons on the road, their motivating mantra that spontaneous travel is the most valuable type of travel.
18th Aug 2020 - Kyodo News Plus
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullPwC expects majority of U.K. staff to work remotely after coronavirus
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP expects the majority of its 22,000 U.K. staff to spend some of their time working remotely, even after the coronavirus crisis passes. PwC, one of the so-called Big Four accounting firms, is predicting a more even split between office and home working in the medium-to-long term, spokesperson Richard Pain said. Usage of its offices has plunged during the crisis, with a little more than a quarter of its U.K. employees spending time in one of its 20 offices in the country last week, he added.
17th Aug 2020 - Accounting Today
Why NYC WON'T survive coronavirus: Entrepreneur outlines why the city is forever changed
They were wiped out by COVID-19, then a week of riots and looting sent other residents running for other cities. Now, crime and homelessness is on the rise which is stopping people from coming back. It means that the city is not likely to recover as it has from every other crisis. After 9/11, people were forced back to their office jobs because internet speed was too slow for people to work from home, he said
Now, businesses can function entirely through Zoom. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, said recently there was still a need to bring people back into offices
Facebook is also investing in New York City to try to ensure it will remain a global business center
17th Aug 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullStaying at home can be the new normal: Investment firm tells staff they can work remotely for EVER
Investment firm Schroders has told staff they can work from home for ever if they choose to – so long as they work the hours set out in their contracts. The 216-year-old company has unveiled ‘a new approach to flexible working’ that will scrap the previous requirement for employees to come into the office for at least four days a week. The move will affect 2,500 British workers.
17th Aug 2020 - Daily Mail
India's invisible catastrophe: fears over spread of Covid-19 into poor rural areas
Where better to seek sanctuary from a virus roaring through a crowded metropolis than a remote mountainside with views of the Himalayas? This was the reasoning that prompted Lalit Upreti, 34, to leave the Indian capital, Delhi, where he works as a cook, two months ago to return to his hamlet Khankari in Uttarakhand, near the country’s border with Nepal. Here, he thought, his family would be safe. On 7 August, he attended a health camp organised by the village council. “I went for the heck of it, I had no symptoms but thought why not?,” said Upreti. Apart from checking for monsoon-related ailments, local health officials took swabs for Covid-19.
17th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
PwC Expects Majority of U.K. Staff to Work Remotely After Virus
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP expects the majority of its 22,000 U.K. staff to spend some of their time working remotely, even after the coronavirus crisis passes. PwC, one of the so-called Big Four accounting firms, is predicting a more even split between office and home working in the medium-to-long term, spokesperson Richard Pain said. Usage of its offices has plunged during the crisis, with a little more than a quarter of its U.K. employees spending time in one of its 20 offices in the country last week, he added.
16th Aug 2020 - Bloomberg
'New York City Lite': after coronavirus, will business flock to the suburbs?
Coronavirus has, almost overnight, thrown this dynamic into question by rendering some of these cities’ great attributes — their density and rich cultural offerings — unappealing or off-limits. That is precipitating an exodus to suburbs that had wilted in their shadows. “It’s unlike anything I’ve seen and I’ve been doing this for 20 years,” says Carolyn Fugere, a Sotheby’s broker in Stamford. In July, the number of single-family homes under contract in the wider Fairfield County rose 63 per cent compared to the previous year. The value of those contracts was up 104 per cent. Reports of rising crime in a fraying New York City, Ms Fugere adds, are prompting young families to “accelerate life decisions”.
16th Aug 2020 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullReal-life learning, remotely: adapting internships during Covid-19
A 2018 Institute of Student Employers survey in the UK found that 94% of employers encourage interns to return as employees. The reason for this is simple, ISE chief executive Stephen Isherwood indicates. “Interns make better hires. Former interns are more likely to accept job offers, stay longer and often outperform their peers,” he says. Around 70% of students leaving the US in 2016/17 engaged in learning overseas without their programs requiring them to do so, statistics from IIE reveal.
13th Aug 2020 - The PIE News
Working at home has led to longer hours
‘Enforced’ working at home has allowed those working remotely on a permanent basis to better connect with their colleagues, but those who normally work in the office report a loss of creative and problem-solving discussions, and many are working for longer than usual. Several studies published over the past few days have highlighted how widespread home working during the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way office workers interact with each other and schedule their day. According to one study by academic institutions in the UK and New Zealand including the University of East Anglia and Auckland University of Technology, the “unequal social distributions” that previously existed between office and home workers were removed during the lockdown, as an increase in discussions and social activities being held over Zoom or Microsoft Teams enabled previously “marginalised” home workers to feel closer to their colleagues.
13th Aug 2020 - Personnel Today
Council staff to be given contracts to work from home
Herefordshire Council workers will be given the opportunity to work from home until December 2021. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March this year, most council staff have been working remotely. Speaking at the employment panel meeting on August 12, assistant director for people Tracey Sampson said it has worked very well for the council and they have been able to deliver services effectively and efficiently. “We’ve saved on travel costs and travel time and some of our data shows we can perform as well or better in some cases when working from home than being based in the office,” she said.
13th Aug 2020 - Ledbury Reporter
Walmart corporate employees will continue working remote until January 2021
Walmart will continue having corporate office employees working remotely through Jan. 31, 2021. The retail giant just marked 20 weeks of remote working amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said it has accomplished much during the unprecedented time. “Teams across the business are working with increased speed, productivity and a focus on innovation,” Donna Morris, chief people officer at Walmart, noted in an internal email to employees on Wednesday (Aug. 12). “For those of you with children at home, you are in the process of adapting to your kids returning to school. The status of the pandemic across the country remains dynamic, and we are continuing to actively monitor developments to slow the spread of the virus.”
13th Aug 2020 - talkbusiness.net
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullYou could move to Estonia and work there remotely for a year thanks to a new incentive - Insider
Estonia has officially launched its new Digital Nomad Visa. The visa would allow remote workers to live and work in the European country for up to a year.
The application costs between $94 and $117 (or €80 and €100) depending on how long you plan on staying. It's important to note that, according to the CDC, "travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19." Estonia, as part of the European Union, is also closed to Americans for the time being.
13th Aug 2020 - INSIDER
Auckland researchers find mixed feelings toward working from home
Researchers interviewed 29 knowledge workers from New Zealand, Australia, UK, US, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland, and uncovered what they saw as a near-balance view about the positive and negative impact technology has had on teamwork, particularly around knowledge-sharing, virtual meetings, and networking. Lead author Lena Waizenegger said the study revealed how employees and organisations adapted quickly to remote working. "We were amazed by the innovation capabilities and creativity of teams and businesses," she said. "EWFH showed that remote or flexible working is not only feasible, it also has various positive effects that should be maintained even after the pandemic."
12th Aug 2020 - ZDNet
Rise of remote work and digital nomads in age of Covid-19
Malaysian Pashmina Binwani has honed as a travel writer and public relations consultant. She runs a popular travel and adventure blog called The Gone Goat where she takes us on vicarious journeys to far-off lands which she has traversed both on foot and on her trusty bicycle. Having spent the earlier part of her career at conventional nine-to-five jobs, Pashmina savours the fact that she gets to travel the world while being able to provide value to her readers and clients no matter where she is. Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdowns might have brought her international travels to a screeching halt but that has barely dampened the Kuala Lumpur-native’s spirits as she’s using this opportunity in disguise to explore her own backyard and regale her readers about it. She also does freelance public relations consultancy for SMEs and NGOs so there’s plenty of work to keep her busy.
12th Aug 2020 - Free Malaysia Today
Comment | Enhanced connectivity is key to Britain's economic recovery
Paul Coffey, CEO of The Scotland 5G Centre explores how connectivity can play a crucial role in Britain’s economic recovery and adjusting to the ‘new normal’ post-Covid. Connectivity has played a crucial role during the Covid-19 pandemic, whether you have been working remotely or staying in touch with family and friends over Zoom. While the country was in lockdown, technology allowed us to retain some social connections, provided entertainment and has so far helped us to manage the spread of the virus, while also enabling businesses to remain operational. Our experiences over the last few months have accelerated some technology trends and, perhaps most importantly, there are likely to be more to come. Faster, more reliable, wireless 5G networks are already being deployed and they could significantly shape how the economy recovers from the effects of Covid-19.
11th Aug 2020 - DIGIT.FYI
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow COVID-19 is redefining “working remotely” for Canada's high-skilled foreign workers
For those who had a job offer and seemingly a bright future in Canada, travel has been halted until further notice. What can they do now?
11th Aug 2020 - Open Democracy
Remote working in a post-Covid-19 climate
Led by the necessity to ensure business continuity during the pandemic, many organisations have had to make quick, tactical decisions to enable over 90% of their workforce to work remotely at the same time. Remote working is not a new concept, what is new is that through the unprecedented times we’ve all been navigating, even the biggest skeptics of the agile working culture have had to adopt and trust in this practice. While solutions that enable an entire firm to work remotely, and have existed for some time now, the pace at which organisations had to adopt these over the past few months has brought a new set of challenges for all.
12th Aug 2020 - TechRadar Singapore
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullFour-fifths of CEOs expect COVID-19 to entrench remote working: PwC
Almost four out of five chief executives expect remote working to become more widespread in their businesses as a result of COVID-19, a global survey from accountancy firm PwC showed on Tuesday. New York, London and some other major cities currently have only a fraction of their normal workforce in offices as employers and governments have told staff to work from home where possible.
While some authorities are now encouraging a return to work, PwC said 78% of the chief executives it surveyed expected that at least some of the shift towards remote collaboration would prove enduring. “A blend of office and home working is most likely to be the future norm,” PwC UK’s chairman Kevin Ellis said.
10th Aug 2020 - Reuters
COVID-19 could have a lasting, positive impact on workplace culture
The COVID-19 lockdown has become synonymous with working from home for many people. While some research has suggested that remote work can be isolating, it also makes the competing priorities that workers are juggling very visible — even sometimes literally so due to the popularity of video calls. This has the potential to unite workers with the feeling that they are in this struggle of balancing work and personal responsibilities together. Whether it’s kids or pets that are popping up onscreen during Zoom calls, remote work has caused a relaxation in the traditional rules of professional presentation and resulted in a virtual workplace that is not only more flexible, but also more humane.
10th Aug 2020 - The Conversation CA
Working Remotely From The Pyrenees Peaks Of France
An increasing number of companies are announcing that employees can work from home—at least until the year 2021 (as a result of coronavirus pandemic concerns). Such companies include Sony Music, Amazon corporate, Viacom and Google. For others, such as Twitter, Facebook and Zillow, the switch can be permanent. Working remotely provides obvious advantages such as—potentially—increased flexibility with work hours and less commuting. It can also include disadvantages, such as less personal interaction with co-workers or clients, and lapses in clear communications.
10th Aug 2020 - Forbes
Coronavirus work from home might become work done overseas
Forced away from city centres to slow the spread of coronavirus, the work-from-home revolution has shown many jobs can be done from the suburbs as easily as they were in humming office buildings housing thousands of workers. Could the shift be the change that regional Australia has long waited for? Or does it mark the moment Australians have to compete in the global market for jobs, with equally qualified but much cheaper workers?
10th Aug 2020 - ABC News
Survey finds ‘huge appetite’ for remote working
The majority of Irish workers would like a mix of working from home and being in the office or workplace, a new survey has indicated. The study by Amarách Research for the trade union, Fórsa, found that 86 per cent of respondents were interested in working remotely. Over 80 per cent of those who favour home working expressed a preference for a hybrid arrangement where they blend time worked remotely and in the workplace. The coronavirus has dramatically changed the way employees live and work with thousands now working from home for the first time. As a result, many companies are actively exploring the possibility of moving forward with a reduced office space.
10th Aug 2020 - The Irish Times
Coronavirus: UK CEOs lead the pack on employee mental wellbeing during pandemic
Business leaders around the world have been making moves to protect their employees with their COVID-19 response, with UK CEOs leading the pack on mental wellbeing support. Almost a quarter (24%) of UK CEOs provided additional financial support to employees, according to a new survey of business leaders by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Alongside this, 15% of UK CEOs have sourced and/or manufactured medical supplies for their businesses (compared with 13% of CEOs globally), while nearly half (49%) contributed resources such as volunteers or essential goods to helping during the pandemic. This was compared with 42% of CEOs globally.
10th Aug 2020 - YAHOO!
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow to make an impression and get noticed while working remotely
The novelty of working from home, with 8:53 a.m. alarm calls and midday MasterClass breaks, has long worn off. Now you miss the sub-zero temps of your cubicle and the days of not having to supervise your kid’s virtual theater class. Plus, “the anonymity of working from home is really taking a toll on people and many are feeling a bit forgotten,” said Dr. Marianna Strongin, a psychologist in a private practice on the Upper East Side. It can feel difficult to get the attention you deserve, with employees finding it increasingly hard to get their work noticed.
10th Aug 2020 - New York Post
Remote working and online shopping could drive 14 million cars off US roads – permanently
As many as 14 million cars could disappear from American roads in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. That’s one of the findings of a KPMG report that estimates almost 40% of all jobs in the United States could be done from home, drastically reducing reliance on the private motor vehicle.
10th Aug 2020 - World Economic Forum
Coronavirus: Dubai government's flexible working hours expected to cut traffic congestion
A decision to give Dubai government employees flexible working hours could consign morning traffic gridlock to the past, transport experts said. Public sector workers will have the option to begin work at any time between 6.30am and 8.30am from Sunday, August 16. The decision could reduce accidents on the city's roads, caused by frustrated drivers rushing to make it to offices on time, said Thomas Edelmann, founder of campaign group Road Safety UAE. “It is an important step in reducing the morning gridlocks as much as possible,” he said. “There are a number of benefits to this including the reduction of dangerous behaviour from motorists.
9th Aug 2020 - The National
3D virtual reality building inspections developed to aid remote working during the pandemic
A new online platform using 3D and virtual reality technology has been developed to allow remote building inspections to take place. The six-month project at the University of Strathclyde uses state-of-the-art algorithms, virtual reality and image processing techniques to monitor the construction phase of buildings. The platform will create a 3D environment of a building and reduce the number of physical inspections from quantity surveyors and health and safety inspectors required.
9th Aug 2020 - Herald Scotland
Facebook employees to be given £750 for home offices as remote working continues till July 2021
Facebook has announced that it will be giving its employees £750 towards home office needs as it extends remote working to next summer at the earliest. Since March, almost all of the tech giant’s 48,000 members of staff, which are typically based in 70 offices around the world, have been working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg stated that the company would allow workers to remain at home until the end of 2020.
8th Aug 2020 - The Independent
‘Zoom is fine, but it can’t match being back in the office’
Temperature checks at reception, spaced-out desks, contactless coffee dispensers and plastic lift-button prodders. Welcome back to work – in an anti-Covid-19 office. These features, which would have been deemed eccentric and invasive in January, are some of the measures being deployed for returning employees by one of the UK’s biggest companies, property firm British Land. And many more businesses will have to take heed if the UK is to reverse its position as one of the slowest European countries to get its feet back under the desk. Only a third (34%) of UK white-collar employees have gone back to work, while in continental Europe almost three-quarters of staff (68%) have done so, according to analysis from US bank Morgan Stanley.
8th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
How safe is it to go back to the office?
It is “impossible” to make the office 100 per cent safe, says Paul Hunter, professor of Medicine at the University of East Anglia. “You could spend millions on preparations and then someone gets the infection from the journey in. You can’t legislate for all these transmissions.” Experts and officials remain divided over the most basic aspects of the virus that causes Covid-19, from the way it spreads to the length of time it lasts on a desk. But all agree there is no single miracle measure that protects the workforce. Instead, there are many that add up to reducing the risk. As companies gingerly prepare to reopen their offices, here is a taste of the uncertainties they face.
3rd Aug 2020 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullThis is what coronavirus will do to our offices and homes
One day, the virus will subside. It could be eradicated. But even then, life will not simply return to the way it was before Covid-19. Spurred on by the coronavirus crisis, architects have been rethinking the buildings we inhabit. Scroll down to find out how the future might look.
6th Aug 2020 - BBC News
Widespread Whitehall homeworking to continue | PublicTechnology.net
The number of civil servants returning to government premises in the coming weeks will be “low”, the Cabinet Office has said, as it unveils some of the measures departments are taking to protect staff returning to work. The vast majority of civil servants have been working from home since coronavirus lockdown measures were introduced in March. As of 1 August – from which date the prime minister has said employers will have "more discretion" to ask staff to return – civil servants will begin a phased return to the office, with some continuing to work from home for several months. “There will be some staff who will need to return to the workplace, but the number of people in the workplace will initially remain low compared to our normal capacity numbers,” Cabinet Office guidance published this week stated. “The civil service supports the ability of all our staff to work as safely as possible, whether remotely or in the workplace,” the document, which summarises the government’s Covid-19 workplace risk assessment for departments, said.
6th Aug 2020 - PublicTechnology
Report: American workers don't expect things to return to normal, even if a COVID-19 vaccine is produced
As the coronavirus continues to spread across the US, workers are not confident that a return to work is safe or possible, and 81% expect disruptions, even after a vaccine might be available, according to a new survey.
6th Aug 2020 - TechRepublic
Report: Working remotely during the pandemic means longer days, more meetings
"Is it working from home or living at work, or both?" Working from home during the COVID-19 epidemic results in more meetings and longer working hours, according to a new study. According to a Bloomberg report on August 4, the study, conducted by researchers from Harvard Business School and New York University, covered more than 21,000 companies in 16 cities in North America, Europe and the Middle East. The researchers compared the behavior of employees who worked at home for more than eight weeks before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. They found that the workday lasted 48.5 minutes longer, the number of meetings increased by about 13 percent, and people sent an average of 1.4 more emails per day to their colleagues.
6th Aug 2020 - CGTN
Covid-19 forces rethink on partnerships, office life and digitalisation
The pandemic has exposed persistent inefficiencies in law firms’ traditional ways of working, which look increasingly out of place as digitalisation takes hold, and triggered a rethink on expensive overheads, such as offices, now weighing on cash-strapped firms. In some cases, the most important innovations for law firms involve a reworking of available technology. Rajah & Tann launched automated digital invoices within weeks of the onset of the pandemic and established a new platform where clients can confidently sign contracts electronically for the first time.
6th Aug 2020 - Financial Times
More Than Half of Canada’s Workers Fear Returning to the Office
More than half of Canadians are afraid to go back to their workplaces and 77% are worried their colleagues might show up infected with the coronavirus, according to research from consulting firm KPMG. About six in 10 say they’ll will refuse to go back if they believe their place of work is not safe enough and 57% are concerned about sharing meeting rooms and other common areas. The survey polled more than 1,000 Canadians online and was conducted July 22 to 24. Major Canadian employers including Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia and Telus Corp. have told many employees to continue working from home for the rest of the year. One potential issue for workers in Toronto’s financial district is its often-crowded subway system. The city has one of the busiest transit networks in North America, trailing only New York City and Mexico City. In the KPMG survey, 71% said they were worried about using public transportation for their commute. In Ontario, the figure was was 78%.
6th Aug 2020 - Bloomberg
British workers more reluctant to return to office than Europeans, new research reveals
British office workers have returned to their desks at a far slower rate than their European counterparts, new research has revealed. A study, conducted by research unit AlphaWise at US bank Morgan Stanley, found around 34 per cent of British white-collar workers are back in the office, compared to 83 per cent of French office staff. Britain also lagged behind the other major European economies on office returns, with around three-quarters of German, Italian and Spanish workers having returned to the pre-pandemic commuting routine, according to the study.
6th Aug 2020 - Evening Standard
The working from home experiment has been too successful
Boris Johnson wants Britons to get back to the office this week but companies and employees are proving reluctant to turn their backs on the remote working revolution. The Government needs cities to get back up and running to save cafés, pubs and restaurants that rely on office workers to sustain them. The home working experiment has been so successful that the Prime Minister's call for commuters to get back on buses and trains is being ignored. “In the words of The Specials, I’m sitting in a ghost town,” says Nigel Wilson, boss of Legal & General, from the investment firm’s Moorgate headquarters in the City of London.
6th Aug 2020 - Telegraph.co.uk
Digital capabilities offer a lifeline to small businesses during pandemic
Salesforce surveyed over 3,600 consumers worldwide to gain a pulse check on how small businesses are navigating during the COVID-19 pandemic and what steps they can take to bring customers back.
6th Aug 2020 - ZDNet
City Colleges faculty and staff threaten to strike if everyone isn’t allowed to work remotely this fall: ‘I ca
Faculty and staff at City Colleges of Chicago are threatening to hold their first strike in more than a decade if administrators don’t allow all employees to work from home when fall classes begin in late August. While most instructors have been approved to teach remotely next semester, about 450 employees, including academic advisers and technological support and clerical staff, were required to return to campuses on Monday, according to unions representing those workers. Employees deemed essential by the community college network have been working in person since May despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Tony Johnston, president of the Cook County College Teachers Union, said his members plan to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss taking a vote of no confidence in the administration, a move that could potentially escalate into a safety-related strike.
6th Aug 2020 - Chicago Tribune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Finland reintroduces remote working as cases rise
Cases of coronavirus in Finland totalled 7,512, with 331 deaths, as of today
The Scandinavian country plans to reinstate working from home as cases rise
The recommendation in favour of remote working had ended at the end of July
6th Aug 2020 - Daily Mail
UK office workers slower to return to their desk after Covid
British office workers have returned to their desks at a much slower pace than staff in France, Germany, Italy or Spain, as they continue to work from home following the lockdown. Only one-third (34%) of UK white-collar employees have gone back to work, lagging far behind their European counterparts, where almost three-quarters of staff (68%) have done so, according to analysis from US bank Morgan Stanley’s research unit AlphaWise.
6th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Global Workforce Revolution - Brand new study reveals the impact of Covid-19 on the future of work, employee pay and benefits
The majority of tech employees (79%) said they would move, either to a different country (71%) or a different region of the UK (8%) if they were able to work remotely and retain the same job and remuneration, with 67% believing people should be entitled to a great career regardless of where they grow up and live. 63% of tech employees believe entrepreneurs need to look beyond London if they want to find the best talent in the world and on average employees expect 33% of tech roles to be remotely located outside of the UK in five years’ time.
5th Aug 2020 - FE News
Keep your COVID schedule: How to work from home indefinitely
The global coronavirus pandemic has made working at home the new normal for millions of Americans. Before the pandemic, only 14% of U.S. employees worked from home full-time. Now, that number has jumped to 60%. And many now working remotely are finding out they like it. A new Gallup poll shows three out of five remote employees said they didn’t want to return to the office. If you enjoy the flexibility, how can you convince your boss to let you work from home indefinitely? Tell your manager why the setup is better for the company and for you. For one, you’ll save time commuting. The average American who drives to work spends 54 hours per year stuck in traffic.
5th Aug 2020 - WJXT News4JAX
As remote learning looms, employers throw working parents a lifeline
For working parents like LaMonica, the pending start of the school year, which brings the anxiety of new teachers, schedules and courses under even the best of circumstances, is looming as a major source of stress. A growing list of companies are pushing office reopenings to 2021 and many school districts, including Chicago Public Schools, are nixing even a part-time return to the classroom, portending an ongoing work-life family mashup that threatens to derail both career and childhood development.
5th Aug 2020 - Chicago Tribune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe most useful tips for working from home during COVID-19
As the remote work experiment drags on, here are five critical things you should be doing every day to maximize productivity.
4th Aug 2020 - Fast Company
Uber employees can work remotely through June 2021
Uber is extending its work-from-home order through June 2021, CNBC confirmed Tuesday. The ride-sharing company now joins Google in extending its remote-work timeline through June.
4th Aug 2020 - CNBC
Nial Borthistle: Employers will have to offer staff better options in their workplace
Remote working works, but companies also need to be able to create a culture for employees to buy in to and the importance of the office environment in that process cannot be overlooked
5th Aug 2020 - Belfast Telegraph
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullLloyds Considers Long-Term Remote Working
Lloyds Banking Group has become the latest large employer in the UK to review its use of office space as a result of the move towards homeworking due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Chief executive, António Horta-Osório, said: “We are indeed reviewing our property strategy”. The bank currently has over 75% of its staff working from home. A poll of its staff found that almost 90% felt that they were handling the change well, with a further two-thirds saying they wanted to continue to work from home in the future.
3rd Aug 2020 - Money Expert
Covid-19 Hastens the Work-at-Home Revolution
Because of Covid-19, my patient now happily works from home. Her company may get rid of its expensive Manhattan office and allow all employees to work remotely. She says the cost savings have been immense—and she’s scratching her head about why her bosses couldn’t have had this epiphany sooner, when she and her children might have benefited.
3rd Aug 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Riverbed study finds 95% UAE and KSA business leaders are comfortable to shift to remote work
Nearly all (97%) of the business leaders surveyed in the UAE and Saudi Arabia reported that technology performance issues impact the experience of their remote workers. The most common issues – all resolvable – include: frequent disconnects from corporate networks (43%), slow file downloads (41%), apps not working properly (40%) and long response times when loading apps (39%). When asked about the impact these issues have on the remote work experience of employees, business leaders report: increased technical disruptions or difficulties (44%), weaker employee performance and lack of productivity (41%), lack of clarity on strategic priorities (37%) and reduced direct services to customers or clients (37%).
4th Aug 2020 - Intelligent CIO ME
Coronavirus US: 260 staff 'excluded' from work in school district
Georgia's largest school district Gwinnett County Schools have reported 260 employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 or were exposed to a case
These employees have been 'excluded' from work as a result, days before the school year start on August 12. The district, which employs more than 24,900 people, decided to open schools with remote learning but teachers must still report to their schools to teach
However, teachers have reported that in-person trainings have taken place in rooms that aren't properly disinfected and people don't wear masks
Gwinnett County has the second highest rate of COIVD-19 cases in the state with 17,781 confirmed infections
3rd Aug 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Aug 2020
View this newsletter in full'We don't feel pressure to go back': England's firms in no hurry to resume office life
From this week, companies in England can decide whether it is safe for employees to go back to the office after the coronavirus lockdown prompted more people to work from home. However, few businesses appear to be preparing for a mass return to desks, meeting rooms and cafeterias on Monday. Here are the views of some firms on the notion of resuming office life.
3rd Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Remote Work Isn’t Going Away. So Let’s Deal With the Obstacles.
Six months into the Covid crisis, remote work is no longer looking like a blip in the lives of millions of people, but rather a long-term realignment of how those workers and their organizations operate. It’s time for people working from home to assert more control over how that transformation is reshaping their lives and careers.
2nd Aug 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Millions won't return to offices as Boris Johnson's 'back to work' plea snubbed
Millions of employees won’t be returning to the office anytime soon after bosses snubbed Boris Johnson’s “back to work” plea. Firms can now ask workers to come into the office, even if it is not absolutely necessary for them to be there. Announcing the change earlier this month, the Prime Minister said: “It’s very important that people should be going back to work if they can now.” The move, from Saturday, comes amid fears for cafes and shops in city centres deserted since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.
2nd Aug 2020 - Mirror Online
Remote Work Is Here to Stay. Bosses Better Adjust.
It was mid-June, three months after the Covid-19 crisis had forced the top executives in a fast-growing tech startup to leave their offices and work from home. Executives had believed this “work from home thing” would last a few weeks, one of the company’s vice presidents told me, so they treated it like a brief emergency that required all hands on deck, all the time. It was only when the vice president sent an email at midnight and got detailed comments from two colleagues within 15 minutes that he realized: This work from home thing wasn’t going away anytime soon, and things needed to change.
2nd Aug 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Culture is the key to remote working success
How can companies reduce the conduct risks around remote working? While the technological revolution in the workplace has made the idea of remote working a reality for many, the complex governance and control requirements for businesses regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority have meant financial services has traditionally been slow to adopt this growing trend. But cue the Covid-19 crisis and, all of a sudden, this new way of working has been imposed on us all. And with some companies already eyeing up the potential cost savings of a permanent shift from their plush headquarters to smaller satellite bases, this could signal the end of office life as we know it.
31st Jul 2020 - FT Adviser
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullWant To Live And Work In Paradise? 7 Countries Inviting Americans To Move Abroad
Back in the good-old pre-pandemic days, many people fantasized about becoming a digital nomad and quitting their 9-to-5 office job in order to live and work remotely in a dreamy international destination. Now, for most workers, being a digital nomad is no longer a luxury, but rather, a requirement of the job. Before the coronavirus took hold, only around 7% of US employees regularly worked remotely. These days, at least two-thirds of Americans are working from home, according to Gallup research—and many don’t ever want to go back to the old ways of doing business.
31st Jul 2020 - Forbes
300 council staff still working from home
Just over 300 Fermanagh and Omagh District Council staff are continuing to work remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Figures released by the council show that while 308 people are working from home, there are 304 staff members continuing their employment as usual on site. Significantly, the number of staff who have been furloughed has decreased. In May the council announced that 200 staff had been placed under the British Government’s Job Retention Scheme. But that figure has since been reduced and currently stands at around 169. Director of corporate services and governance, Celine McCartan, told a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee that the numbers had marginally changed.
30th Jul 2020 - The Ulster Herald
Puget Sound government employees to work remotely until 2021 due to virus
Officials say many local government employees around the Puget Sound area will work from home until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Seattle Times reports leaders of several local cities, counties and ports “are taking a united approach to slow the spread of COVID-19 and maximize physical distancing by extending teleworking for eligible employees until 2021.” Among the jurisdictions allowing employees to work from home are King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, the cities of Everett, Kenmore, Redmond, Seattle, Shoreline and Tacoma, and the ports of Seattle and Everett
30th Jul 2020 - KOMO News
Coronavirus: Why some people want to keep working from home
Bedrooms, kitchen counter-tops and dining tables became the new way of working for millions of people. According to the ONS, 30% of adults in the UK were exclusively working from home at the start of July. From 1 August, employers in England can allow staff back into offices at their own discretion when they feel it's safe to do so. But now it's time to return to those communal workplaces, research from Eskenzi suggests that 91% of the UK's office workers would like to work from home at least part of the time. So why are so many office staff keen to keep working from home?
30th Jul 2020 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow to keep remote workers engaged and happy
With lockdown restrictions easing in the UK, many workers will finally be returning to the workplace after months of working from home. For some, working remotely has been a challenge. Few people have a home office and have had to make do with working on the sofa or hunched over the kitchen table. Parents have had to juggle homeschooling with Zoom meetings, and lots of us have had to get used to spending all our time with partners and housemates. For others, though, home-working has been a welcome change from the stress of commuting to the office. And while some people can’t wait to return, many people hope that they will be offered the option of flexible working post-COVID-19. According to research by CIPD, employers expect the proportion of people working from home on a regular basis to increase to 37% after the pandemic, compared to 18% before.
30th Jul 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Coronavirus: Office workers in no hurry to get feet under desks
More than half of office workers will continue to work from home for the rest of the summer despite the government’s efforts to get them to return. A survey of 94 of Britain’s biggest employers found half planned to keep all staff working remotely for the next few months, while a fifth planned to bring staff back to the office only on a part-time basis. About a fifth planned to bring staff back full time.
30th Jul 2020 - The Times
Remote working – the new ‘norm’?
Covid-19 imposed remote working on employers and employees with little time to prepare. However, a number of organisations are now actively embracing remote working and the benefits it can bring – with large companies such as Fujitsu, Twitter, Google and Facebook all extending their work from home options. Siemens, is the latest company to announce that employees may work from wherever they want for two or three days a week, stating that ‘COVID-19 gives us a chance to reshape our world and reimagine work’.
29th Jul 2020 - HR News
Government employees to work remotely until 2021 due to virus
Officials say many local government employees around the Puget Sound area will work from home until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Seattle Times reports leaders of several local cities, counties and ports “are taking a united approach to slow the spread of COVID-19 and maximize physical distancing by extending teleworking for eligible employees until 2021.”
29th Jul 2020 - KOMO News
Study: How Americans Feel About Returning To Work During Covid-19
JDP recently surveyed 2,000 Americans about their feelings on returning to work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Between June 12 – June 16, 2020, JDP polled 2,038 Americans who typically work in an office of some sort, but have been working remote because of the pandemic. Respondents were 49% female, 51% male and ranged in age from 22 to 66 years old. Here's what the JDP 2020 Back to Work Survey found:
29th Jul 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote work and office life go hand in hand in a flexible future
The experience of remote work during the lockdown has focussed attention on the new role of the office, a new report claims
29th Jul 2020 - Workplace Insight
Siemens is allowing employees to work more from home
Siemens have given their employees the opportunity to work remotely for two or three days a week. The decision was made after the company was forced to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.The changes have been associated with a different leadership style that focuses on outcomes oppose to time spent at the office.
28th Jul 2020 - World Economic Forum
Scotiabank to allow most head office employees to work remotely until 2021
Bank of Nova Scotia said on Tuesday that it has asked most of its employees in its head office to continue to work remotely until 2021 with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing companies to adopt work from home globally. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has also said that while it is likely it will have a small number of people returning to office, most of its employees will continue to work remotely for an “extended period of time”. The pandemic has led to strict lockdowns in most countries and changed the way businesses function, with work-from-home emerging as the new norm.
28th Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullGoogle will keep employees working remotely until July 2021
Google plans to keep 200,000 full-time and contract employees working remotely until at least July 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported. Other tech firms have announced long-term plans to keep employees working from home due to restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic, but Google would be the first to extend remote working into the middle of next year. According to the WSJ, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google parent company Alphabet, made the call last week following a meeting with top company executives. A Google spokesperson told The Verge that Pichai sent an email to employees this morning announcing the plan: “To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don’t need to be in the office.”
27th Jul 2020 - The Verge
Siemens Says That 140,000 Of Its Employees Can Work From Anywhere
German-based Siemens, the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe, announced that its employees may work from wherever they want for two or three days a week. The company’s decision is yet another strong endorsement of the work-from-home and work-remotely-anywhere movement. Siemens has around 385,000 employees in more than 200 countries. The work-anywhere— several days a week—decision was due to a global staff survey, in which employees desired greater flexibility in their approach to work.
27th Jul 2020 - Forbes
Upsides for Some Remote Workers; Lost Pay and Security for Others
Working from home creates economic winners and losers. It can benefit highly skilled employees but depress others’ wages and make it hard to organize.
27th Jul 2020 - The New York Times
Remote work travel: These 4 countries accept Americans for remote-work trips
The pandemic has proved challenging for digital nomads, people who travel the world working remotely. With countries closing their borders and air travel heavily restricted, working abroad has become extremely difficult if not totally impossible for Americans. And as some destinations begin to allow foreign visitors, travelers from the United States may still be banned because of the America’s escalating number of coronavirus cases. But there are exceptions. While the State Department and health officials still recommend Americans avoid all international travel, some countries are welcoming working travelers, including Americans, back again despite the pandemic’s continuing spread.
27th Jul 2020 - Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus turns the City into a ghost town
While the government guidance comes into effect this week, most executives are sticking to their policies of gradually restoring office numbers. Many companies will start bringing back a skeleton-staff in September or October, but others do not plan to return until 2021 at the earliest. Coronavirus is threatening to permanently transform the traditional workplace and with it London’s semi-autonomous financial centre, which traces its roots back to 1376. Many of the executives who spoke to the Financial Times said some staff would not return at all given the success of homeworking during the lockdown.
27th Jul 2020 - Financial Times
The Coronavirus Turns Midtown Into a Ghost Town, Causing an Economic Crisis
Editors and account managers at the Time & Life Building in Midtown Manhattan could once walk out through the modernist lobby and into a thriving ecosystem that existed in support of the offices above. They could shop for designer shirts or shoes, slide into a steakhouse corner booth for lunch and then return to their desks without ever crossing the street. To approach this block today is like visiting a relative in the hospital. The building, rebranded a few years ago and renovated to fit 8,000 workers, now has just 500 a day showing up. The steakhouse dining rooms are dark.
26th Jul 2020 - The New York Times
Risk of ‘unrest’ if civil servants are forced into hasty return to office
Boris Johnson’s hopes of getting people to return to work from 1 August are in serious doubt as the UK’s biggest civil service union warns of “serious industrial unrest” if public servants across the country are pushed to return to their offices too early. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which has 200,000 members, has reacted furiously after being told at a private meeting in Downing Street on Thursday that the Cabinet Office’s permanent secretary, Alex Chisholm, has written to all Whitehall departments, asking them to report back on how they could get more people to return as early as next month.
26th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: What would working from home in Barbados really be like?
That could be a real prospect under a new scheme launched by the government of Barbados. The Barbados Welcome Stamp, which has just started taking applications, gives international visitors the opportunity to work remotely on the island for up to a year. Palm trees, sun, and blue skies sound like a dream to many, but even stunning locations have their pros and cons, especially during a pandemic. So what can remote workers expect if they take up the tempting offer?
26th Jul 2020 - BBC News
With Coronavirus Still Prevalent, How Will People Return To The Office?
The prominent consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) published the results of a recent survey of more than 1000 American workers. According to the results, “Fewer than half (47%) of employees who were forced to stop working or work remotely say safety measures like wearing masks or reconfiguring layouts to promote physical distancing will make them more comfortable returning to the office. Only 45% say requiring customers to follow safety and hygiene practices will make them more comfortable. Even mandatory testing, like temperature checks before allowing people on-site, doesn’t inspire confidence.” These results indicate an already prevalent sentiment across the country (and likely across the world): workers are significantly worried about their safety, especially when exploring the idea of venturing back into the office.
26th Jul 2020 - Forbes
Op-ed: More companies will offer remote work at price of staff position. Take the deal
With the sudden, massive shift to remote work to stop the spread of the pandemic over the past few months, companies have found that working from home actually works: A recent study concluded that up to 40% of all jobs can be performed at home, while before the pandemic, it’s estimated that only 3% actually could be done remotely.
25th Jul 2020 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullOne third of UK workers 'reluctant to return' to offices post-lockdown
Employee research from e-days, the absence management company used by companies like ASOS and Monster Energy, has revealed that one third of employees are ‘reluctant to return’ to offices as lockdown eases in the UK. A survey of UK workers showed that 60% were reluctant or unsure about returning to the office on grounds of safety. Just over a third felt they were ready to go back to their offices.
23rd Jul 2020 - RealWire
Remote university teaching during COVID-19 can work — I can prove it
In the autumn, students across the world will be learning remotely as Coronavirus forces universities to close campuses. Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker has been teaching 80 students, holed up from Beijing to Illinois, since June. Working under pressure, he and his colleagues had to work out how they could deliver their informal, interactive teaching to people on opposite sides of the planet. Here's how they made it work.
23rd Jul 2020 - Business Insider
The Economics of Remote Work
As the pandemic leads more companies to embrace remote workers, new jobs data explores how a farther-flung workforce expands opportunity.
23rd Jul 2020 - Bloomberg
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus Scotland: Sturgeon urges Scots to continue to work from home despite UK advice to return to
Nicola Sturgeon has urged Scots to continue to work from home where possible despite the UK government allowing workers back into offices. Westminster has told employees who have been working remotely they CAN start to return to their workplaces. She told today's coronavirus briefing: "I want to underline that we are making changes at a pace and a level that we think is right and safe for our current circumstances here in Scotland. "Announcements made for other parts of the UK do not automatically apply here.
22nd Jul 2020 - The Scottish Sun
Should remote workers' salaries differ based on their location?
Earlier this year, Facebook (FB) made two major announcements. The first was that the social media giant would permanently embrace remote hiring, with around half of its workforce expected to work remotely over the next five to 10 years. Secondly, how much it will pay its remote workers depends on where they are located. “Our policy here has been for years — is already — that [compensation] varies by location,” Mark Zuckerberg said. “We pay a market rate, and that varies by location. We're going to continue that principle here.” Senior employees or those with strong performance reviews will be able to request remote work and relocate away from Facebook’s Silicon Valley base. In other words, they will be able to move from the hyper-expensive Bay Area to the Midwest — but it will come with a pay cut.
22nd Jul 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullTaking positive steps towards a remote working future - a third sector exemplar
Remote working may have been forced on companies by the pandemic, but for many may now become a permanent part of their work environment. One third sector organization was beginning to make the shift when COVID-19 struck and accelerated its thinking. Positive Steps is a charity operating in both Rochdale and Oldham in the North of England. It specialises in delivering targeted advice, support and services to young people, adults and families on a wide range of issues they face, from help making the transition from school to further education through careers guidance and on.to giving support to individuals and families with drugs, parenting or housing problems.
21st Jul 2020 - Diginomica
'Zoom-mania' is here to stay as staff embrace remote work
According to the report, seven in ten UK employees believe that, with the right tech, they can be more productive at home. Further, the Covid-19 experience has made the workforce a lot more comfortable with video calls, suggesting the popularity of Zoom and similar platforms will endure.
21st Jul 2020 - IT Pro Portal
Work from home: More companies are letting new hires work anywhere permanently amid COVID-19 pandemic
Rasha Uthman was hunting for a public relations job that let her work from her parents’ South Miami home as they struggled with family health issues, but few, if any, local companies in her field were open to telecommuting. Insivia, a Cleveland-based consulting and marketing firm for the technology industry, was willing to hire a PR and marketing specialist anywhere in the country after shifting to a remote work set-up during the coronavirus pandemic. Since June, Uthman has been working for Insivia full-time from her childhood bedroom, about 1,240 miles from the company’s headquarters. “Insivia has been so understanding of my situation,” says Uthman, 36. “I love the flexibility.”
21st Jul 2020 - USA TODAY
Covid-19: RBS asks majority of workers to work remotely until 2021
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has told its staff that majority of workers can continue to work remotely until 2021. The move comes despite the government withdrawing an official guidance that encouraged people to work from home. RBS has decided to extend the option to work from home for around 50,000 employees to 2021, Reuters reported citing an internal memo.
21st Jul 2020 - Verdict
Georgia is welcoming long-term visitors who are interested in working remotely from the country - Insider
The country of Georgia recently announced a new visa program targeted at self-employed, remote workers. The program is designed for visitors who are interested in staying in Georgia for longer than six months. Those interested will need to fill out an online application and obtain confirmation documents beforehand. Georgia's Ministry of Economy has yet to launch the online application.
21st Jul 2020 - INSIDER
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullWork-From-Home Culture Will Cut Billions of Miles of Driving
Working from home and online shopping have become the new normal and that will reduce driving in the U.S. by up to 270 billion miles a year, according to new study.
The research conducted by consultant KPMG International finds the cocoon culture Covid-19 has created is not going away -- even if a vaccine is made widely available -- and that will have potentially dire consequences for the auto industry. For starters, the decline in commuting will remove 14 million cars from U.S. roads, the KPMG study forecasts.
15th Jul 2020 - Bloomberg
One in three office workers want to continue working from home after coronavirus threat is over
The study showed a demand for more flexible working, up from a tenth in 2019
The survey found 32% of people expecting to at least partially work from home
It comes as Boris Johnson on Friday urged Brits back to deserted High Streets
20th Jul 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in full95% Saudi, UAE business leaders comfortable — but not fully prepared — for shift to remote work: Study
As organizations address the pressing need to adapt workforce models for the ‘new normal’, almost all (95%) business leaders in Saudi Arabia and the UAE state that they are comfortable with the broad scale shift toward remote work. Whilst there’s been digital investment in the region during the last few years, according to the Riverbed Future of Work Global Survey 2020, over two-thirds (68%) of Saudi and UAE organizations were not completely prepared to support remote working when the COVID-19 pandemic began. “Businesses had already been accommodating more remote workers the past several years, but COVID-19 is accelerating this, and the office of the future will clearly look very different with a more flexible and hybrid workplace,” said Rich McBee, president and CEO of Riverbed. “This new study shows that business leaders are now much more comfortable with their teams working remote, however organizations must have the right technology in place to ensure greater productivity and a better remote experience as employees increasingly work from anywhere.”
20th Jul 2020 - AlKhaleej Today
How the COVID-19 crisis is reshaping remote working | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal
The COVID-19 crisis has necessitated a rise in remote working, but many challenges to its broader adoption remain. This column uses survey data from thousands of small businesses representing a wide set of industries, firm sizes, and regions across the US to understand how businesses are adjusting to the crisis. It finds that transition to remote working is uneven, with businesses in industries with higher income and better educated employees more likely to transition to remote working. Productivity effects are also uneven, with many firms becoming less productive as a result of the transition.
19th Jul 2020 - voxeu.org
COVID-19 and the city: How pandemics could break up our metropolises
From the temporary breakdown of global supply chains to the emptying of once-bustling city streets, COVID-19 hugely changed the way we navigate our urban environments – and not just in the short term. With the coronavirus set to reshape the urban landscape for decades to come, CGTN Europe takes a deep dive into the powerful potential of disease to mold our metropolises – past, present, and future – in a four-part series about the impact of COVID-19 on cities.
19th Jul 2020 - CGTN
Coronavirus means council staff told they will be working from home into 2021
The bulk of staff at Norfolk County Council have been told that they will not be returning to their offices for work this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Council bosses said the 7,000-plus non-school staff employed by the authority, the majority of whom have been working from home since lockdown at the end of March, will continue to do so. In the past week, only about 900 staff have worked from a council building, such as the authority’s County Hall headquarters in Norwich, at some point in those seven days.
17th Jul 2020 - EDP 24
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullSteve Jobs predicted the power of a remote workforce 30 years before COVID-19
Twenty years before he succumbed to pancreatic cancer, and 30 years before the coronavirus pandemic, the Apple magnate predicted the value of telework.
In a recently uncovered sit down with journalist Jon Erlichman that took place in 1990, Jobs championed the potential of a digital labor market. In his estimation, an organization that can function in a virtual setting is more flexible in the face of black swan hiccups.
16th Jul 2020 - Ladders
For Wealthy West Coasters, Working Remotely Means Home Can Be Anywhere
16th Jul 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Thousands of city employees will work remotely through end of the year — at least
Thousands of municipal employees will continue to work from home at least through Dec. 31 due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in Bexar County, city of San Antonio officials said. The decision effects more than 2,100 positions — nearly 20% of the city’s workforce. The city developed a four-phase return-to-work plan that’s guiding its decisions. City Manager Erik Walsh shared that plan with the mayor and City Council members in late May, and most of the indicators affecting a return to work are trending in the wrong direction.
16th Jul 2020 - San Antonio Business Journal
37% of employees will work from home regularly
The number of employees working from home on a regular basis will increase to 37%, compared to 18% before the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, according to research by Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Its survey of 1,046 employers also found that respondents expect almost a quarter (22%) of employees to work from home permanently, compared to 9% before the pandemic.
More than one-quarter (28%) of respondents believe that working remotely increases their productivity, compared to the same percentage who believe this decreases productivity. Just over one-third (37%) believe that working remotely has not had any effect on productivity levels whatsoever.
16th Jul 2020 - Employee Benefits
The Economic Effects of Working From Home
Buyers are looking for second homes where they can comfortably camp out for months, and in some cases, forever. They are not just driven by fear of an extended pandemic. As many firms—especially tech companies—embrace remote working, people are taking the opportunity to untether from astronomically priced cities and get more space, scenery, and quiet. “I think what you’re seeing in the Bay Area is a lot of people are tied to it because of work,” said Mr. Cooley, 40, who works in software. “You can work from anywhere right now, and I don’t think that’s going to change.”
16th Jul 2020 - Council on Foreign Relations
Why WFH Isn't Necessarily Good for Women
It’s tempting to think that such flexible work options will be a big equalizer for women. Many are daring to hope that by removing the stigma attached to WFH, and by cutting commuting time and the insidious “face time” norms that can add hours to the workday, women can maintain full-time jobs and avoid losing traction in their careers during their caregiving years. There is some evidence on which to base this dream of a better future — studies have shown that flexibility allows mothers to maintain their working hours after childbirth and to stay in relatively stressful yet well-paying occupations through times of high family demand. But before we declare victory, we need to consider three potential trip wires.
16th Jul 2020 - Harvard Business Review
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullFour Tips for Call Centers to Embrace Long-Term Remote Work Productively
After months of wide-spread lockdowns in response to the novel Coronavirus, many countries and companies are beginning to lift restrictions. As this process begins, it’s clear that many things will look different than before the pandemic. This is especially true for the workplace, where many people are expected to work from home indefinitely. In a call center environment where employees work in tight spaces using shared equipment, the need to facilitate a new normal will be especially noteworthy.
Research into the implications for call center employees produced grim results, prompting Paul Stockford, research director for the National Association of Call Centers, to implore call centers to “get your agents home immediately.”
15th Jul 2020 - CustomerThink
COVID-19: How long will working from home last?
COVID-19 has triggered a new age of remote working. A survey by UK startup network Founders Forum looks at the trend and shows what employers and employees think about working from home. A realistic post-pandemic work scenario could involve 3 to 5 days of remote work a week, with a couple dedicated in-office days for the entire team. The majority of respondents had seen their working hours increase during this time, with opinion split on whether it's more or less productive.
15th Jul 2020 - World Economic Forum
82 per cent of Companies to let Employees Work Remotely for the time being: Gartner
The figures are contained in a Gartner survey from early June of 127 company leaders, representing HR, Legal and Compliance, Finance and Real Estate.
For many organisations with employees working both onsite and remotely, adapting to a new, more complex hybrid workforce is the challenge to how people work together to get their job done evolves. According to Gartner VP research and advisory for Asia Pacific, Aaron McEwan, “The question now facing Australian organisations is not how to manage a remote workforce, but how to manage a more complex, hybrid workforce.” “Australia led the way with flexible working. More than five years on, Telstra’s All Roles Flex approach still stands as a best practice example that others have followed,” he said.
15th Jul 2020 - Which-50
Barbados wants you to work from its beaches during the pandemic
But even as the pandemic continues to rage, the government of Barbados, a country in the eastern Caribbean, is sending a very different message: Come here, not just for a holiday, but for up to a year. Bring your laptop. Soak up the sun, the sea, the sand — and forget about the coronavirus.
15th Jul 2020 - The Washington Post
IMF: 100 million people unable to do their jobs remotely
COVID-19 has forced tens of millions of workers to lose their jobs and millions more out of the labor force altogether. The IMF has investigated the feasibility of working from home in a large sample of advanced and emerging market economies. It estimates that nearly 100 million workers in 35 advanced and emerging countries could be at high risk because they are unable to do their jobs remotely. Workers in food and accommodation, and wholesale and retail trade, are the hardest hit for having the least “teleworkable” jobs.
15th Jul 2020 - World Economic Forum
Will the remote work craze sparked by COVID-19 sound a death knell for office buildings?
Elliott Holt was always firmly opposed to letting employees work from home. “There’s no control over it,” says the CEO of a Nashville-based medical records company. “We like to be in control.” With MediCopy growing at breakneck speed, its work-in-the office ethos spelled a feverish expansion of its physical presence in Nashville. After adding a second office two years ago, the firm was poised to lease a third last month. But since the coronavirus pandemic has forced nearly all of MediCopy's 200 employees to work from home, Holt has had an abrupt change of heart. He says he’ll let staffers continue to telecommute for the long term, prompting him to relinquish both of the additional offices, convert his headquarters into a training center, and save $350,000 a year in leasing costs.
14th Jul 2020 - The Oklahoman
Banks back to work-from-home as Hong Kong sees third wave of coronavirus
After serving as a test run globally for how to return to the office safely, banks in Hong Kong reinstated work-from-home arrangements for many of their staff this week as a “third wave” of coronavirus cases hit the city. HSBC, the biggest of three banks authorised to issue currency in the city, “strongly encouraged” its staff to work remotely beginning on Wednesday until further notice, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions. “To support flexible working, employees who must work from HSBC premises should discuss working arrangements, including staggered arrival and lunch times, with their line manager,” HSBC said in a memo late on Tuesday.
15th Jul 2020 - South China Morning Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullHave work, will travel: Why Estonia wants digital nomads
Tiny Estonia is wielding an unlikely weapon in the fight against the economic damage caused by coronavirus: immigration law. On Wednesday, the Baltic state will launch a “Digital Nomad Visa,” which it hopes will help it recover from an expected recession and boost its growing credentials as a bureaucratic innovator.
15th Jul 2020 - POLITICO
Employers to allow staff to continue working remotely - Gartner
The majority of employers plan to allow their staff to continue working remotely some of the time, according to new research from Gartner. A survey from the analyst firm found 82% of respondents intend to permit remote working some of the time as employees return to the workplace. For many organisations with employees working both onsite and remotely, adapting to a new, more complex hybrid workforce is the challenge as how people work together to get their job done evolves, Gartner says. Nearly half (47%) said they intend to allow employees to work remotely full time going forward. For some organisations, flex time will be the new norm as 43% of survey respondents reported they will grant employees flex days, while 42% will provide flex hours, “The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a huge experiment in widespread remote working,” says Elisabeth Joyce, vice president of advisory in the Gartner HR practice.
15th Jul 2020 - IT Brief Australia
Working from home can soon mean working in Barbados for up to a year
Those working remotely in the Covid-19 pandemic may soon be able to move the home office to Barbados, according to the Barbados Government Information Service. Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced at the reopening of a bar that the government will soon introduce a 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp for visitors working remotely, the government information service said earlier this month. Rapid testing is not readily available for the country in the coronavirus pandemic, which has made short-term travel to Barbados more difficult, Mottley said. The year-long invitation is Barbados' answer to the economic difficulties travel companies and tourist destinations are facing as people all over the world are encouraged to stay home and mitigate the virus' spread.
15th Jul 2020 - CNN
Potential for remote working across different places | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal
While working from home represents an opportunity to reduce the economic costs of lockdowns and social distancing measures, not all occupations are suitable for remote working. Even more importantly, the possibility for remote working is not the same across locations within countries. As shown by Dingel and Neiman (2020), the first authors to study how remote working can differ across locations in the US, a much larger share of employment is able to shift to remote mode in some places than in others, reducing the economic costs of lockdown more significantly in those regions. Our study (OECD 2020) assesses the potential of remote working within 27 EU countries, Switzerland, Turkey and the US. Overall, cities – especially capitals – have a higher share of employment that can potentially be done via teleworking than other places within the same countries. This share is, on average, 15 percentage points higher in the region with the highest potential for remote working than in the region with the lowest potential, reaching more than 20 percentage points in certain countries. The concentration of occupations that have a high remote working potential in some regions drives these large within-country differences.
14th Jul 2020 - voxeu.org
What It's Like To Start A New Job Remotely During A Pandemic
James is among a number of Washingtonians who are navigating starting a job remotely, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has kept many companies from returning to the office. These new employees are struggling to adapt to virtual work environments—making their first impressions via Zoom, trying to establish working relationships remotely, and dealing with video conferencing fatigue and tech glitches in workplaces they’re unaccustomed to.
14th Jul 2020 - DCist.com
More Canadians will be working from home post-pandemic, StatCan data suggests
New data from Statistics Canada suggests that more Canadians will be working from home once the COVID-19 pandemic is over as more employers report that their staff can effectively do their jobs remotely. The survey results released Tuesday found that nearly one-quarter of Canadian businesses expect that 10 per cent or more of their workforce will continue to telework or work remotely post-pandemic. According to Statistics Canada, businesses that expect their employees to continue working from home include the information and cultural industries sector (47 per cent) and the professional, scientific and technical services sector (44.5 per cent).
14th Jul 2020 - CTV News
Apple asks retail staff to work remotely as it shuts stores down again
Apple also shipping COVID-19 test kits to employees' homes, and told staff a full return to U.S. offices won't occur before the end of the year
14th Jul 2020 - Canada.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullBarbados Wants You to Work Remotely from the Beach—for a Year
The island announced potential plans earlier this month to introduce a 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp to reignite its economy dependent on tourism. Though travel to the island did not previously require visas for U.S. citizens, travelers were able to stay in Barbados for up to six months without a tourist or work visa. This stamp would grant access to remain on the island for up to a year and give anyone with the stamp the ability to work remotely for their employer, regardless of where that company is based.
13th Jul 2020 - HarpersBAZAAR.com
Will the remote work craze sparked by COVID-19 sound a death knell for office buildings?
Elliott Holt was always firmly opposed to letting employees work from home. “There’s no control over it,” says the CEO of a Nashville-based medical records company. “We like to be in control.” With MediCopy growing at breakneck speed, its work-in-the office ethos spelled a feverish expansion of its physical presence in Nashville. After adding a second office two years ago, the firm was poised to lease a third last month. But since the coronavirus pandemic has forced nearly all of MediCopy's 200 employees to work from home, Holt has had an abrupt change of heart. He says he’ll let staffers continue to telecommute for the long term, prompting him to relinquish both of the additional offices, convert his headquarters into a training center, and save $350,000 a year in leasing costs. “Things are working the way they are,” he says.
13th Jul 2020 - USA TODAY
This works best: Bengalureans are moving out of the city to work remotely in the lap of nature
13th Jul 2020 - Bangalore Mirror
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullCorporations begin cautious return to UK offices after lockdown
After months of Zoom video calls, a number of major businesses are getting ready for a return to (relative) normality. Last week accountancy firm PwC reopened all of its UK offices, while its competitor Deloitte began to allow staff back to some sites in the capital and other regional cities, and employees of law firm Slaughter and May were once again able to opt to work from its London headquarters.
12th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
University professors fear returning to campus as coronavirus cases surge nationwide
As coronavirus cases start to surge in more than 30 states across the U.S., some professors are pushing back when it comes to returning to campus for in-person teaching. More than 50% of colleges and universities have announced they will be hosting professors or students back on campus in the next few months, per data tracked by the Chronicle of Higher Education. NBC News’ Social Newsgathering team spoke to professors at various colleges who expressed fears of physically returning back to work. “There’s a tremendous amount of insecurity and a tremendous amount of anxiety,” Crary said.
12th Jul 2020 - NBC News
Covid impact: Professionals who can work from home are ditching the uncongenial cities
When the novel coronavirus pandemic began making its presence felt in India and the first lockdown was announced in March, Vinitha (surname withheld on request) thought she and her husband could comfortably ride out the crisis in their Bengaluru apartment. After all, work from home was an option for her, a researcher in a private firm, and her husband, a software engineer. Besides, unlike in other big metros, the situation seemed to be under control in Bengaluru —even at the end of May, there were less than 400 cases in the city of over 1.2 crore.
12th Jul 2020 - Economic Times
With remote working on the rise, people are moving to the coast as sales surge by the seaside
Estate agents are reporting a surge in demand for seaside properties from workers eager to escape city life, with many believing the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a more permanent shift to home working. Britain has more than 11,000 miles of coastline and is home to a wide array of beaches and outstanding beauty spots.
As someone who moved from London to the coast last year, I can vouch for the benefits. Daily walks are taken parallel to the sea and on a hot day I can pop out for an ice cream in minutes. The chatter of seagulls is a constant refrain as I work from my desk at home. I have been even more grateful for the space and picturesque views during lockdown, which has meant I haven’t felt claustrophobic
10th Jul 2020 - iNews
Nearly half of employed in UK worked remotely in April 2020
In more evidence of how the coronavirus outbreak has changed the working habits of the nation, with millions adapting to doing their job from home over the past few months, a study for the UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) found that in April 2020, 46.6% of people in employment did some work at home, 86% of whom did so as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
10th Jul 2020 - ComputerWeekly.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe psychology of remote working
On September 13 2001, Penny Pullan was booked on a flight into New York City. A member of the new change team at Mars-Inc-owned ISI, she was supposed to be launching a global programme of business change. Of course, her plane never took off. Two days before, four hijacked commercial airliners crashed into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon building in Washington DC and a strip of Pennsylvania farmland. With the 9/11 terror attacks, the world changed in an instant, flights were grounded and Pullan found herself needing to adapt rapidly to an entirely new way of working in order to see her project through.
9th Jul 2020 - Management Today
Coronavirus in Ireland – Leo Varadkar shares snap of home office and says remote working has huge benefits if
Leo Varadkar has called on businesses to make remote working the "new normal" after sharing a snap of his home office. The Fine Gael boss said if working from home was rolled out properly it would have huge benefits and would allow parents to manage their personal and professional lives better.
9th Jul 2020 - The Irish Sun
The office isn’t dead yet, even if remote work keeps rising, says Moody’s
Building owners often also have 10-year fixed-rate mortgages, which over the past decade have been set at historically low rates, giving property owners more wiggle room to sort through the shocks of COVID-19. Those are key takeaways of a new report from credit-rating firm Moody’s Investors Service on the future of U.S. office space as a result of the pandemic, which sparked an abrupt need by many companies to set up their employees for remote work. In short: The modern office isn’t “dead” yet. But Moody’s does see “heightened risks more in major urban markets,” and in the unlikely event of “sea changes” in behavior by companies looking to eventually shed office space, “a meaningful credit impact” could occur, wrote a team led by senior credit officer Kevin Fagan, in a report released late Thursday.
9th Jul 2020 - MarketWatch
Nearly half of German firms to allow working from home after coronavirus crisis
Spurred by the coronavirus crisis, an increasingly large number of German companies are open to - and allowing - working from home, according to a new study. A total of 42 percent of German companies said they will allow employees to work from home following the coronavirus crisis, with an equally large percentage still undecided. Researchers from the Stuttgart-based Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) and the German Association for Personnel Management surveyed around 500 German companies from May 5th to 22nd to obtain an overview of the situation, which they published on Thursday.
9th Jul 2020 - The Local Germany
As the weather gets hotter, Spain’s remote workers move to the beach
The coronavirus crisis has normalized teleworking in Spain. Now, as the temperature begins to rise, many workers have begun looking for a place to take refuge from the July heat, where they can continue to work remotely. Almost all, regardless of the sector, have become used to virtual meetings, to organizing their work and personal life in the same space, and to reporting over the telephone. When bosses and employees were sent home due to the coronavirus pandemic, many began to look for a new home office with views of the beach or the mountain.
“We are seeing a huge demand in portable Wi-Fi devices these last few weeks, coinciding with trips to holiday homes,” says Miguel Moral, the managing director and co-founder of WifiAway, a company that has been providing portable internet services since 2016.
9th Jul 2020 - EL PAÍS in English
Public consultation on guidelines for remote working
The Government will today launch a public consultation process on guidelines for remote working, which has increased significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The guidelines are intended to address issues arising from remote working, including health and safety, employment rights and data protection. Since the pandemic struck earlier this year, the world of work has changed dramatically, with thousands of workers now operating from home.
9th Jul 2020 - RTE.ie
Coronavirus: One in five Brits would take a 7% pay cut to keep working from home
9th Jul 2020 - YAHOO!
How will our experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic shape the future of remote learning?
Over the next few months, universities and business schools will be consulting with staff about what comes next as individual safely is of paramount concern. However, many have already recognised that the challenges presented during lockdown are similar to those facing educational bodies in the near future: a need for more remote interaction to accommodate both the impact of Covid-19 and the rising number of international students and mid-career professionals pursuing distance learning courses. Teaching organisations are also acknowledging that quickly advancing technologies, with the power to create compelling virtual teaching environments, now have the ability to deliver targeted learning opportunities to far wider audiences around the world where specialist tutors may have ordinarily been inaccessible or in short supply, creating valuable new revenue streams.
9th Jul 2020 - FE News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullShould Leaders Allow Their Teams To Work From Home Post Coronavirus Crisis?
Not so fast, according to Mike Goleman, author of ‘Breakthrough Leadership Team’. With over thirty years of experience consulting, he has helped brands like Verizon, Disney, Polo Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Dillard’s, Liz Claiborne, and Levi Strauss. Although views on how productive we can be working from home have dramatically changed for the positive over the last few months, he worries many companies may overreact. While some companies can make it work, many companies are not ready for this shift, so let’s look at both sides of the argument.
8th Jul 2020 - Forbes
Op-ed: Why companies need to stay in 'emergency mode' during Phase two of remote work
Due to COVID-19, many organizations, both large and small, have now had their entire workforce working remotely for months. Now equipped with business continuity plans companies need to maintain this new ‘emergency mode’ for weeks and months to come, says Wendy M. Pfeiffer, CIO, Nutanix. Technologies such as Zoom, Slack, AI and machine learning have helped employees collaborate and remain productive.
8th Jul 2020 - CNBC
‘It’s been quite easy’: Insights from the heart of the remote working revolution
“We have 150,000 employees globally. So when [the lockdown] happened, we effectively switched on 95 per cent of our team members to virtual work from home environments. We had the technology enablers to help us to do that. Our employees have worked from time to time from home and have the technology to do it, so we rapidly switched to it.”
8th Jul 2020 - The Irish Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullA new wave of remote workers could bring lasting change to pricey rental markets
When the coronavirus spread around the world this spring, government-issued stay-at-home orders essentially forced a global social experiment on remote work.
Perhaps not surprisingly, people who are able to work from home generally like doing so. A recent survey from iOmetrics and Global Workplace Analytics on the work-from-home experience found that 68% of the 2,865 responses said they were “very successful working from home”, 76% want to continue working from home at least one day a week, and 16% don’t want to return to the office at all.
8th Jul 2020 - CityMetric
COVID-19 pivot: Lessons learned at Bloomberg
Six questions with Stig Sorensen, Head of Telemetry at Bloomberg - Q: Which pre-existing processes were in place to ensure that Bloomberg was prepared for near 100 percent work-from-home requirements?
7th Jul 2020 - The Enterprisers Project
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullTwo Thirds of UK Firms to Retain Remote Working Models Post Covid-19
A survey of 280 CHROs reveals more than two thirds (67%) of organisations plan to encourage employees to work remotely more often after lockdown, with 26% planning to significantly increase remote working. For most, the long-term plan is to introduce some form of dual working, where time is split between working from the office and an alternative location such as home, with 42% envisioning employees spending a minimum of two days per week out of the office. Just 7% of organisations expressed that remote working was not a feasible option.
7th Jul 2020 - Business News Wales
Spain – One in four feel they are unable to work remotely, Randstad finds
A quarter, or 23%, of professionals in Spain say they are unable to work remotely due to not having the technology or the knowledge to do so, according to research from Randstad Spain. Randstad’s data found this number was higher for women (26%) than for men (20%). Working remotely has become essential amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Among sectors, workers in the healthcare sector ranked the highest among those who said they are unable to do teleworking (34.3%), this was followed by the distribution sector (29.6%), food and chemical industries (28.6%), education (27.7%), administration (24.5%) and construction (23.1%). Four out of ten workers in Spain said their company is not providing them with the necessary technological equipment to carry out their work remotely.
6th Jul 2020 - Staffing Industry Analysts
Ferry port implements terminal operation system remotely
The new Tilbury2 freight terminal on the Thames has implemented an operating system from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), with the supplier carrying out all of its work remotely.
6th Jul 2020 - ComputerWeekly.com
The return of housecalls: How Covid-19 will change healthcare forever
Housecalls may not arrive in the form of a horse and buggy, but after experiencing the convenience and value of receiving care on the channel that they prefer and exactly when they need it, consumers will expect this level of care from here on out.
6th Jul 2020 - MedCity News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Fujitsu announces permanent work-from-home plan
Technology firm Fujitsu has said it will halve its office space in Japan as it adapts to the "new normal" of the coronavirus pandemic. It says the "Work Life Shift" programme will offer unprecedented flexibility to its 80,000 workers in the country. Staff will be able to work flexible hours, and working from home will be standard wherever possible. The announcement follows a similar move in May by social media platform Twitter. In a statement sent to the BBC, Fujitsu said it "will introduce a new way of working that promises a more empowering, productive, and creative experience for employees that will boost innovation and deliver new value to its customers and society".
6th Jul 2020 - BBC
Remote working is not going away: who wins and loses when workers stay home?
Australians have embraced remote working, and so have big businesses, but work-life balance for some is ‘a prison’ for others
5th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
The case for going all-in on remote work
I want to highlight a different option, one that’s received far less attention: going all-in on remote. InVision, where I’m the chief marketing officer, has been a fully remote company since its founding in 2011. (We call it “fully distributed.”) Our 700 employees are scattered from Seattle to Singapore with no offices anywhere, save for a smattering of coworking spaces, dinghies in a sea of home offices. The lack of a central office and the fact that the entire staff works from anywhere are defining traits of InVision, a digital product design and development software company.
5th Jul 2020 - Fortune
Get ready to say goodbye to 5-day work week; post-Covid future will be split between office and home
Most American office workers are in no hurry to return to the office full time, even after the coronavirus is under control. But that does not mean they want to work from home forever. The future for them, a variety of new data shows, is likely to be workweeks split between office and home. Recent surveys show that both employees and employers support this arrangement. And research suggests that a couple of days a week at each location is the magic number to cancel out the negatives of of each arrangement while reaping the benefits of both. “You should never be thinking about full time or zero time,” said Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University whose research has identified causal links between remote work and employee performance. “I’m a firm believer in post-COVID half time in the office.”
5th Jul 2020 - Economic Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullNew normal of remote working sees more than half of innovation budgets cut
Nearly one-fifth of tech executives have seen significant reductions in their innovation budgets because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the working remotely factor says report
2nd Jul 2020 - Computer Weekly
5 Amazing remote work practices during COVID-19
COVID-19 has pushed every professional into WFH. Try these 5 amazing remote work practices to elevate your work experience and be successful working remotely.
2nd Jul 2020 - Thrive Global
Is the Five-Day Office Week Over?
Most American office workers are in no hurry to return to the office full time, even after the coronavirus is under control. But that doesn’t mean they want to work from home forever. The future for them, a variety of new data shows, is likely to be workweeks split between office and home. Recent surveys show that both employees and employers support this arrangement. And research suggests that a couple of days a week at each location is the magic number to cancel out the negatives of each arrangement while reaping the benefits of both.
2nd Jul 2020 - The New York Times
Remote working gets a big boost, but... - News
It might be a startling figure but the fact that 80 per cent of the respondents in a survey conducted by global staffing firm Robert Half vote for working from home brings that option back to life. Their grounds for such a support is that they save time and money and are more productive. As salaries are pared and liquidity low the saving of money in commuting is a strong driver for not venturing out. It is also arguable that as many as two hours plus are lost waiting for, and in, transportation. That is almost 30 per cent of a work day. Also up for grabs is the productivity angle. The concentration in an office under supervision and with peers, subordinates and bosses should logically be higher. That such a vast majority feels otherwise needs more exploration to ensure it is not the sloth of dressing up, shaving, dong early morning 'before we go' chores so that we eliminate the possibility that this keenness to stay home is not motivated by laziness.
2nd Jul 2020 - Khaleej Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullHollywood must adapt to remote work or suffer the consequences
It’s challenging enough to film with traditional methods while social distancing. But for many studios, the virus has also made it difficult to make creative decisions before the shoot, such as casting, set, and costume design. The same goes for postproduction tasks. These are all highly collaborative processes involving hundreds of professionals—from editors to sound engineers, Foley artists, colorists, and more during the marketing and promotion stage right up to distribution. Last-minute editing or approval change in one small scene could impact every version of the trailer and movie poster that follows.
1st Jul 2020 - Fortune
How remote work risks a new digital jobs divide for minorities
Black and Hispanic students entering the workforce feel significantly less comfortable with remote jobs than White students, according to a recent survey.
Lack of space and limited access to technology are among the career challenges underrepresented minorities face. Young workers of color may permanently be left behind if digital inequality in the labor market is not addressed by employers.
1st Jul 2020 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullTeleworking tips for coping during COVID-19
If your office is closed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, you might be working from home for the first time. While teleworking can offer many benefits, teleworking during the pandemic poses unique challenges. Consider these tips for maintaining work-life balance and avoiding professional isolation while social distancing.
30th Jun 2020 - Tech Xplore
‘Death of the office’ exaggerated despite homeworking boom
30th Jun 2020 - Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullA snapshot of a new working-from-home economy | Stanford News
Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom discusses the societal impacts of a new “working-from-home economy” and the challenges posed by the massive transition to widespread remote work.
29th Jun 2020 - Stanford University News
COVID-19 Presents An Opportunity To Redesign Your Job For Good
In May of this year Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, announced that up to half of the company’s employees could be working remotely in five to 10 years, while Jack Dorsey went a step farther, giving Twitter and Square employees the option to work from home indefinitely. While physical workplaces are unlikely to disappear from Silicon Valley all together, these announcements represent a major move to creating a permanent remote workforce.
29th Jun 2020 - Forbes
Huge rise in jobseekers wanting to work remotely following lockdown
Survey of 1,100 professional workers found that women and younger people are most likely to want to work away from an office environment
29th Jun 2020 - Nottinghamshire Live
The Long, Unhappy History of Working From Home
Three months after the coronavirus pandemic shut down offices, corporate America has concluded that working from home is working out. Many employees will be tethered to Zoom and Slack for the rest of their careers, their commute accomplished in seconds.
29th Jun 2020 - The New York Times
Coronavirus: Three surprising jobs you can do from home
Many people have had to switch suddenly to working from home during the coronavirus outbreak because of lockdown conditions. Dougal Shaw has spoken to three people with jobs where face-to-face contact is usually seen as essential, but who have found working remotely to be surprisingly successful.
29th Jun 2020 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote work forever? 40% of managers considering staff home working 'beyond pandemic'
The study, from Hoxton Mix, indicates that attitude towards permanent remote work varies between industries. For example, more than 3 in 5 (64%) of respondents who work in the Sales, Media and Marketing industries agree that this would be a positive change, but only less than 1 in 5 (16% of workers in the Arts and Culture sector agree). Hoxton Mix surveyed over 1,000 Brits who are currently working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to reveal the perceptions on remote working in the future and how work-life balance has changed.
28th Jun 2020 - NetImperative
How AI can ensure your transition to remote work is equitable
We must move fast in the transition to the future of remote work. But not too fast, otherwise our journey to gender equity – and economic recovery – could take a turn for the worse. In the months leading up to COVID-19, women were driving a strong labour market. They held 50.04% of US jobs (excluding farm workers and the self-employed) and in a historic first, the number of highly-educated women in the workforce surpassed the number of highly-educated men – a milestone reflective of women’s overall rising educational attainment rates. With the onset of COVID-19, however, women’s participation in the paid labour market took a hit.
28th Jun 2020 - World Economic Forum
Coronavirus: Half of Brits say they are more productive working from home
28th Jun 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Why the home-working boom could tumble London's skyscrapers
“We were planning to move offices. We’d given notice just before the lockdown came in,” says Mike Hampson, chief executive of Bishopsgate. “When we started working remotely, we realised we were working very effectively as we were.” So, after a discussion with his 65 staff, he decided to give up the firm’s head office in the capital’s Square Mile financial district. The move will save the company hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, slicing a quarter off its annual costs. Employees will also benefit financially – with some saving thousands of pounds each in annual commuting bills. Hampson himself has been spending more than £5,000 a year commuting from Tonbridge in Kent.
27th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Teleworking Tips For Coping During COVID-19
If your office is closed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, you might be working from home for the first time. While teleworking can offer many benefits, teleworking during the pandemic poses unique challenges. Consider these tips for maintaining work-life balance and avoiding professional isolation while social distancing.
26th Jun 2020 - South Florida Reporter
COVID has shown Australian broadband can handle working from home: Dept of Comms
The question waiting to be answered is how many of the habits developed in the past few months would endure. "There's no reason to believe that people will go back, will necessarily stop taking telehealth consultations and ... there will be an increase in people's ability to, and interest in being able to, work remotely." During the early days of the pandemic, departmental officials said NBN saw an increase in uptake rate in regional areas. Currently, the uptake is sitting around 50% on the fixed wireless network, and between 20% and 25% in areas served by satellite. Users in these areas are not forced onto the NBN and maintain the ability to connect via ADSL thanks to their copper lines remaining in place. Speaking on Thursday to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19, Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone said the spike in telehealth usage seen during the pandemic was a long time coming. "Telehealth -- it was clearly one of the great revelations of COVID-19. It did show that telehealth does have a place in Australia's modern 21st century health system," he said.
26th Jun 2020 - ZDNet
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow the coronavirus pandemic will — and won't — transform work-from-home
26th Jun 2020 - Yahoo Money
‘Virtual training is the way of the future’
Online classrooms will become a permanent fixture in the delivery of pub training according to the head of training at Star Pub & Bars.
25th Jun 2020 - Morning Advertiser
The future of remote working
The outbreak of COVID-19 saw governments around the world ordering employers to let their staff work from home wherever it was possible to do so, but the swiftness of the imperative caught some companies unawares
25th Jun 2020 - The New Economy
The small US manufacturer’s Covid-19 mantra: control what you can
The uncertainty makes it impossible to craft long-term plans. Still, Mr Hoskins tries for patience, even as he acknowledges the situation is unnerving. “Every day I thank God that we aren’t where a lot of other people are,” he said. “All we can do is plan for the future and try not to make any huge pitfalls that you can avoid. But if you can’t control it, you can’t control it.”
25th Jun 2020 - Financial Times
Telecommuting exposes fault lines in COVID-19 economy
The COVID-19 crisis is not hitting all workers and sectors equally, and new research points to one reason for the imbalance. Industries whose workers were likely able to telecommute have been much better able to adapt to the challenges created by the pandemic — experiencing smaller declines in employment, stock market valuation, and projected revenues, according to the study.
25th Jun 2020 - MIT Sloan News
Dystopia or utopia? The future of cities could go either way
Cities are always changing, but rarely as fast as this huge experiment changing how we all live, for better or worse
25th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
An ETF called WFH offers new way to ride remote working trend
Working from home has become part of millions of people’s daily lives. Now it is also an investment strategy. Fund provider Direxion launched an exchange traded fund on Thursday using the ticker WFH, to tap into US-listed companies positioned to benefit from the mass move to remote working. The ETF tracks the Solactive Remote Work Index, which is made up of 40 equally weighted companies across four sectors — cloud technology, cyber security, remote communications and online document management.
25th Jun 2020 - The Financial Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullEight in 10 UAE residents will work remotely after Covid-19, says report
Seventy-nine per cent of people in the UAE are expecting to work remotely more often even after the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, and of those 63 per cent feel this will be permanent, according to a new survey that analysed the impact of the pandemic on work culture. Meanwhile, 85 per cent of those surveyed are currently working from home, compared to just 2 per cent before movement restrictions were introduced in March, US-based telecommunications firm Ciena, which commissioned market research company Opinium to conduct the survey last month, said. “The data overwhelmingly shows that the lines between our personal and professional lives are becoming increasingly blurred as we adapt to working from home more often,” Jamie Jefferies, Ciena's general manager and vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said.
25th Jun 2020 - The National Blogs
Two-thirds of UK adults to work remotely more often after Covid-19
Research commissioned by Ciena reveals how coronavirus pandemic will likely change UK internet usage, as increased use of online home working applications is complemented by commemorate rise in online education
25th Jun 2020 - ComputerWeekly.com
80% of organizations did not have a remote work program before COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic completely altered the way of work, changing the landscape for hiring and daily business operations, Mind Edge and Skye Learning found.
24th Jun 2020 - TechRepublic
Covid-19 sparks exodus of middle-class Londoners in search of the good life
The 2-metre rule may be about to be diluted in England, but job-hunters and home buyers are seeking a more profound form of social distancing post-lockdown by restarting their lives in less densely populated areas. A surge in the number of people looking for jobs outside London in the last two weeks has been mirrored by a spike in city dwellers looking for new homes in more isolated locations. The number of jobseekers wanting to get out of the capital has more than doubled in the last fortnight compared with the same period in 2019, according to the Escape the City careers advisory service. Meanwhile, the proportion of London buyers registering with estate agencies outside of the capital almost doubled in April.
24th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Lost in translation? Supporting emotional wellbeing while remote working
A sudden shift to remote working has seen the workforce adapt to new ways of communicating. However, human interaction is about more than just words. Some of these extra cues, like tone and non-verbal communication, are lost when we cannot speak face-to-face. For employees – especially new or junior team members – establishing meaning through in-person contact is crucial. When they rely on email alone, it can lead to crossed wires and confusion and, as a result, trigger stress and overworking. Plus, face-to-face communication has additional benefits, like allowing responsive conversations. When we’re unable to respond in real-time or ask questions, we feel anxious. Employees may worry about annoying colleagues by double-emailing or worry over unanswered questions.
24th Jun 2020 - theHRDIRECTOR
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhat the Dutch can teach the world about remote work
For some, remote working is just another day at the office. Thousands of workers in the Netherlands benefit from the country’s astonishingly flexible work culture. While the percentage of employed persons usually working remotely before the coronavirus outbreak lingered at around 4.7% in the UK, and 3.6% in the US, 14.1% of the Netherland’s workforce reports usually working away from the office. The Netherlands has long led the global shift toward remote work, with only Finland catching up in recent years while other countries lag behind.
23rd Jun 2020 - BBC News
Covid-19 has accelerated tech adoption across India, says Microsoft's Maheshwari
The covid-19 pandemic has made work-from-home the new normal for India's IT and technology firms. Microsoft India has transitioned to a virtual workplace for nearly all its operations and currently, only a small number of employees who perform essential services continue to be on-site at its offices. In an interview, Anant Maheshwari, president, Microsoft India spoke about helping build digital capabilities and the role of technology amid the covid-19 crisis
23rd Jun 2020 - Livemint
New Study: Nearly one-third of workers expect to work remotely full-time after the pandemic
Americans who've been working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic expect that remote work will continue to be a big part of their "new normal" after the crisis has passed, according to a national survey from edtech firm MindEdge/Skye Learning. The online survey, The State of Remote Work 2020: The Age of the Pandemic, of 828 remote workers and managers found that almost a third (29%) expect to remain working remotely full-time even after businesses resume "normal" operations. Another 27% expect to work remotely at least part-time – and only 35% expect to return to their old workplaces on a full-time basis.
23rd Jun 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
How Working Remotely Is Making Us More Creative
According to recent surveys, most workers and most CFOs want to make some measure of remote work a permanent reality. While business drivers like reduced overhead and digital transformation initiatives are certainly at play here, surveys like these and our recent global experiment in remote working also hint at the fact that our creativity actually increases when we work remotely.
23rd Jun 2020 - The HR Director Magazine
Paying Remote Workers to Relocate Gets a Pandemic-Era Boost
As jobs go remote due to coronavirus, several cities are doubling down on incentive programs to lure tech workers to work from home in a new location.
23rd Jun 2020 - Bloomberg
A Quarter Fewer Canadians Will Commute to Work After the COVID-19 Lockdown Lifts: New Survey
A new survey from Rates.ca found that COVID-19 is driving a lasting shift in Canadians’ commuting routines with a decline by 25 per cent of respondents (84 per cent compared to 63 per cent) stating they will travel to work post lockdown, whether in their own vehicle, taking public transit or carpooling. Representing a 13 per cent decline, slightly more than half (53 per cent) of respondents say they plan to drive to work in the future, a notable change from 61 per cent who did pre-COVID-19. When it comes to taking public transit to their jobs, the survey indicates a drop of 58 per cent (17 per cent to seven per cent) while 50 per cent fewer will carpool (six percent to three per cent).
23rd Jun 2020 - GlobeNewswire
Breakingviews - The looming war over working from home
For the hundreds of millions of office workers forced to participate in the world’s biggest telecommuting experiment, whatever enthusiasm they may have had is wearing off. Faster networks and processing speeds smoothed the experience compared to prior efforts, but there are bigger issues for companies and their staffs to consider as they start thinking about a post-pandemic era. More than 80% of employees expect to return to the office in the next 12 to 18 months, according to a Xerox survey of corporate tech decision makers released in June. Over half of the companies polled plan to move to hybrid home and office models and will boost IT spending to support the transition.
23rd Jun 2020 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCanada public servants will still work remotely even as offices reopen - minister
Some of Canada’s nearly 290,000 federal employees will gradually return to their offices as coronavirus restrictions ease, but many will keep working remotely, the president of the Treasury Board said on Monday. Government employees have been mostly working from home since mid-March when public health authorities shut down many businesses and offices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Now the 13 provinces and territories are slowly restarting as the contagion slows. “We can have a public service that can be working remotely while serving Canadians very efficiently,” Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos said in a news conference.
22nd Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Has COVID-19 Opened Up A New World Of Remote Work?
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to remote work as the digital world is finally at a stage where it can support technology like virtual meetings. The digital revolution that enabled telework and the upcoming roll out of 5G will also enable telerobotics and augmented/virtual reality which will increase the amount of automation globally. The increase in virtual and telepresence also has the potential to provide alternative development paths for emerging markets, away from a manufacturing-led growth model (like China) more to a service-led growth model (like India). These are just some of the findings of a new report published by Citi, A New World of Remote Work. The report, the fifth edition in the Citi GPS Technology at Work series, looks at how COVID 19 fast-forwarded existing trends and quantifies the possible impact of these trends on the future of work.
22nd Jun 2020 - Facility Executive Magazine
Permanent Work From Home Is Coming. Businesses, Workers See Benefits
Indefinite. Or even permanent. These are words companies are using about their employees working from home. It's three months into a huge, unplanned social experiment that suddenly transported the white-collar workplace from cubicles and offices to kitchens and spare bedrooms. And many employers now say the benefits of remote work outweigh the drawbacks. Nationwide CEO Kirt Walker says it's been a popular decision at the company. "Overwhelming. Hundreds of emails and cards and letters and phone calls. 'Thank you for doing this.' So I think we got it right," he says.
22nd Jun 2020 - NPR
Coronavirus: Most UK workers don't want to go back to offices
22nd Jun 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Most workers want 'hybrid' jobs at the office and at home after coronavirus, study finds
Instead of commuting every day, they would be happier to be in the office for only two or three days of a five-day working week. "I think what we're seeing is that people are going to be more thoughtful with when, where and how they choose to spend their time — with good reason: to be most effective in their role," said Chris Mattey, a partner at Boston Consulting Group. For those who can work from home, between 41 and 60 per cent surveyed revealed a preference that sees them doing two or three days a week from home. Respondents aged over 60 most favoured working remotely, pegging their preference at between 81 to 100 per cent of the time.
22nd Jun 2020 - ABC News
New Yorkers Can Now Go Back to Offices, but Many Won’t
Even as offices across New York City were allowed to welcome back employees on Monday for the first time in months, the number of those returning to work was far lower than the swarms that once jostled elbows on public transit and packed into high-rise elevators. With the coronavirus still a threat and businesses required to limit their capacity and ensure distance between workers, sidewalks that would typically be crammed were fairly empty. Subway cars also had relatively few riders for the start of the workweek, and parks in business districts were sparsely populated during the usual lunch rush. “I’m really surprised this is still this empty,” Jason Blankenship, an optometrist, said as he looked around a quiet Bryant Park. “I thought it would be more people than this for sure. I wonder if all these people from these offices will ever come back.”
22nd Jun 2020 - The New York Times
4-day work week with fewer hours, same pay could become a reality in some workplaces post-COVID-19
It's only been days since a small Nova Scotia municipality launched a four-day condensed work week pilot project, but according to the chief administrative officer, so far, so good. The nine-month project, developed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, allows the municipality's core employees to work the same number of hours over a period of four days, known to many as a compressed work week. "Our staff seem to be extra excited about the new work system," said Barry Carroll, Chief Administrative Officer for the Municipality of the District of Guysborough. "We had some minor adjustments to make, obviously, but otherwise it's been pretty seamless."
22nd Jun 2020 - CBC.ca
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow to request to continue working remotely after COVID-19
Our recent work-from-home report showed that two-thirds of folks who were forced to work remotely would prefer to be in the office. But that leaves the remaining one-third, who aren’t looking forward to coworkers who chew loudly and don’t understand the concept of inside voices. If you fall into that group, you might be considering asking your manager if you can continue to work remotely even once everyone else goes back to the office. Some companies, including tech giants such as Twitter, are adjusting their work-from-home policies. But others just won’t. If your company doesn’t plan on letting people continue to work remotely, you’ll have to ask.
21st Jun 2020 - Fast Company
More than one-third in Japan have worked remotely amid coronavirus pandemic: survey
A Japanese government survey has found 34.6 percent of respondents experienced teleworking due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Cabinet Office said Sunday. The survey also showed that many young residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area are interested in moving to other regions. In the Tokyo area, 55.5 percent of the respondents regularly or sporadically worked remotely. Regarding what should be done to further the spread of teleworking, many mentioned changes to staff meetings and decision making, digitization of documents and accelerated moves to paperless offices, as well as improvements in access to internal systems at companies.
21st Jun 2020 - The Japan Times
Older Americans face another pandemic risk: Most can't work remotely despite COVID-19
Mari Madlem says she has plenty of worries about going back to work during the coronavirus pandemic. But the 69-year-old from Portland, Oregon, doesn’t have the option of telecommuting since she works as a cosmetics saleswoman at an upscale department store. “I really have a lot of contact with people,” she says, adding that she’s anxious about whether co-workers and customers will take precautions like wearing masks. “If I don't go back, I'm out of work.” Despite her fears, Madlem is planning on returning because her monthly Social Security benefit of $1,240 isn’t enough to live on. Although her employer hasn’t given her a return date, she expects to be back at the store this summer.
21st Jun 2020 - USA TODAY
Working from home: The pros, cons and potential pitfalls of it becoming permanent
Employers had to scramble when the pandemic took hold in mid-March, emptying out workplaces and sending workers home to do their jobs for what was expected to be at most two or three months. But the coronavirus outbreak has persisted, productivity hasn’t taken a big hit, and a large percentage of workers actually prefer skipping the commute. More employers are extending remote work assignments, and in some cases, planning to make them permanent. “Some of my clients are thinking about more permanent remote work situations. I have one client who is giving up all leases and letting everyone work remotely,” said Elizabeth Wylie, a partner at Snell & Wilmer in Denver specializing in employment law.
21st Jun 2020 - The Denver Post
Experts say Canadians permanently working from home should expect salary changes
When Mark Zuckerberg hosted a townhall in late May with Facebook‘s 48,000 employees, some were tuning in from new cities they had scrambled to move to as the pandemic hit. Zuckerberg had a clear message for them: if you plan to stay, expect a change to your pay. “That means if you live in a location where the cost of living is dramatically lower, or the cost of labour is lower, then salaries do tend to be somewhat lower in those places,” he said on the video conference, where he announced more employees would be allowed to work remotely permanently. Zuckerberg gave Canadian and American workers until Jan. 1, 2021 to inform the company about their location, so it can properly complete taxes and accounting and use virtual private network checks to confirm staff are where they claim.
21st Jun 2020 - Global News
Zoom sees 900% user growth in UAE as remote working picks up amid Covid-19
“At Zoom, we continue to have conversations with the region’s governments about how [it] is a valuable tool that helps increase productivity and growth, meets the highest standards of security for its users, and can support the development of a digitally-based global economy,” Sam Tayan, managing director for the Middle East and Africa at Zoom, said. The company is “leaning into the Gulf and is very optimistic about the growth potential in the Middle East", he added. In March, UAE authorities eased restrictions on the usage of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platforms including Microsoft’s Skype, Google Hangouts and Zoom to facilitate remote work and distance learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.
21st Jun 2020 - The National Blogs
The internet is so bad in this community some people drive to Zoom meetings
Working from home during COVID-19 has highlighted the internet woes in the Musquodoboit Valley
21st Jun 2020 - CBC.ca
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullEmployees working from home during lockdown 'want to continue when crisis ends'
Greater flexibility with working hours, no commuting and being around family are given as some of the most popular advantages
19th Jun 2020 - Wales Online
Sharp learning curve for bosses as WFH goes global
Two weeks into the coronavirus lockdown and Sergei Holmeckis, a boss at Deutsche Telekom’s Czech operations in the city of Brno, was frustrated with staff video calls. His team didn’t like turning on their cameras and the discussion was stilted. “I started to show them my cat,” Holmeckis said. “It showed the human side of me more and really changed the perception. It got people to switch on their cameras and be more engaged.” Such tactics obviously won’t appeal to everyone. But they do show how the world’s biggest experiment in working from home is forcing managers to reassess their methods - especially as surveys predict higher levels of remote working post-pandemic.
18th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Younger employees find remote working more difficult
It is highly unlikely that there will ever be a return to work as we knew it following the Covid-19 outbreak, but more research from London-based tech developer Studio Graphene has emerged suggesting that it is younger workers who have struggled most to adopt to the new normal of remote working.
18th Jun 2020 - ComputerWeekly.com
People new to home working want to continue in the future, survey suggests
The majority of employees working from home for the first time due to coronavirus hope to continue doing so in the future despite having concerns about motivation, a survey suggests. According to a study of 4,002 adults, half of people are currently working remotely (49%) all or most of the time during lockdown, with 39% among them who did not tend to work from home prior to the pandemic. Among home working newcomers, seven in 10 (68%) said they would like to carry on working this way when the crisis is over.
18th Jun 2020 - ITV News
More power to remote working ways | Analysis – Gulf News
Tech giants have given their go-ahead to staff, and only time before more follow
18th Jun 2020 - Gulf News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullManaging employees’ feelings of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic
Since the COVID-19 crisis began, individuals may have been experiencing their own feelings of loneliness, whether from shielding on their own, being alone in the house whilst others continue to work, or sadly they may have been separated with loved ones through illness and the requirement of medical attention. Similarly, employees may be struggling with the lack of contact with colleagues whilst working remotely or on furlough. When we think about loneliness, we often think about isolation from family and loved ones, but employees often spend more time with their colleagues than anyone else and as such, changes to the working environment can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of individuals.
17th Jun 2020 - theHRDIRECTOR
End of the office: reinventing the workplace for a remote working
The sudden boom in remote working has raised a flurry of questions surrounding a return to “normal” working life and the purpose of the workplace as we know it
18th Jun 2020 - Raconteur
Ford offers 30,000 U.S. employees option to work from home until New Year's
An estimated 30,000 salaried employees at Ford Motor Co. learned at a virtual staff meeting early Wednesday that they may choose whether to work from home full-time, return to the office full-time or create a blended schedule that allows for both.
The option to work from home will last until New Year's Eve, at least. Meanwhile, Ford is evaluating whether it needs so much building space in the future.
17th Jun 2020 - Detroit Free Press
Working from Home While Black
Working from home poses unique authenticity challenges for the relatively small segment of Black people in the U.S. in this new work arrangement. Black employees, who are often numerically underrepresented in professional occupations, regularly grapple with how to counteract negative racial stereotypes that undermine their professional images in the office. In response, Black workers often strategically engage in code-switching — adjusting their speech, appearance, and behaviors to optimize the comfort of others with the hopes of receiving fair treatment, quality service, and opportunities. Studies show that Black employees who downplay their racial identities are perceived as more professional and are more likely to be hired than those who do not modify their self-presentation, for example
17th Jun 2020 - Harvard Business Review
In International Physics Collaborations, Working Remotely Is Nothing New
Fabio Cerutti, a Berkeley Lab staff scientist and ATLAS group member, quickly transitioned to working from home after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a stoppage in most activities at the CERN site. Cerutti talks about his continuing work in this video
17th Jun 2020 - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Many workers will never go back to the office post-coronavirus
Like just about every other office employer in Greater Boston, Lola switched into work-from-home mode in March as the COVID-19 pandemic struck......
17th Jun 2020 - The Boston Globe
Remote working: Are you ready for the new normal?
For those yet to jump on board with remote working, the pandemic will have prompted a quick acceleration in digital transformation plans. The crisis has even rewritten the job description for many IT leaders, who may not have been so prominent and visible in their respective businesses before. Now they are becoming integral to their company’s management of the crisis. One thing seems clear: the businesses that fully embrace remote working now will be the ones that benefit as we emerge into a new way of working.
17th Jun 2020 - IT Pro
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullHomeworking likely to last long after coronavirus lockdown and could keep air pollution down
Working from home is the way forward, according to 87 per cent of people who want it to continue after the lockdown ends. A survey by the Business Clean Air Taskforce found that remote working was a popular option and could have enormous environmental benefits.
17th Jun 2020 - iNews
Working From Home Indefinitely? Here's How To Keep Some Work-Life Balance
You’re reading Working It Out, our series exploring the future of work and wellbeing after coronavirus – from office life to working from home. The coronavirus pandemic has flipped everyone’s world upside down, forcing us to adjust to new ways of living and working. For those fortunate enough to be working remotely during this crisis, three months of work, life, pyjamas and Zoom calls have whizzed by.
17th Jun 2020 - Huffington Post UK
How to empower a remote workforce in the long-term
When describing the realities of the ‘new normal‘, remote working has a significant role to play, and how to empower a remote workforce in the long term, will become one of the great challenges for business leaders. In the short term, when coronavirus hit and the resulting lockdown ensued, businesses reacted quickly and put together an amalgamation of different solutions — some that were enterprise ready and some that were not
17th Jun 2020 - Information Age
Almost a third of Australians want to work from home forever after coronavirus
Survey finds less than half who worked from home want to come back full time. Only 14 per cent want to be back every day and 28 want to stay home forever. Three quarters think their boss will be OK with it after the pandemic ends. Coronavirus forced many firms to empty their offices and try to work remotely
17th Jun 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullSlack introduces permanent remote working policy
Business communications platform Slack will introduce a permanent flexible working policy for the majority of its 1,664 employees, following on from the changes made during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The organisation has made the decision to not reopen its offices until at least 1 September 2020, and when the offices do open, it their roles permits, employees will have the option to work flexibly, permanently. Additionally, Slack are also looking at recruiting employees who solely work remotely.
15th Jun 2020 - Employee Benefits
Nine in 10 Mena professionals see work-from-home trend growing after Covid-19
Nine in 10 professionals in the Mena region expect remote working to increase over the next few years, according to a new survey that analysed the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on work culture. About three quarters of respondents in Bayt.com’s Remote Work in Mena survey said they would prefer a job that allows them to work from home while 87 per cent said they have all the resources required to carry out their job remotely. Only 5 per cent said they do not believe the trend will not gain further traction. “The recent shift towards remote work has radically changed the way most Mena businesses operate,” Ola Haddad, director of human resources at Bayt.com, said.
15th Jun 2020 - The National
Australia's regional workers likely winners from remote working arrangements
The nature of work will never be the same after coronavirus. The pandemic has shown remote working not only widely possible, but often beneficial for both employers and employees. No longer does a job have to mean sacrificing lifestyle for location - and regional Australia is likely to reap the rewards of the shift in working habits.
15th Jun 2020 - Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Asia not yet ready to work from home
Many companies in Asia are slowly sending their employees back to the office as the world reopens. But with the coronavirus infections soaring past seven million and growing, working remotely will continue to be a facet in the region. Most firms are resorting to flexible work schedules so that at least half the staff can continue working from home, while the rest can return to the office. The goal is to avoid densely packed work spaces that facilitate viral spread. Staff will certainly return to the office once the pandemic eases.
15th Jun 2020 - INQUIRER.net
It’s time to reopen – but your employees are scared to return. What should you do?
There’s still a very real and deadly virus going around. You’re complying with all the necessary guidelines. You’ve got masks, sanitizer. It’s not ideal, but it’s what it is. So you tell your employees your company is open for business and you look forward to seeing them at work. And most of them come to work. Unfortunately, a few don’t. Despite all that you’re doing, they still don’t feel safe. They’re afraid of getting sick. They’re afraid of getting their families sick. So what do you do? This is a growing dilemma among many of my clients. Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer.
14th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
6 Reasons Most Want To Work From Home Even After Coronavirus
59% of us who are currently working at home due to COVID-19 are just fine with the arrangement, thank you very much, and plan to continue it as long as possible. Interestingly, at 62%, men are slightly more likely to want to stay working from home, while 57% of women say the same. A bigger problem?
13th Jun 2020 - Forbes
Is the office age over? How work could change after coronavirus
Businesses share their back to work tips to reduce spreading Covid-19. Expert warns resuming work too quickly could create a toxic environment. Navitas shares advice on making the work space Covid compliant. Study shows 82% of businesses are now considering permanent remote working
12th Jun 2020 - This is Money
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Half of Brits are happy to work from home for as long as necessary
11th Jun 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
AI and Digital Workspaces to Empower Remote Workers in a Post-Covid Era
There’s enough evidence out there to suggest that work from home is here to stay. Collaboration tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams witnessed an explosion of downloads and several people are likely to remain hooked. A Gartner survey revealed that 74% of CFOs intend to shift at least 5% of their employees permanently to remote work. Even worker preferences appear to be changing. In a Gallup poll, 59% of US workers who moved to remote work on account of the pandemic indicated they would like to continue working from home even after the Covid-19 crisis ends. In an increasingly no-touch world, it is very likely that this ‘genie’ is not going back into its bottle any time soon. Yet home workspaces also come with their own set of challenges.
11th Jun 2020 - Data Economy
Here to stay: Remote work, virtual events and online training are likely to be the norm in the post-COVID world
Workplaces will likely never be the same after the COVID-19 crisis ends. While some people have thrived with the independence and flexibility of commute-free remote work, others have struggled to cope — with the impact on mental health being felt by many who are concerned for their wellbeing, families and communites.
As we move beyond the pandemic, it’s likely that many organisations will need to continue some level of remote work and collaboration, which will provide them with savings on office space and business travel expenses. In this new world, four key elements will define the workplaces of tomorrow.
11th Jun 2020 - SmartCompany.com.au
How to manage employee loneliness | HRD America
We’re halfway through 2020 and some countries are coming out of lockdowns and cautiously returning to the office. But companies may choose the safer option of extended remote working arrangements. How can you support employees who are struggling while in isolation?
11th Jun 2020 - Human Resources Director
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullLondon SMEs could save £75,000 in rent by embracing more remote working after Coronavirus
Small and medium-sized enterprises renting from serviced office providers in London could save a staggering £6,276 per month in rent if half of their staff worked from home – or £75,312 annually.
10th Jun 2020 - HR News
How to negotiate a permanent work-from-home arrangement
Long considered a perk reserved for company all-stars and senior leaders, the ability to work from home has been introduced to millions of office workers, across all levels, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Now, as professionals across the U.S. have adjusted to a new way of working, major companies including Twitter and Facebook announced plans to allow employees to continue working from home forever, if they so choose. That’s welcome news for the majority of office workers who report they’d like the option to extend their remote-work arrangement beyond the pandemic. A recent Prudential survey of 2,050 U.S. workers finds 68% of those currently working from home would like to continue doing so to some extent in the future.
10th Jun 2020 - CNBC
At end first quarter, 11 pct of Poles worked remotely - stats office
At the end of the first quarter of 2020, 11 percent of Polish workers were working remotely due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported on Wednesday. GUS reported that more people in the public sector worked remotely than in the private sector. The statistical office also said the number of remote workers was higher in the Warsaw region than the Polish average, with almost one in six workers there working remotely. In the remaining regions of the country, the figure was every eighth to 14th worker. At the end of March, the number working remotely was the lowest in the northeastern Warmińsko-Mazurskie, central Świętokrzyskie and eastern Podlaskie provinces, where one in 14 people worked at distance.
10th Jun 2020 - The First News
Data Reveals 60% Of People Want to Stay At Home After COVID-19
COVID-19 has forced businesses across the globe to work remotely and new data found by Adzooma, suggests that this could be the new normal, killing the traditional office as we know it. In the UK, more than 60% of the adult population is working from home during the Coronavirus lockdown. But now everyone has had a taste of working from home, the future workplace is likely to never look the same again. Adzooma surveyed 447 workers* and interviewed dozens of businesses about their current plans and opinions. The data identified that 93.3% of people can perform their job as normal, from the comfort of their own home. Over half (60%) of people surveyed said they would like to work from home if they had the choice. What’s more, 52.6% said they don’t want to return to a normal office after COVID-19. For the majority of people, working at home is an enjoyable experience, with 83.5% of respondents admitting that they enjoy working at home, even during a global pandemic.
10th Jun 2020 - HR News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home has lifted productivity and work-life balance
Of all the things UK residents are looking forward to post-Covid-19, heading back to the office does not seem to be high on the list. A recent survey by CIL Management Consultants also found that their attitudes to work and leisure may be permanently changed, meanwhile, as 33% said they expect to work remotely more often than before the coronavirus pandemic, while almost a third expect to save rather than spend wages in preparation for similar situations. One of the persisting worries among many bosses is that working from home means staff become less productive – as it becomes harder to subject their activities to the panopticon of surveillance that is common-place in office life. However, those worried they cannot trust their employees to fulfill their responsibilities from beyond the confines of the company compound might want to reconsider their position in light of new evidence from Eden McCallum.
10th Jun 2020 - Consultancy
What If Working From Home Goes on … Forever?
“But it was win-win,” Bloom says. As far as could be determined, the boost in productivity derived from employees’ being able to work more efficiently, without interruptions from their colleagues. (One employee reported that working from home was a welcome respite from her former cubicle-mate, who had a habit of loudly clipping her toenails.) People also worked more hours: There was no commute to make them late for their shifts, and even their tea breaks were briefer. Working at home can also improve how employees feel about their jobs. Historically, “research has shown a powerful correlation between telecommuting and job satisfaction,” says Timothy Golden, a professor of management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who has studied telework for two decades. People tend to prize the greater flexibility in setting their work hours, the additional time with family members, the reduced distractions. Even with the onslaught of online messages confronting teleworkers, “no one’s stopping by your cubicle standing over you saying, ‘Hey, I need this,’ or ‘I need your help right now,’” Golden told me recently.
9th Jun 2020 - The New York Times
Coronavirus: Is home office becoming a new normal in Japan?
Employees have adapted to working at home and companies appear to be happy with the financial benefits, but there are concerns that the shift away from the salaryman model will experience problems. Julian Ryall reports.
9th Jun 2020 - DW (English)
The Tribune is moving out of its office and working remotely through the end of the year
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to reshape how companies do business, The Tribune has made the difficult decision to move out of our office on Tank Farm Road in July. COVID-19 has accelerated our organization’s ability to work remotely. Since mid-March, many of us have been working from home. From pandemic to protests, we haven’t skipped a beat thanks to technology, communication tools that connect us instantaneously and the hard work of our dedicated staff.
9th Jun 2020 - San Luis Obispo Tribune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullWorking from home: Boundaries, productivity and the future of cities
Over the past 12 weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of employees in America to begin working from home. Before the pandemic, 2.5% of U.S. employees teleworked full-time, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Now, almost everyone who can telework is doing so. Some economists expect the share of people teleworking full-time to remain high even after the pandemic ends. We collected a variety of research to address big questions employers, employees and cities face as America’s office workers consider the future of working from home. Research indicates there is no one-size-fits all approach when it comes to telework arrangements. Everyone now teleworking faces challenges, from caring for children to adjusting to virtual collaboration with coworkers. Some people will be more productive working from home, some people less so.
8th Jun 2020 - Journalist's Resource
No turning back from telework's rise
More federal employees are working from home during the coronavirus crisis than ever before. But will individual telework only be seen as a workaround until everyone returns to the office, or will agencies consciously decide to change how work will be done from now on, as distributed teams working from anywhere? A recent Washington Post article cautions that even with a vaccine, the coronavirus likely will remain with us for the long haul and that coping with it will require long-term thinking. It quotes University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Cobey, saying: “The question is, how do we live with it safely?”
8th Jun 2020 - Washington Technology
As offices evolve, will remote work become the new ‘normal’ after COVID-19?
In times of the coronavirus pandemic, a certain desk or corner of the house has turned into our office, catching up with colleagues and official meetings have moved to virtual platforms. Work from home has been a new experience that many of us are gradually adapting ourselves to. Like everything else, the pandemic has left its imprint on work culture, making professionals re-evaluate their functions and working processes. Now, with the recently announced relaxations, some have started heading back to their offices but with a certain awareness about the evolved circumstances, which are most likely here to stay.
8th Jun 2020 - The Indian Express
Zoom is Killing It Financially, Thanks to Remote Work
Arguably no company better exemplifies the change to work life in the ongoing pandemic than Zoom Video Communications, which saw its revenue skyrocket.
8th Jun 2020 - PC Magazine
Developers plan for 'very different' post-Covid workplace as more staff work from home
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Office block developers, architects, engineers and builders are all preparing to redesign projects for what could be a ‘very different’ post-crisis workplace in which much higher numbers of staff could work from home.
8th Jun 2020 - Jersey Evening Post
HR pros think remote work will keep growing post-Covid - Bizwomen
It might be time to invest in a better webcam and a more comfortable home office chair. More than three-fourths of human resource professionals believe that the shift to teleworking will continue even a year after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, and that the trend will shift the way HR departments approach recruiting and hiring, according to a new survey by The Conference Board. The ability to work anywhere will have “major implications” for hiring, enabling HR departments to draw talent from a broader geographic area, said Robin Erickson, a co-author of the report and principal researcher at The Conference Board.
8th Jun 2020 - The Business Journals
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe Shift to Remote Work Could Be a Big Swing and a Miss
6th Jun 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Who Needs Cities When We All Work From Home?
6th Jun 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullOver 20 pct of Latvians work from home amid COVID-19 pandemic | English.news.cn
Like in many other countries across the world, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led an increasing number of employees in Latvia to work from home, showed a survey released on Thursday by the national statistics office. In April, more than one in five employees in Latvia, or 22 percent, switched to work from home, according to the statistics office's survey. While an estimated 19,000 people had been working from home already before Latvia was hit by the COVID-19 crisis, the number of employees doing their job remotely has increased to 148,400 now. More than one in four employees, or 27.4 percent, had the remote work option in April, while 72.6 percent of the working population had to go to work during the virus emergency. Meanwhile, 5.4 percent of the people who had the option to work from home preferred not to use it.
5th Jun 2020 - Xinhua
GP practices should enable all staff to work remotely 'where possible'
All staff working in GP practices should be enabled to work remotely ‘where possible’, NHS England has said.
4th Jun 2020 - Pulse
Remote work will be a legacy of pandemic; job losses may not be over, survey finds
Companies expect an increased portion of their workforce to remain working remotely even after the pandemic passes, according to a Conference Board survey released Wednesday of 152 human capital executives. The survey revealed that most employers have implemented some form of workforce cost reductions, and many plan to continue to do so this summer. Additional workforce cost reductions are more likely in organizations that employ mostly industry and manual services workers. A majority of companies surveyed expect to return to pre-pandemic revenue levels within the next 12 months.
4th Jun 2020 - CNBC
HR leaders: Expect teleworking to remain long after coronavirus is gone
Widespread teleworking is likely to well outlast the Covid-19 pandemic. At least, that’s the opinion of 77% of human resources leaders from major American companies surveyed by the Conference Board, a member-driven think tank aimed at looking ahead on business issues. The survey gathered responses from 152 HR leaders in late April in the thick of coronavirus business closures and stay-at-home orders.
4th Jun 2020 - Phoenix Business Journal
The office is here to stay - but it's going to evolve, too
The huge shift to home-working caused by COVID-19 has led many to wonder whether offices have a future. But the shift has not been welcomed by - nor is it easy for - many employees. Flexibility and choice will be key as we move forward into the next normal.
4th Jun 2020 - World Economic Forum
Poll: More voters want to keep remote working once coronavirus restrictions lifted
More Americans would prefer to keep working from home full time over going back to the office full time once social distancing restrictions are lifted, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds. Twenty-eight percent of registered voters said once their area has reopened, including schools and childcare options, they would prefer to remain working from home full time. By contrast, 18 percent said they'd prefer to go back to working in an office full time. Another 18 percent of voters said they would prefer to work from home some days of the week but would still like to go into the office part of the time. Thirty-six percent of voters in the May 27-28 survey said working from home is not an option for them.
4th Jun 2020 - The Hill
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in full3 Ways Covid-19 Will Permanently Change The Future Of Work
Covid-19 has changed the future of work—permanently. In early May, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reflected, “We have seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months.” Without a doubt, the post-Covid-19 workplace will operate differently than the pre-pandemic workplace. Here are three aspects of the “workplace” that are slated to change.
3rd Jun 2020 - Forbes
Even After COVID-19, Execs Expect Remote Work Trend To Continue
A new survey from The Conference Board reveals that 77% of human resources executives expect the trend toward remote work to continue, even one year after COVID-19 substantially subsides. The survey assessed more than 150 executives primarily at large U.S. companies who weighed in on the various actions they are taking and plan on taking in light of the current pandemic.
3rd Jun 2020 - Business Facilities
Most Educators Want Schools to Stay Closed to Slow Spread of COVID-19
As school district leaders struggle to solve the complex equation of reopening buildings in the fall or maintaining virtual learning, several factors are weighing heavily on their minds. How do you make educators feel comfortable in their work environments when more than half of them prefer school buildings stay shut to slow the spread of COVID-19? What about educators and students with underlying health conditions? And what if remote learning must continue in the fall even though the approach led to declining student engagement this spring?
3rd Jun 2020 - Education Week
Coronavirus: Is working from home working?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly one-third of the U.S. workforce, and half of all “information workers”, are able to work from home. Though the number of people working partially or fully remote has been on the rise for years now, the COVID-19 pandemic may have pressed the fast-forward button on this trend. With millions of people taking part in this work-from-home experiment, it’s worth asking the question – how do people and companies actually feel about working from home?
3rd Jun 2020 - World Economic Forum
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullAs coronavirus shakes up the future of work, how much is it fast-tracking what was already in motion?
Financial and social considerations deemed impossible by companies are suddenly unquestionable needs. As employees, we are also finally being seen as human beings too, and as a result employers are taking our mental health seriously.
With the blurring of our home and work spaces, we too feel a greater need to preserve our health.
3rd Jun 2020 - World Economic Forum
Office culture is fading due to remote work during the coronavirus lockdown
Online events are not enough to keep people connected to their colleagues at work, according to a new small survey. Sixty-three percent of people who took the Clutch survey said they spend less time socializing with colleagues since the COVID-19 shutdown started. On a positive note, 52% of workers said managers are just as available now as they were during regular office operations.
3rd Jun 2020 - TechRepublic
In isolation, coronavirus positive doctor in Aligarh continues to treat patients and train staff virtually
A doctor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College who has been quarantined after he tested positive for coronavirus, is using his telemedicine to offer medical advice to his patients who are under his treatment.
2nd Jun 2020 - Business Insider India
Remote Work's Time Has Come
Technological change means that working from home won’t disappear when the virus does.
2nd Jun 2020 - City Journal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoping with COVID: Pointers for working remotely
In this trying time, it may be difficult to adjust to the sudden changes in the world. Now abruptly, many people have been directed to gather their essential work resources and set up an office at home. Though many may have thought working remotely would be ideal, it still requires an adjustment to manage being productive and maintaining a positive mental outlook. Though there can be many benefits to working from home, isolation, additional stress about how to accomplish requirements and striking the right balance can cause some anxiety and/or depression. Some key and easy additions to your daily schedule might just make all the difference!
2nd Jun 2020 - WKRC TV Cincinnati
Business Leaders Weigh In On How The Workplace Will Change Post-Covid-19
2nd Jun 2020 - GQ Australia
81% Of SMEs In Business Service Sector Plan Remote Working Post Covid-19
Just over a third (34%) of SME companies in business services already had a remote working policy in place and nearly half (48%) had to create one to react to the pandemic. On average 74 per cent of staff working in this industry are operating from home. Over recent years, remote working has become increasingly popular, as technology has reduced the need for a physical office space for some industries. Many employers and HR professionals also advocate this way of working as an approach to enhance the work-life balance of employees.
1st Jun 2020 - TechRound
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullWork of the future is all about collaboration
Commissioned by leading Australian architecture and interiors firm Bates Smart to understand the impact of the disruption of COVID-19 on workplace, work life and work operations, the survey indicates that the sudden transition to remote working has not affected productivity with 74% of respondents feeling as productive working remotely as they did in the office.
1st Jun 2020 - theHRDIRECTOR
'Shark Tank' investor Kevin O'Leary says companies will 'save a ton of money' from remote working
Kevin O’Leary told CNBC that the coronavirus crisis has shown that remote working is good for employees and a business’s bottom line. “Productivity is significantly higher when you give people what they want,” the “Shark Tank” investor said.
“We’re going to save a ton of money,” he added. “I’m really excited about the new America we’re going to have.”
1st Jun 2020 - CNBC
'I feel so much better': Employees ready to work from home more often
1st Jun 2020 - Sydney Morning Herald
Remote working: How cities might change if we worked from home more
Major tech companies say they are open to their staff working from home permanently. Employees are coming to realise remote working is not only possible but, in some cases, preferable. A shift to a new way of working might already be under way. Such a shift could have profound implications on our home life, and by extension on the life of our towns and cities: almost a quarter of all office space in England and Wales is in central London alone. To understand those implications, we brought together four experts on city life, all of whom were working from home.
1st Jun 2020 - BBC News
Home work: Coronavirus propels telework trend
"Our distributed workforce has proven to make us more resilient, and we do expect to have a larger number of telecommuters going forward," BlueCross spokesman John Hawbaker says. The teleworking shift, or at least parts of it, seem likely to outlast the COVID-19 crisis. "Remote work has gone from an HR-level discussion to a C-suite-level discussion," says Prithwiraj Choudhury, a professor at Harvard Business School. Before the pandemic, less than 4% of American employees worked from home full time. A study by the Brookings Institution estimates that share jumped to more than half of all workers soon after governments adopted stay-at-home orders. Among the top 20% of earners — who are more likely to have desk jobs that can be done from anywhere — that share rose to an estimated 70% of workers.
1st Jun 2020 - Chattanooga Times Free Press
Coronavirus pandemic exposes risks and rewards of working from home
A number of the world’s biggest companies have begun canvassing their staff about how they would like their working day to look once employees are able to start returning safely to the office in large numbers, with some firms already announcing that they do not expect workers to return this year.
1st Jun 2020 - iNews
Will working from home become permanent?
Mark Zuckerberg is moving Facebook toward a substantially remote workforce over the next decade, making changes permanent that began in the past few months.
Within 10 years, Zuckerberg told The Wall Street Journal he expects as much as half of Facebook’s employees — who currently number more than 45,000 — to work from home. There are also many other examples of working from home becoming the norm: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently told employees they could work from home permanently. Other smaller tech companies have announced similar proposals.
29th May 2020 - The San Diego Union-Tribune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullForty per cent of PR chiefs to continue remote working as coronavirus caution grips industry
Two-fifths of agency leaders plan to maintain remote working policies for the foreseeable future as concerns about the coronavirus pandemic linger, a new survey of PR chiefs has found.
28th May 2020 - PRWeek
Walmart says its thousands of tech employees will continue remote work — even when pandemic subsides
Walmart is the latest company to announce that tech workers, who have been working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, don’t have to return to the office anytime soon — or potentially, ever. In an internal memo sent Thursday, Walmart’s global chief technology officer, Suresh Kumar, told the tech team that office space “will be used primarily for collaboration, to sync up and strengthen camaraderie.” The big-box retailer has about 10,000 tech employees, including many who are based in the Silicon Valley.
28th May 2020 - CNBC
NHS seeking to 'lock in' better use of tech necessitated by coronavirus
Minister says health service is seeking to ensure it continues to benefit from initiatives such as remote working. The NHS will look at how best it can “lock in” some of the “beneficial changes” occasioned by the coronavirus crisis, including increased use of remote working and the ability to rapidly roll out new technology in patient care. The coronavirus crisis “has affected every part of local health and care systems”, said Lord Bethell, a minister at the Department of Health and Social Care responsible for innovation.
He added that, in responding to the challenges presented by the pandemic, “NHS organisations, local councils and others are working across traditional organisational and team boundaries”. The health service will seek to ensure that some of the new ways of working – including increased use of technology to deliver care remotely – will persist beyond the current crisis, Lord Bethell said.
28th May 2020 - PublicTechnology
Vast majority of New Zealanders don't want to return to office after Covid-19
A study of New Zealanders working from home during coronavirus lockdown has found many were just as productive as when they were in the office, and a majority were reluctant to return to traditional workplaces. New Zealand went into lockdown for seven weeks from 25 March, and has become a global success story in containing the coronavirus, with fewer than 1,500 people infected and 21 deaths.
During lockdown, many workers experimented with working from home for the first time, and a University of Otago study of more than 2,500 people found the arrangement suited many.
28th May 2020 - The Guardian
Employees are working remotely in their pyjamas
28th May 2020 - The Scotsman
Lockdown Fuels Interest in Learning Among Remote Workers
Employers should reignite learning and development programs for home workers
Questionmark, the online assessment provider, is encouraging employers to reignite investment in learning and development programs. The call comes as research reveals a wave of enthusiasm among remote workers for online learning to improve their professional and personal skills.
28th May 2020 - Yahoo!
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullFacebook is promoting remote working - here's what it means
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has offered his staff the opportunity to work from home on a permanent basis. The move gives employees the chance to relocate, but their salaries would be adjusted according to living costs. Zuckerberg expects half of Facebook’s workforce to take up the offer of working from home permanently over the next 5-10 years.
27th May 2020 - World Economic Forum
As Coronavirus Lockdown Rules Ease, Some Want to Keep Working From Home
27th May 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Coronavirus has shown us the future of work and it could mean more Australians living in regional areas
More Australians working from home during the coronavirus pandemic could pave the way for people to move out of the cities and take their jobs with them.
27th May 2020 - ABC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th May 2020
View this newsletter in full'Business unusual:' How COVID-19 could change the future of work
What are the longer-term effects of the pandemic on the workplace in developed countries, once the immediate crisis is over? Before the pandemic, there was already a lot of discussion on the implications of technology for the future of work. The message was clear: the future of work is not pre-determined, it is up to us to shape it.
26th May 2020 - UN News
Best Practices for Supporting Successful Remote Collaboration
How can teams doing generative collaboration stay on the same page when they’re working remotely? According to Kammer, the first thing they should do is find digital ways to replicate the analog processes (such as whiteboards and sticky notes) they use when they’re working side-by-side. “When it comes to generative work, teams need a digital platform where they can co-create content,” explains Kammer. “By leveraging tools like Mural, Google Drive and Microsoft Teams, teams are able to orchestrate their work across the platform and develop a shared mind, a shared historical reference of where they are and where they’re going.”
26th May 2020 - Channel Futures
Making Remote Work Work
Dery urges us to take a fresh look at remote work and how it can become not just something we suffer through, but something that actually helps us excel. This means working with your employees to iterate designs for physical spaces and operational processes that work; it means adopting new management techniques; and it may mean being willing to revisit how you communicate and how you lead. Listen to the full episode to learn more.
26th May 2020 - MIT Sloan
How social distancing and remote working will impact Irish life
We have released a new paper - Covid-19, Occupational Social Distancing and Remote Working Potential in Ireland - that examines these questions. We generate two indices which capture the potential impact of Covid-19 through identifying firstly, the occupations which may be most able to implement social distancing procedures and secondly the occupations which have the greatest potential scope for remote working. This is accomplished using occupational level data from O*NET which provides very detailed information of the tasks performed by individuals within their occupations.
25th May 2020 - RTE.ie
Remote working doesn’t need to affect innovation, new research reveals
EMPLOYEES THAT work from home are unlikely to be less innovative, according to new research by the University of Cologne and the Leibniz University Hannover.
The study, conducted by professors Marina Schröder and Bernd Irlenbusch, found that video conferencing among team members can compensate possibly negative effects on innovation when employees work remote from each other
25th May 2020 - Voice Newspaper
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullProductive remote workers do these 5 simple things every day
As certain workers are beginning to return to the office, some are thrilled to have regained an environment more conducive to their personal productivity. For some, the office has fewer distractions and just makes it easier to get work done, particularly if their projects are highly collaborative. But for others, working from home has actually provided a large productivity boost. And working remotely could potentially provide even more effectiveness as they continue to work from home but have fewer restrictions and less uncertainty in their overall lives in coming months.
26th May 2020 - Fast Company
Remote working realisations: Strengthening teams and bringing people together during a global pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is changing every aspect of our lives. We are having to adapt to the new norms of self-isolation, remote working, and staying as productive as we were before the pandemic began. However, it is important to understand that the situation we’re all in is far from normal – it is a crisis situation and we have to adapt quickly and make decisions that will significantly influence our lives and businesses.
25th May 2020 - Human Resources Online
Remote working can result in higher cost savings and productivity for businesses - experts
Remote working is a growing trend and can result in significant cost savings for businesses, experts say. Thanks to COVID-19, remote working arrangements have become the norm, as social distancing measures required people to stay at home. Allowing staff to work remotely can reduce business overheads and perhaps also increase productivity. Newshub asked experts at HR Toolkit, Turner Hopkins and 4-day week to share their top tips for working from home.
25th May 2020 - Newshub
More people working remotely, seeking escape from the city
Whenever the economy undergoes a shock like we’re seeing now from the coronavirus pandemic, new trends often appear in the real estate market. It appears we may be in the middle of one of those unexpected paradigm shifts, when our world jumps from one track going in a predictable direction to another track heading in an unexpected direction.
25th May 2020 - Aspen Daily News
Coronavirus: What's the future for the office?
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the office was where millions of us spent about a third of our time. However, since the lockdown, almost half the UK's workforce say they have been working from home - and some companies have hinted it could become the future. "The notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past," said the boss of Barclays, while Morgan Stanley's chief said the bank will have "much less real estate". Businessman Sir Martin Sorrell said he'd rather invest the £35m he spends on expensive offices in people instead.
25th May 2020 - BBC News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe coronavirus remote working boom has made many modern offices obsolete and the impact on the economy will be profound
The coronavirus outbreak has seen a massive increase in the number of people working from home. In 2019, only 5% of the UK workforce worked exclusively from home. In April 2020, 39% of workers worked only at home, and whilst this has fallen to 33% over the last couple of weeks the high rate of home working can be expected to remain high for some time. The pivot to remote working amongst technology companies is likely to have a significant impact on Ireland, and Dublin in particular. Dublin has approximately 3.7 million m2 of office space, up from around 1 million m2 in 1990.
23rd May 2020 - Slugger O'Toole
The future of work will be more remote, digital, healthier and safer: Dan Schawbel, Workplace Intelligence
Dan Schawbel is an expert on the future of work and virtual workplaces and author of Back to Human. As the managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and consulting firm, he has done research studies with MNCs like Oracle, American Express and Randstad. At a time when work from home is the new norm, what are the best practices to lead and manage virtual teams? He discusses the new workplace in an email interview with Malini Goyal.
23rd May 2020 - Economic Times
Remote possibilities: Can every home in Japan become an office?
Tokyo-based Overflow Inc.’s commercial lease was set to expire in July and founder Yuto Suzuki had made plans to move to a larger property. But as cases of the new coronavirus began to rise in March, the 34-year-old made a drastic decision: He took the startup and its 270 workers completely — and permanently — remote.
23rd May 2020 - The Japan Times
Covid-19 will change business forever, says Deloitte chief
The economic and cultural impact of the coronavirus crisis is so severe that it will change business forever, a top Deloitte executive has said. David Sproul, Deloitte’s global deputy chief executive, told City A.M. that rapid changes in working habits and use of technology since the pandemic outbreak would likely never be reversed.
22nd May 2020 - City A.M.
Young people are joining the rich in leaving NYC for cheaper, less dense cities after coronavirus
The coronavirus lockdown has left young New Yorkers reconsidering the city's high cost of living. People who can work remotely are eyeing the suburbs or contemplating moving back home with their parents. A recent survey found 69% of people in tech and finance said they would leave New York if they were given the option to work from home permanently. Twitter, Facebook and Spotify recently announced they will allow employees to work from home long-term. Pat Stedman, 31, a dating and relationship coach, said the pandemic has only sped up his and his wife's exodus from the city and now plans to work remotely from overseas
24th May 2020 - Daily Mail
Coronavirus: Why more people could abandon city lifestyle for remote working after lockdown
My prediction? More people are going to abandon cities if they have the means to do so. This is of course a privilege of those who can either shift their job elsewhere or take it with them on their laptop, but it could fundamentally shift the property market. Estate agents are already predicting a drop in London sales and rental prices as well as the crumbling of the traditional commuter belt.
22nd May 2020 - iNews
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd May 2020
View this newsletter in fullFacebook embraces remote working beyond COVID-19, but may cut pay
22nd May 2020 - Sydney Morning Herald
For Many, Remote Work Is Becoming Permanent in Wake of Coronavirus
21st May 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Coronavirus: Flexible working will be a new normal after virus
Facebook and New Zealand's Prime Minister are the latest supporters of flexible working as companies mull back-to-office strategies. On Thursday, Facebook said it plans to shift towards a more remote workforce as a long-term trend. New Zealand's PM Jacinda Ardern this week suggested a four-day working week, partly to boost tourism in the country. As offices gradually re-open after coronavirus lockdown, more employers are looking at news ways of working.
22nd May 2020 - BBC News
Coronavirus will change office work for the foreseeable future
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Of the 34 percent of workers who are estimated to be working from home, many will not go back. A survey of senior finance leaders by research firm Gartner found that 74 percent of organizations plan to shift some employees to remote work permanently. Consulting company Global Workplace Analytics estimates that when the pandemic is over, 30 percent of the entire workforce will work from home at least a couple times a week. Before the pandemic, that number was in the low single digits.
22nd May 2020 - Vox.com
Most Shopify employees won’t return to office after coronavirus pandemic, CEO says
Employees at Shopify will continue to work from home even after the novel coronavirus pandemic ends, the booming Canadian tech giant announced Thursday. The e-commerce platform developer, headquartered in Ottawa with more than 5,000 employees in Toronto, Waterloo, Montreal, Vancouver and around the world, will keep its offices closed until the end of 2021 to prepare for the company’s permanent work-for-home reality, CEO Tobi Lutke tweeted Thursday morning.
21st May 2020 - Globalnews.ca
Facebook teases a vision of remote work using augmented and virtual reality
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Facebook has long believed in the promise of virtual and augmented reality extending well beyond entertainment, and we’re now getting a clearer glimpse at what that future might look like now that the current pandemic is reshaping how companies everywhere think about remote work. According to Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, Facebook’s head of of AR and VR, the company is already investing in “supercharging remote work and productivity” using those technologies. He even shared a video of what that might look like, featuring real footage of an experimental test using prototype Facebook hardware and software.
21st May 2020 - The Verge
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st May 2020
View this newsletter in fullLet the coronavirus break up the ‘Super Zips’
Twitter’s recent announcement that its employees have the option of working remotely even after the lockdown ends is a beautifully hopeful sign. If it heralds the beginning of a trend, perhaps it will allow us to begin resettling those parts of the United States that have been cut off from the past few decades of economic growth — one of the ugliest wounds on our socioeconomic landscape.
21st May 2020 - The Washington Post
How remote work can be a win-win for employers and employees
Recent research suggests that the amount of people who work remotely at least once per week has grown by 400% since 2010. What’s more, 42% of employees with a remote work option plan to work remotely more often in the next five years.
Today, nearly everything can be done effectively over the internet with the help of modern digital tools and tech, so it’s a small wonder that remote work is rising at such a rapid rate. And due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies big and small have been forced to embrace remote work all of a sudden, so you can even take inspiration from some of the largest remote working companies on the planet on how to implement a company-wide remote work environment.
20th May 2020 - Business Matters
Surge in requests to continue working from home after coronavirus crisis ends, study shows
There will be a surge in requests from employees for permanent flexible working arrangements after coronavirus restrictions are lifted completely, research shows. A new survey of 2,000 adults indicated that many people will want to continue working from home when the crisis ends. More than two in five people are set to ask their employer for permanent flexible working arrangements after coronavirus restrictions are lifted completely, insurer Direct Line said.
20th May 2020 - Evening Standard
How do you think New Zealand should change after Covid-19?
Jacinda Ardern has suggested employers consider flexible working options as the nation emerges from the pandemic lockdown. Are there any other things you think should change?
20th May 2020 - The Guardian
Coinbase Will Allow Employees to Work Remotely After Lockdown
U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase has announced it will transition to a “remote-first” workplace after the pandemic lockdown is over in an effort to guard against location-centric risks and to improve decentralization. In an open letter to all employees, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said........
20th May 2020 - CoinTelegraph
Coronavirus: ‘Millions’ in Britain want permanent flexible working after lockdown, survey suggests
Research has previously suggested that employees logging on remotely take less time off and are more productive
20th May 2020 - Independent
Surge in requests to continue working from home after crisis ends
A survey of 2,000 adults by Direct Line indicated that many people will want to continue working from home when the crisis ends. Working from home two days a week is the most popular option, but one in 12 people are planning to ask their employer if they can work from home permanently,
20th May 2020 - Bristol Live
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullWill home working become the new norm post Covid-19?
A Jersey employment lawyer has told ITV News he thinks it will be difficult for employers to refuse applications from their staff wishing to work from home beyond Covid-19. For many people, working from home over the last few weeks has been a positive experience. Employers too have seen that this could form part of a new norm. Legally, we can ask to work from home. Jersey's employment law states that employees can apply for a change in their working conditions, including their place of work. The reasons for refusing such a request are fairly limited, and employers would have to show that working from home would either create additional cost or have a detrimental impact on their business.
19th May 2020 - ITV News
Can Working Remotely Lead Us to a Cleaner World?
“This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic dropoff over such a wide area for a specific event,” Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at NASA, told reporters for CNN of the recent environmental changes in China. "I am not surprised because many cities nationwide have taken measures to minimize the spread of the virus." Not surprising maybe -- but the implications of what these changes teach us about a world gone remote are incredibly significant.
19th May 2020 - Triple Pundit
Survey: 55 percent of employees say they work 1-10 extra hours remotely amid COVID-19
A recent survey done by Fishbowl, a employee social networking platform, found that the majority of its respondents said they were are working up to 10 more hours at home than they normally would if they were still working from their offices. The survey ran from May 14 to May 17 and asked 16,585 participants if they were working more or less hours per week since many companies transitioned to having their employees work remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
19th May 2020 - KTVU
Happier working from home? You're not alone
Among employees working from home and even those who are not, there was an uptick in employee happiness and the survey's Workforce Happiness Index was up by two points to 73 out of 100 when compared to 71 points during the same period last year.
19th May 2020 - TechRadar
Signs are communication have improved colleague relations as more work remotely
New research reveals that 64 per cent of professionals feel connected to their colleagues, despite working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although stringent social-distancing rules have prohibited staff from working alongside one another in the office since 23rd March, TopCV’s data revealed that just 13 per cent of those surveyed have reported feeling ‘disconnected’ from colleagues. Instead, a surprising 64 per cent reported feeling either ‘connected’ or ‘very connected’ to their co-workers since the shift to homeworking.
19th May 2020 - theHRDIRECTOR
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullMPs At Higher Risk Of Covid-19 Could Keep Working From Home
MPs who are vulnerable to Covid-19 are expected to be given special permission to continue to work remotely from parliament once MPs return from their late May break, HuffPost UK has learned. The compromise plan being considered by Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg follows strong concerns from Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle that no member of parliament should feel disenfranchised by a return to more traditional working next month. Rees-Mogg is due to update MPs on Wednesday on his intention to end the ‘hybrid’ practice of allowing any member to use Zoom calls and other technology to take part in question times, debates, select committees and even remote voting.
19th May 2020 - Huffington Post UK
Big Tech was first to send workers home. Now it’s in no rush to bring them back.
Tech giants aren’t looking to politicians to set timetables to reopen their offices, telling most staff to work from home at least until next year.
18th May 2020 - The Washington Post
Square announces permanent work-from-home policy
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Square employees will be able to work from home even after the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders end, Jack Dorsey told workers. The indefinite extension of the company’s remote work policy echoes a similar announcement from Twitter last week. Dorsey is CEO of both companies.
18th May 2020 - The Verge
A 4-step guide to thriving in the post-COVID-19 workplace
Even before COVID-19, many workers around the globe lacked key skills - including digital capabilities. Upskilling in preparation for the changes to come post-COVID-19 should be a critical part of response and recovery. There are four steps workers and businesses can take today to prepare for tomorrow: Accelerate the move to platform, transition to digital/virtual work, assess your skillset and expand it as needed, and plan for the future.
18th May 2020 - World Economic Forum
Workers who still have their jobs are happier but working harder: CNBC survey
In the latest Q2 CNBC|SurveyMonkey Workplace Happiness Survey, released Monday, 38% of Americans say they are happier with their job now than they were before the Covid-19 outbreak. The survey findings indicate a correlation between being able to work remotely and a higher employee sentiment. 19% of all workers say they would prefer to work from home forever, but the survey finds more than half of workers say it’s become harder to do their jobs, especially for those in managerial roles.
18th May 2020 - CNBC
How coronavirus is forcing companies to rethink their culture
Fostering a sense of community at work has become more essential than ever before, as companies have shifted to remote work and are responding to the stresses and challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. “We can’t ignore how many people are suffering during this crisis. While we’re in this together, it leaves a little bit of trauma,” says Henry Albrecht, CEO of Limeade, an employee experience software company. “Transparency has to get better, and it's not just transparency of the numbers and the strategy, but transparency about our humanness.”
18th May 2020 - Employee Benefit Adviser
Amex CEO says most employees will work remotely for the year
American Express Co. Chief Executive Steve Squeri said a majority of the company’s employees will work remotely through the end of this year as it seeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. While the New York-based credit card issuer wants to be prepared to have half of normal staffing at most locations by the end of the year, Squeri doesn’t expect it “to get anywhere near the 50% mark by the end of 2020,” he told employees in a video message Monday. “We’ll be limiting the number of people in elevators and scheduling times for arrivals and departures,” Squeri said in the video. “And facial coverings will be required when you’re entering and moving about the building.”
18th May 2020 - Payments Source
How To Avoid Burnout In The Age Of Remote Work
LinkedIn Career Expert Blair Heitmann offered some advice via email, on how employees can reconcile the demands of this new reality and minimize the chances of burnout.
18th May 2020 - Forbes
Remote working set to stay post coronavirus pandemic
Businesses allowing staff to work from home on a permanent basis, even as lockdowns ease worldwide, calls into question the future of skyscrapers used by multinationals which are seen as symbols of modern capitalism. Major financial districts, such as London's Canary Wharf and La Defense in Paris, remain extremely quiet, even as governments lift restrictions on social distancing and travel by public transport.
18th May 2020 - The Jordan Times
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote possibilities: how green spaces and home-working are tempting city dwellers
Will more post-Covid-19 home-buyers look outwards, beyond the world’s cities, to more rural locations? In Britain, estate agents and property website Rightmove have reported a rise in the number of inquiries for out-of-city locations. Roseanne De Vere Hunt, of Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes, says there have been a rise in enquiries
17th May 2020 - The Times
What it’s like to interpret for coronavirus patients remotely
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Health care interpreter Helen Sweeney is used to acting as a phone-based go-between for doctors and patients, translating intense discussions about people’s medical care into and out of Russian. Now, many of those conversations are about the novel coronavirus, which has also brought novel challenges to her profession. Sweeney, who works for the remote interpreting service Certified Languages International, says one recent Covid-19 patient was so burdened by a breathing device that he couldn’t speak back in a conversation about the possibility of intubation
16th May 2020 - Vox.com
Brave new work of the covid-19 era
There are profound changes afoot at the workplace, not just in the way it will be redesigned and restructured in the post-covid world but also in the role it will play in our lives. This is a watershed moment—as fundamental to the evolution of the workplace as the invention of the telephone or the dependance on the internet.
16th May 2020 - LiveMint
Coronavirus: Remote working set to stay post Covid-19 pandemic
Jes Staley, chief executive of British bank Barclays, has said the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may well be a thing of the past. Businesses allowing staff to work from home on a permanent basis, even as lockdowns ease worldwide, calls into question the future of skyscrapers used by multinationals which are seen as symbols of modern capitalism.Financial districts, such as London's Canary Wharf and La Defense in Paris, remain extremely quiet, even as governments lift restrictions on social distancing and travel by public transport. Jes Staley, chief executive of British bank Barclays, said "We will find ways to operate with more distancing over a much longer period of time," he added. French car giant PSA, which makes Peugeot and Citroen vehicles, now sees remote working as a benchmark for tens of thousands of its office-based staff. people in a building may be a thing of the past.
16th May 2020 - Khaleej Times
Even the Pandemic Can't Kill the Open-Plan Office
Even before coronavirus, many workers hated the open-plan office. Now that shared work spaces are a public health risk, employers are rethinking office design.
14th May 2020 - CityLab
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullPass the remote: Tips and tricks for successful home working
Before the UK went into lockdown, charities generally had most staff working in central head office. But in a few short weeks, full-time home working for office staff has become the norm. In fact, plenty of people are already suggesting that the new enforced working-from-home arrangements could usher in a permanent change to workplace environments, as people grow accustomed to their new ways of operating and organisations realise opportunities to cut property costs and boost staff retention.
15th May 2020 - Civil Society Media
How CIOs are promoting well-being of employees working remotely
After helping their IT teams and employees navigate the initial transition to working from home, CIOs are now shifting their roles to focus on employee mental health and well-being initiatives to stay connected and support its distant workforce, according to The Wall Street Journal.
14th May 2020 - Becker's Hospital Review
Regulated industries: it's time to embrace remote working
Regulated industries, such as insurance or wealth management, have been reluctant to embrace flexible working, but now the coronavirus has left them no choice
14th May 2020 - Raconteur
Remote workers clocking up an extra 38 hours a month
People who are working from home due to the coronavirus are clocking up an extra 38 hours per month - the equivalent of an additional working week - new research shows today. The research, commissioned by LinkedIn, also revealed that 56% of respondents said they felt more anxious or stressed about work than before the Covid-19 lockdown was introduced. LinkedIn's research also found that men were more likely to feel anxious and stressed than women, with 61% of men saying they were experiencing these feelings while working from home, compared to 54% of women. The lockdown is also having a greater impact on the stress levels of younger workers, with over 70% of respondents under the age of 24 saying that they feel stressed or anxious as a result of working from home.
14th May 2020 - RTE.ie
Like everyone else, the Supreme Court of Canada will be working remotely — on Zoom
The foreseeable future for the Supreme Court of Canada is virtual, as Chief Justice Richard Wagner told the court’s annual meeting Tuesday with the media. He did so by teleconference. The majestic Supreme Court building is currently closed and hasn’t heard any cases since the pandemic started, but four are scheduled for June — on Zoom.
14th May 2020 - iPolitics.ca
Remote working to become a permanent fixture, says Dell founder
Remote working will become a permanent feature at Dell Technologies, according to CEO Michael Dell. Speaking during a webinar on Tuesday, Dell said he believes remote working sceptics have “probably” been silenced, CRN reported. “I think if you were sceptical about working from home, you probably aren’t now,” said Dell. “And I think we’ve all learned a lot in the last few months here. I think that will flow through and create opportunities.” Besides the well-documented benefits of remote working, such as better work-life balance, Dell also touched on another important “silver lining”: a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. He suggested long-term adoption of remote working practices could go some way to addressing environmental concerns, due to a decrease in commuter vehicles on the roads.
14th May 2020 - IT Pro Portal
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullTwitter Announcement Heralds 'New Normal' of Permanent Remote Work
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused a huge work-from-home surge, Twitter this week announced it will let some employees work from home "forever" if they choose. Speaking of its early embrace of remote work after the pandemic hit, the company yesterday said: "The past few months have proven we can make that work. So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen."
13th May 2020 - Virtualization Review
America's hospitals have embraced remote technology amid COVID-19: Tech
13th May 2020 - YAHOO!
CIOs Spearhead Well-Being Initiatives to Make Remote Work Less Remote
13th May 2020 - Wall Street Journal
Rise In Remote Work Could Spark A New Suburban Boom
A new survey from Zillow, conducted last week by The Harris Poll, finds 75% of Americans working from home due to COVID-19 say they would prefer to continue that routine at least half the time, if given the option, after the pandemic eases. The rise in sophisticated technology has enabled them to create an environment at home, or practically anywhere for that matter, to be productive.
13th May 2020 - Forbes
66% of Employees Now Working from Home Due to Coronavirus Outbreak
The research shows that out of the 66% working from home, 44% are working remotely five days or more a week. This is a 17% rise compared to before the pandemic. 39% would prefer to work in an office. 40% prefer to work remotely, the survey found. For small businesses, the newfound commitment to remote work and enthusiasm for it among employees, presents opportunities and challenges. With 40% of employees preferring to work from home, businesses may want to offer the option to work from home on a permanent basis.
13th May 2020 - Small Business Trends
Coronavirus Dried Up This Production Company’s Business. Then It Created Remote Shooting Kits
13th May 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
How to stay productive and creative while working remotely amid coronavirus lockdown
A new survey from LinkedIn found 54% of Americans say working at home has made them more productive, while 51% also said it increased feelings of loneliness. While trading an office desk for a kitchen table has been a drastic shift for millions under coronavirus lockdowns, LinkedIn editor-in-chief Dan Roth said there are ways to take advantage of tools at home to keep the productivity up and creativity flowing. "The amount of time that we lose trying to get to work and trying to get home from work, that is all time that you can now use answering emails or trying to get through your to-do list, or even dealing with standing around at home," Roth told "CBS This Morning" co-host Tony Dokoupil.
13th May 2020 - CBS News
Coronavirus has lifted the work-from-home stigma. How will that shape the future?
On Tuesday, Twitter told its employees that many of them will be allowed to work from home in perpetuity, even after the pandemic ends. The move signaled a growing shift in attitudes in certain industries toward remote working — a change that could have lasting implications. Gallup data from the end of April showed that 63 percent of U.S. employees said they had worked from home in the past seven days because of coronavirus concerns, a number that had doubled from 31 percent three weeks before.
13th May 2020 - NBCNews.com
Remote work is good for business, and the world
The success of remote work is no coincidence. Studies have shown that when it is done right, remote work can improve employee productivity, creativity and morale. It has also been established that remote work leads workers to take fewer sick days and less vacation time, resulting in more workdays overall. Moreover, it can save businesses thousands of dollars a month per employee in office and other expenses.
13th May 2020 - Al Jazeera English
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe New Normal Isn’t Remote Work. It’s Better.
Based on a recent report from Gartner, it looks like many workers will continue to have the option to work from home permanently. Even amidst a global crisis, employees are reporting greater productivity and higher job satisfaction, which is translating into enormous profitability for their employers. By permitting offsite work, the businesses then get to access even more overhead savings, like lower real estate, equipment, and supply expenses. Global Workplace Analytics reports an average savings of $11,000 per part-time role that is converted from physical to virtual. With such incredible corporate and interpersonal rewards at stake, it’s easy to see why remote work may be the foundation of the future of work.
12th May 2020 - Forbes
Twitter says it will allow employees to work from home 'forever'
Social media giant Twitter announced Tuesday that it plans to let all employees who wish to work from home do so for the foreseeable future, even after its offices reopen in a post-pandemic world. "Twitter was one of the first companies to go to a WFH [work from home] model in the face of COVID-19, but we don’t anticipate being one of the first to return to offices," the company said in a statement.
12th May 2020 - ABC News
Manhattan Faces a Reckoning if Working From Home Becomes the Norm
Even after the crisis eases, companies may let workers stay home. That would affect an entire ecosystem, from transit to restaurants to shops. Not to mention the tax base.
12th May 2020 - The New York Times
Nine out of ten people want the option of working from home
Nine out of ten people want the option of working from home at least once a week after Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. In the UK, those who can work from home are currently being encouraged to do so as part of lockdown measures. According to CloudPro, Google and Facebook have extended their work from home for the rest of the year, with their workforces having the option to continue working remotely despite lockdown restrictions being lifted in parts of the US. This is according to a survey by OnePoll, commissioned by cybersecurity PR agency Eskenzi PR, examining the general sentiment towards remote working. The survey found that a third of workers would like to continue working from home every day or four days a week. 35% said that an ideal scenario would be to work from home for hald the week.
12th May 2020 - Verdict
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 12th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus in Ireland: Four in five want to keep working from home
More than four out of five workers want to continue to do their jobs from home after the lockdown but only one in eight want to avoid the office entirely, according to a survey. Eighty-three per cent want to continue to work remotely after the Covid-19 crisis but just 12 per cent said they wanted to do so every day, the Whitaker Institute at NUI Galway and the Western Development Commission found. Their online survey was completed by 7,241 workers this month and last. The most frequently cited difficulties of working from home included: not being able to switch off from work; that it was harder to communicate and collaborate with colleagues; and poor physical workspace. Juggling childcare and work was also a problem.
12th May 2020 - The Times
Companies are dropping big hints about the 'new normal' once coronavirus lockdowns end
From cashless transactions, to smaller office footprints with fewer on-site workers, to cleaner hotels and less crowded casinos (alas, with no buffets), the post-lockdown era will be characterized by changes to public life that will be both subtle and dramatic. “To be honest I think we’re going to be seeing structural changes within the U.S. economy, and other economies around the world as well, because this has opened up new opportunities too,” ING Chief International Economist James Knightly told Yahoo Finance in a recent interview.
12th May 2020 - YAHOO!
Working from home is here to stay, even when the economy reopens
Companies in technology, financial services and insurance have invested in remote work tools, and there’s no indication they’ll be returning to the old way of doing business. The first batch of employees to return to the office will be the ones who are itching to get back, but even that won’t start happening for weeks or months.
“We’re going to see this come back more slowly than you might have expected,” said Liz Fealy, who runs the global workforce advisory group at EY.
11th May 2020 - CNBC
Coronavirus: What should my employer do to keep me safe?
The government has issued new guidance on how different workplaces should be made safe for staff during the coronavirus pandemic. This follows the prime minister's announcement that those who could not work from home should be "actively encouraged to go to work" in England. Several key points must be followed, such as maintaining a 2m (6ft) distance wherever possible, cleaning more frequently and carrying out a risk assessment. But many employees are still worried about what will change in the workplace.
11th May 2020 - BBC News
Workplaces will not be the same again when employees return from coronavirus lockdowns
As authorities around the world begin to cautiously ease lockdowns that were put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus, expect the office to look like a very different place, according to multiple experts that spoke to CNBC. “The office will not go away, but the need of the office space may reduce,” said Carol Wong, director and head of workplace delivery for Asia Pacific at global commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.
11th May 2020 - CNBC
Survey Shows Employees Want To Keep Working From Home
A survey by a Carlsbad-based consulting company says more than three-quarters of respondents want to keep working from home at least some of the time after the pandemic quarantine is over. Only six percent said they would not want to work from home in the future. Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, said a key to operating a successful work-from-home program is trust. She said managers who have worked from home are more likely to trust that employees are being productive when working remotely.
11th May 2020 - KPBS
'We cannot afford another lockdown': Italy's cautious return to work
KPMG Italy has completely reviewed the layout of its offices to allow social distancing. And Latorre says the capacity of its Milan base is down to 35-40 per cent on pre-crisis levels. Staff are required to undergo a temperature scan when they enter the building. Masks and gloves are also mandatory – apart from when workers are sitting at their desks. Common areas are shut, with staff asked to bring food from home. And lifts are limited to two occupants with workers encouraged to use the stairs. Non-partners need permission from a partner to come into the office to ensure there is enough space for effective social distancing.
11th May 2020 - City A.M.
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 11th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: How to set yourself a routine when working from home
10th May 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Work after coronavirus: how will it change when the lockdown is over?
This is the first in our series on Life after lockdown, which looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic could change Australia for good
7th May 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: Facebook and Google extend working from home to 2021
9th May 2020 - YAHOO!
Working from home DOES increase productivity, according to a survey
Millions of Americans are working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic. A survey found that many have reported being more productive since the shift. Those who feel isolated or rely on others to do their work are less productive
8th May 2020 - Daily Mail
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullFacebook and Google extend work from home to year end
Facebook and Google have said they will let employees continue working from home for the rest of the year. The tech giants have announced plans to reopen their offices soon but are allowing more home working flexibility. Google originally said it would keep its work from home policy until 1 June, but is extending it for more remote working. Facebook said it would reopen its offices on 6 July as coronavirus lockdowns are gradually lifted.
8th May 2020 - BBC News
Coronavirus: Working from home is here to stay - and it might do us all good
For many people the chance to work from home has allowed them to skip the commute, have more family time and be more productive. Jo Wimble-Groves, award-winning entrepreneur, writer and Guilty Mother blogger, says we should all embrace a bit more flexibility.
8th May 2020 - Sky News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow businesses can effectively empower remote working
Compelling benefits but watch for traps...A study by the Harvard Business Review compared two groups over a nine-month period - one group worked in the office, meanwhile, another group worked from home. The group working from home completed an average of 13.5% more calls, recorded significantly fewer sick leave and helped their companies save on office space setup, furniture and equipment.
7th May 2020 - EJ Insight
What Working From Home Is Really Like: Research on Remote Work and Telecommuting
In this project, we set out to explore what working from home is really like. To do so, we contrasted the experiences of over 1,000 workers in three categories: full-time remote employees, those who split work time between their home and the office, and professionals who work in the office exclusively. Our survey data reveal the perks and problems remote workers encounter and compare their experiences to that of their office counterparts. Whether you already work remotely or simply envy those who do, you won’t want to miss this true view of working from home.
6th May 2020 - Work at Home
Best Employers share advice for how to make working from home under the coronavirus lockdown really pay off
Before Covid-19 forced business to move to remote working, one of the big issues with working from home centred on trust and productivity: would staff really put in the hours? Could the work really be up to standard? “It’s proved to be a non-issue,” says Lynn Walters of recruitment specialists Pure. “Most people are giving more than is expected. The companies we work with are seeing productivity and efficiency rising.”
6th May 2020 - Eastern Daily Press
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th May 2020
View this newsletter in full'There is no one size fits all approach to remote working'
For many organisations, remote and distributed working is a new muscle that they’re just starting to develop. And building a new muscle isn’t easy, especially in times of crisis, according to Julien Codorniou, VP, Workplace from Facebook. “A key part of managing a distributed workforce is understanding there is no one size fits all approach to remote working,” said Codorniou. As individuals, we have different working preferences, habits and personal demands. However, often trying to enforce mandatory ways of working just won’t work in the long-term. One of the best things a manager can do right now is to check in with their direct reports to understand their communication preferences and the support they need as they transition to remote work.
6th May 2020 - Human Resources Director
The New Normal: Remote Work Reshapes Technology
The new work-from-home environment sparked by shelter in place requirements to contain COVID-19 is impacting information technology and the related communication services sector in three primary areas: consumer, enterprise etc Consumers are shifting from less data intensive and mobile experiences to more data intensive and residential experiences, which should drive growth in gaming and a push by service providers to better services. Enterprises are seeing a larger move toward public cloud services and embracing software that optimizes productivity in remote work environments.
5th May 2020 - Seeking Alpha
'We're helping customers with the new reality of remote working'
Jason Ward of Dell Technologies discusses leading a remote team, helping customers adapt to working from home, and underestimating the impact of a pandemic.
5th May 2020 - Siliconrepublic.com
Accelerating Remote-Working Adoption - tips
A complete overhaul of your workforce, especially when unplanned, can feel like an overwhelming task. From tech logistics, to morale, to day-to-day activities, there are a myriad of things to navigate that will make or break productivity in these trying times. To help organisations hasten and smoothen their transition to remote-working, the following steps to accelerate their timeline can be considered.
5th May 2020 - The Fast Mode
Lessons Managers Can Learn While Teams Are Working Remotely
The COVID-19 outbreak has risen, among others, one very important and interesting question: Can remote work be effective? Thousands, if not millions, of companies had to send all or almost all of their employees home and start adjusting to this new way of working. But for many, the current situation looks like a perfect opportunity to learn. Managers can carry very important lessons out of this unusual experience. What can managers and CEOs learn while the teams are working remotely
5th May 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 5th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow Remote Working Is Reshaping A Future New World Of Work
Under these conditions, business leaders had to consider more personal issues than ever to accommodate parents who are homeschooling and providing the tech equipment for teleworking. As a result of these accommodations, attitudes and habits have changed, and things will never be the same. Experts predict we won’t go back to “normal.” We will go back to “a new normal,” and that’s not all bad, according to many sources who cite the unexpected benefits of WFH. But what will that look like?
4th May 2020 - Forbes
Work From Home Is Here to Stay
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Are you still working, doo-doo?” This is the interruption that the Stanford University economist Nick Bloom hears several times a day as his 4-year-old daughter runs into his office and summons him to play by using his nickname. It’s just one of the myriad challenges that Bloom says makes working from home less than ideal at the moment. (Another challenge is his two oldest kids’ in-house bagpipe lessons, spurred by Bloom’s Scottish wife.)
4th May 2020 - The Atlantic
Coronavirus Will Incentivise Companies To Adopt Remote Working
During these times of transition, companies need to offer things that people can use and take firm grasp of immediately. For us, that meant focusing on webinars and how to help customers connect to colleagues and their clients – all at once, if need be – and put a human touch to their communications. Also, it meant reconfiguring messaging and education so people can effectively use the tools at their disposal. And informing people at all levels on how to create an automated workflow and tie together a landing page, a marketing email, a Facebook ad and a webinar – whether for the first time or as someone just going about it a different way.
4th May 2020 - Gigabit Magazine
Career Services guiding students through world of remote work
Career Services has also created a new COVID-19-specific website to provide links to information, services, and strategies to support students who are looking for remote work or who are currently working remotely. The website also provides tips about how to stay connected with colleagues, how to develop useful skills, how to stay healthy while working remotely, and links to Queen’s Human Resources and IT guidance.
4th May 2020 - Queen's Journal
Even the Supreme Court is working remotely
The first U.S. Supreme Court arguments conducted by teleconference played out smoothly on Monday, with even the typically silent Justice Clarence Thomas joining the fray.
4th May 2020 - Reuters
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 4th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullDoes Remote Work Mix with Organizational Culture?
The pros and cons of working remotely have been hashed over repeatedly. Consulting organizations have found that policies permitting consultants to live anywhere have been effective ways of recruiting talent. However, while these people may live anywhere, they carry out most of their work in teams on the road. My concern is the impact on an organization's culture that a significant increase in work from home may have, particularly where the culture is thought by management to be one of the organization's strengths.
1st May 2020 - Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
How to make remote working run smoothly for employers and employees
Just over a week ago, Bill Michael, chairman of KPMG in the UK who is recovering from Covid-19, wrote to the firm’s employees telling them they faced “a huge paradigm shift in the way we live and work”. In the absence of a vaccine Mitchell says, “there is no ‘exit’ or a return to normal”, and this “will necessarily be a time of trial and error on an unprecedented scale”. Many managers are now experiencing the “trial and error” of trying to run dispersed teams without the normal structures that keep employees anchored, managers focused and workplaces running smoothly.
1st May 2020 - The Irish Times
Majority of business owners say remote working is the future
Office workers appear to have handled the transition to remote working remarkably well - with many not even remotely thrown off-balance. In fact, more than half are reportedly more productive than before lockdown measures were introduced. This is according to a new report from virtual agency and consultant firm Hoxby, which states the results represent “welcome news”, with lockdown measures likely to be extended. More than two thirds of office workers expect some form of remote work to continue for at least three months longer, and 59 percent wouldn’t be surprised if measures remained in place for another six months. Almost two thirds (58 percent) reported enjoying the experience, mainly due to increased autonomy, and less than a fifth (19 percent) said they preferred the office
1st May 2020 - IT Pro Portal
Managing FOMO While Working Remotely
So many professionals across the US has adopted WFH -- work from home -- as a response to the pandemic. But working remotely has opened the potential for social media trend Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) to take place in a business environment. IT teams can play a vital role to manage FOMO and keep organizations moving while adapting to this isolating way of working.
1st May 2020 - Information Week
Keeping your company culture whilst working remotely and the impact on the future
One way to break the feeling of isolation is simply to increase engagement with employees. Making employees feel like they are still involved via company-wide updates that aren’t just business focused is crucial to keeping your workplace culture. Ask colleagues about their WFH set up and meet people’s pets virtually. To this point, fully embrace video calls where possible – it’s always nice to see someone’s face. It’s also really important to have one-on-one check ins too, reach out to your colleagues, check in with them, find out how their day is going. Just knowing someone is there makes it easier for people to stay positive.
1st May 2020 - HR News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st May 2020
View this newsletter in fullWorkforce Management What COVID-19 Has Revealed About Working Remotely Use these three insights to improve
Deloitte made the pivot as well. For the roughly 11,000 professionals in our audit and assurance business, remote work suddenly became a consistent reality. The COVID-19 crisis in the United States broke just as year-end audits were wrapping up and first-quarter filers were about to begin. But we did it largely due to more than a decade of investments in our organization’s digital transformation. Through the current crisis, we realized three important insights that may help other businesses navigate the brave new world of scaled digital working.
30th Apr 2020 - CFO
Will working remotely change how we communicate?
Whether you’re conducting an internal meeting with fellow remote employees or with clients in multiple locations, we have all been answering this for the past month as the shape of the workplace has continued to evolve and previously existing social and business norms have been replaced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
30th Apr 2020 - Retail Wire
Telework: an opportunity to reduce inequality with regard to those with disabilities
The forced pattern of remote working is an opportunity to plan for a more egalitarian and more inclusive working network for people with disabilities and able-bodied people.
30th Apr 2020 - Liberation
Why Higher Remote Working Rates Should Be One Of The Things We Keep After The COVID-19 Crisis [Infographic]
One key trend has emerged in the background and it has been largely overlooked - namely the swift and efficient transition most office workers made in order to do their jobs from home. That has to be one of the key changes society keeps and indeed embraces in the post-COVID-19 world and these are the reasons why.
30th Apr 2020 - Forbes
60% of People Have Better Mental Health Working Remote
Aside from advantages to their mental health, many respondents also shared improvements in physical health now that they’re working remote. 40% said that their diet had improved, and 44% claimed to be engaging in more exercise. The impact that remote working has on an employee’s life is often closely linked to the size of the business they work for. Aside from freelancers, the study found that people in large companies had the best outcomes (55%), followed by those in mid-sized (46%) and then small companies (43%).
30th Apr 2020 - UC Today
Businesses advised to train employees to spot signs of poor mental health whilst working remotely
Companies across the UK are being urged to train employees to spot the warning signs of pooCompanies across the UK are being urged to train employees to spot the warning signs of poor mental health and risk whilst working remotely.
30th Apr 2020 - UK Human Resources News
'The Voice' Goes Remote — and Live — for Final Rounds
NBC has mapped out how to finish the current season of The Voice with all participants filming remotely during the coronavirus pandemic — including live results shows. Similar to ABC's American Idol, the final rounds of the NBC singing competition will feature the remaining contestants doing pretaped performances from their homes and judges Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Blake Shelton conferencing in from theirs. Carson Daly will host from The Voice's empty studio, in front of the red swivel chairs, working with a skeleton crew that will abide by social distancing protocols — a relative handful of crewmembers will be spread across two large soundstages.
30th Apr 2020 - The Hollywood Reporter
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe Keys to Making Agile Work in the New “Remote Office”
One of Arce’s clients, a Colombian company that did not have any work-at-home schemes before the pandemic, has improved its processes in this context. “In one week, they developed the tools and the processes to work from home. Also, since this is a company new to agile, they have actually become more organized with digital tools in a remote environment than with the physical ones. Particularly because in their office environments, they had many distractions, and very distracting bosses, so concentration was hard there,” Arce said.
29th Apr 2020 - Nearshore Americas
View from India: Pandemic boosts remote-working tools
Government of India (GoI) has extended the work from home option for the IT-BPO sector until 31 July 2020, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, told state governments in a video conference.
29th Apr 2020 - IET
13 ways the coronavirus pandemic could forever change the way we work
Amid stay-at-home orders across the country, office workers have ditched their daily commutes to work from dining room tables, couches and beds in their own homes. Many may find themselves in this situation for the long haul, as businesses struggle to find a path forward while restrictions slowly lift. But what other changes will we see in the coming months and years? CNBC Make It spoke to futurists, employment experts, CEOs, designers and more to find out how the pandemic could forever transform the way we work.
29th Apr 2020 - CNBC
Our entire workforce in India is working remotely: Dell India MD
In an interview with Mint, Alok Ohrie, president and managing director, Dell Technologies India talks about key customer challenges and concerns, the increased demand for remote work solutions, and how they have enabled Working From Home for all employees
29th Apr 2020 - LiveMint
How to Make the Most of the Move to Remote Working
The coronavirus pandemic has meant businesses across the UK have had to rapidly embrace remote working. The scale and speed that businesses have had to adapt to employees working from home has meant a steep learning curve for many small business owners. So what has the process taught us, and how can business owners make the most of the shift to remote working? Hugo Tilmouth, CEO of ChargedUp, shares his experiences and the lessons he has learned.
29th Apr 2020 - Bytestart
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 29th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullRemote working: How to keep your team happy in lockdown
With new technologies and adjustments to a more virtual workplace, they can also look at how they can flex their communication style to accommodate different people, balancing email, phone and video to include as many options and preferences as possible. More broadly, as businesses review priorities, leaders must make sure they don’t lose sight of the diversity and inclusion agenda. Not only is creating a culture of belonging embedded in D&I policies, seeing tangible action and movement towards diversity goals is critical to showing your people that you have a genuine commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity in the workplace.
28th Apr 2020 - City A.M.
5 Tips to Maintain Great Team Communication While Working Remotely
Many employees find it hard to adjust to a work-from-home setting when they’ve spent years working in an office. Fortunately, there are VoIP phone handsets and other systems in the UK and everywhere else in the world to maintain communication between employees even while working remotely. However, having the technology is not enough. How can you, as a manager, help maintain effective communication within your team while working remotely?
28th Apr 2020 - Student Assembly of the State University of New York
Remote teams: How to build a culture of accountability
As remote work becomes the new normal, some leaders are struggling to manage their teams. It boils down to trust and accountability: Consider this advice on communication, tools, and success metrics
28th Apr 2020 - The Enterprisers Project
Almost 40% of Russians believe that working remotely is more effective, study says
"More than half (58%) said that office work was more efficient. Over a third (38%) of those polled said they could work productively from home," the study said. According to a survey conducted in April among almost 6,000 Russians over 16 years of age, the vast majority of office workers (80%) are sure of the need to work remotely. More than half of the respondents (55%) after the outbreak of a pandemic received advice from management to work from home. Many did so: 84% of respondents confirmed that they switched to working from home.
28th Apr 2020 - TASS
How to Adjust to Working Remotely
According to a study from Global Workplace Analytics, 95% of employers found that allowing telecommuting increased employee retention rates. Many employers argue that the work from home structure is effective, streamlined and supportive. It allows for more flexibility with how they juggle their personal lives and professional careers. If you’re new to the remote life, you may have a few questions on tips and tools you could use to help make your remote work environment more efficient. To help you adjust to working from your couch, we’re here to help. Here are some important things to consider.
28th Apr 2020 - The Future of Things
Remote Working: How Do You Continue Bringing Your A-Game?
Working from home can be a big change if you haven't extensively done it before. But if you're mindful about your approach, you can be happy, productive and very successful.
28th Apr 2020 - Entrepreneur
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 28th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow To Keep Staff Motivated Long Term While Remote Working
How do you continue to drive engagement and motivation throughout your remote working staff during this time of crisis? Luckily, there are companies out there, such as Amazon and VIPKID that have been at it for years, mastering employee motivation in remote working. So, if you’re wondering how you can do that on your own, we’ve compiled a list of great ideas for you to try out.
27th Apr 2020 - The Global Recruiter Magazine
COVID-19: top three tech tips to navigate remote working | Technology
With remote working becoming the new norm for companies of all sizes due to the spread of COVID-19 impacting organisations all over the world, Nick Offin, Head of Sales, Marketing and Operations, dynabook Northern Europe has seen a significant rise in remote workers, with many companies having to make transitions in order to support an almost entirely remote workforce. However, Offin highlights that the rise in remote working doesn’t come without obstacles, particularly for startups with limited budgets and team members.
27th Apr 2020 - Business Chief Europe
Darlington College gets £150k in Government funding to help teachers work remotely
A north-east college has been given £150,000 as part of a programme to train teachers to make the most of technology to help them teach children at home. Darlington College is one of 20 providers in England to get the Government funding to train teachers how to access and use Google and Microsoft’s education platforms so students can be taught effectively at home.
27th Apr 2020 - The Northern Echo
A TV studio CEO who works with Netflix and Disney describes how she's adapted her 1,000-person company to remote work and doubled down on animation to avoid layoffs
Twiner McCarron said Thunderbird's IT team began urging the company, around February 15, to prepare for the possibility that its 1,000-person workforce might have to work remotely, rather than out of its offices in Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Los Angeles, and London. The IT team had been watching the trends in Asia and knew much of Thunderbird's animation work could be done remotely, as long as its employees were properly set up to work from home. Twiner McCarron told the team to put together a business case for what would need to done. By late February, the plan was in motion.
27th Apr 2020 - Business Insider on MSN.com
Remote control: how to make a success of home-working – Government & civil service news
Calling on experts in psychology, technology and organisational dynamics, we present advice on how civil servants at every level can develop the skills, networks and working methods to find success and satisfaction in this new world of work.
27th Apr 2020 - Global Government Forum
How COVID-19 Will Change our Perspective on Working Remotely
Adjusting to remote working is different for everybody, and it’s important that leaders work to ensure that physical remoteness doesn’t lead to emotional distance. Managers should encourage employees to be open with their struggles and challenges. Employees need to know that it’s okay to feel upset by a rapidly changed situation. Similarly, managers should be prepared to give a higher level of reassurance, guidance and support to team members, since working remotely suits some personalities better than others. By losing much of the social element of working in the same space, teams should continue to connect personally as well as professionally. With some tweaks, the usual quizzes, team lunches and Friday drinks can be transferred to the digital world to maintain morale and the sense of connection.
27th Apr 2020 - The HR Director Magazine
Picking the right route to working from home
A corporate policy that allows the use of split tunnelling can conserve data centre bandwidth and enable continued use of bandwidth-intensive applications. Explicitly selecting corporate traffic to route through a company’s data centre leaves internet traffic on the internet and bandwidth bottlenecks are alleviated. This approach also improves the user experience for employees who may not have high-speed broadband at home, by sending traffic along the most direct path possible.
27th Apr 2020 - E&T Magazine
The New Rules For Remote Work: Pandemic Edition
We asked Harvard Business School professors to provide practical advice for managing large-scale, long-term remote work at a time when many employees are not only distracted by the commotion in their homes, but are shaken by the crisis unfolding outside their doors.
27th Apr 2020 - Forbes
How to Support Your Remote Employees
Transparency and communication have evolved to include frequent check-ins from leaders to get a pulse on how employees and their families are doing, and what they might need. Team members are given greater flexibility to work on a schedule that suits them best. Company-wide meetings are regularly scheduled to give business updates. Team members are urged to exercise via digital workouts and yoga sessions that break up long meetings. Some companies had a semi-remote infrastructure place for some time, so adjusting operations wasn’t a major concern for them; instead, they invested their energy into perfecting remote culture.
27th Apr 2020 - Built In Chicago
More than 40% of employees working longer hours from home, survey finds
Over four in ten employees working from home are working longer hours than they would in a standard working day, a survey has found. Some 90% of workers are now based at their homes since the coronavirus restrictions came into place to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. According to the research carried out by recruitment platform, IrishJobs.ie, of those working longer hours, 21% say they cannot switch off from work, 12% feel that they are working less efficiently and 11% claim to have a heavier workload than usual.
28th Apr 2020 - ITV
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullTell us: what does your work-from-home setup really look like?
By now, those of us who are working remotely have become used to seeing snippets of our coworkers’ homes. But the conference call “you” might not show the whole picture, as a widely shared tweet from diplomat Ohad Zemet demonstrates.
27th Apr 2020 - The Guardian
How to help your employees feel successful while remote working
One of the most important changes in how we define success has to do with interpersonal skills. The loudest person in the room, the one who speaks up the most at the corporate office and who makes the most noise is no longer perceived as successful. Zoom and Skype have leveled the playing field for all of us because talking more than anyone else can get you muted. Dominating a conversation in a video chat now looks far worse than it has before.
14th Apr 2020 - TechRadar
A remote working world
As remote working continues to become the norm, this means that businesses have more and more employees working from different cities, and sometimes also different countries – this could result in certain tax implications which need to be looked into.
18th Apr 2020 - Times of Malta
6 Proven Business Benefits of Remote Work
24th Apr 2020 - CMSWire
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow to replace small talk when working remotely
When we’re all working from home, however, it’s not possible to bump into someone and engage in a quick chat. But this sort of small talk is still essential. You can re-create the rapport-building conversation with colleagues in a few different ways:
23rd Apr 2020 - Fast Company
Brazilian public sector workers positive about remote working
Brazilian public sector workers see remote working positively despite it being a novelty for most of them, according to research. Most departments are adopting the home office approach during the COVID-19 outbreak, and 66% had never worked remotely before the pandemic, according to the survey carried out by Brazilian govtech WeGov and software development firm Softplan. Of the government workers surveyed, 72% said they are happy about the new working arrangements. According to the survey, the results demonstrate decision-makers should consider the upsides of operating remotely.
23rd Apr 2020 - ZDNet
Coronavirus: Remote workers air long-term productivity concerns over home-working tech
More than a third (38%) of the UK’s remote workers claim their home-working tech setups need to be urgently revamped to ensure they can remain productive throughout the duration of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
23rd Apr 2020 - Computer Weekly
Three Warning Signs That Your Remote Employees Are Starting To Crack Under The Stress Of Working From Home
As people have settled into a routine, as the panic over remote working logistics have decreased, we can now see troubling signs of the emotional pressures facing employees working from home. How can you tell if your team is cracking under the stress of working from home? Here are three warning signs:
23rd Apr 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow different generations approach remote work during COVID-19
TechRepublic writers discuss the challenges surrounding remote work and how to make remote work easier during the coronavirus quarantine.
22nd Apr 2020 - TechRepublic
Coronavirus: Can working remotely be sustained after lockdown?
When President Muhammadu Buhari on March 29, ordered lockdown of activities in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states, to check the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), it was imperative that workers of many organisations, public and private would work remotely. Even before the lockdown ordered by Buhari, many states had done the same in order to check the spread of the COVID-19. Mr Jide Awe, the Managing Director, Jidaw Systems and an Information Communication Technology expert, said that remote working is universally embraced because of its flexibility.
22nd Apr 2020 - Pulse Nigeria
Survey says people are happy working remotely, but worried about finances
A new survey from the National Recruitment Federation looked at how people in Ireland are experiencing working from home. As physical distancing measures continue in Ireland, a new survey from the National Recruitment Federation (NRF) found that, out of 512 respondents, many are feeling happier while working from home but are also concerned about their finances.
22nd Apr 2020 - Silicon Republic
Legal's Biggest Challenge With Remote Work Isn't Tech. It's Mental Health | Legaltech News
A new survey conducted by Loeb Leadership found that from an IT stance, the sudden move to working remotely has gone relatively smoothly for many lawyers. But it's also created new stresses and demands for soft skills crucial to operating virtually.
22nd Apr 2020 - Law.com
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 22nd Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullWorking remotely, Russian-style: Ballet practice at home
Russians from many walks of life, including Bolshoi Ballet dancers, musicians and a mixed martial arts trainer, are struggling to adapt to self-isolation because of the coronavirus outbreak. Principal dancers Maria Alexandrova and Vladislav Lantratov are rehearsing their parts online. Regular training is essential for the profession that that requires daily practice. Bolshoi orchestra concert master Boris Lifanovsky also spends hours rehearsing his cello parts at home.
21st Apr 2020 - WGME
Coronavirus: MPs approve new working arrangements as Commons returns
The House of Commons has returned in "exceptional and unprecedented" circumstances, the Speaker says. Sir Lindsay Hoyle opened the first day back since the Easter recess amid the coronavirus crisis. A "hybrid" Parliament - with some MPs in the chamber and others connected via video link - will begin on Wednesday after MPs approved the plan. Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said the Commons could not let "perfect be the enemy of the good". Under the motion agreed by MPs, up to 50 MPs will be allowed inside the chamber, sitting apart from each other in line with social distancing guidelines.
21st Apr 2020 - BBC News
House leader Hoyer recommends remote work, amid coronavirus
A top U.S. House of Representatives Democrat recommended measures on Tuesday to allow members to vote and do committee work remotely, even when they are back in Washington, to comply with social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wrote to the leaders of the House Rules and Administration committees urging them to update congressional rules to allow votes using videoconferencing technology.
21st Apr 2020 - Reuters
Staying home: Job analysts expect remote work opportunities to increase after coronavirus subsides
"Remote work has been a growing trend in the workforce in recent years. However, until now, it has not been widely adopted. The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent social isolation measures have caused companies to explore remote work options and implement collaborative tools in an attempt to sustain business through the crisis," says Rick Gibbs, a performance specialist with Insperity, a human-resource solutions firm based in Houston, Texas. "As the number of remote workers increases and teams prove they can maintain productivity outside the office, some employers may consider remote work as a permanent solution."
21st Apr 2020 - Chicago Tribune
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 21st Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullTop working from home tips from around the world
With challenges like sharing workspaces and managing mental health, working from home during a pandemic is uncharted territory. Here are your best tips for maintaining productivity – and sanity.
20th Apr 2020 - BBC News
US farm rents out miniature donkey to crash video calls
A miniature donkey named Mambo is getting some online love in North Carolina, where a farm is getting in on the idea of having animals spice up tedious virtual meetings during the coronavirus pandemic. Peace N Peas Farm will rent Mambo, the eight-year-old miniature donkey, and his friends to crash company conference calls, The Charlotte Observer reported. This camera crowding donkey is “like a pesky little brother” that “doesn’t let anyone relax too long,” Francie Dunlap, Mambo’s owner, said. Companies can choose other farm animals they want to invite as guests on their video calls.
20th Apr 2020 - The Irish News
Why working remotely feels so jarring – according to philosophy
21st Apr 2020 - The Conversation UK
Rwandan bankers adopt virtual classes to avoid course interruption
Rwandan Bankers’ Association has turned to virtual classes to ensure the continuance of ongoing basic training course for bankers under the Rwanda Academy of Finance, an initiative involved in training different staff levels in the financial sector to acquaint them with international competencies
21st Apr 2020 - The New Times
9 Secrets to Stay Visible When You Work Remotely
How do I stay top of mind and provide value when I’m working remotely? It’s a great question. Not being physically present with your team and senior leaders has its consequences. It means you have to be more intentional about putting yourself out there, promoting your achievements, and sharing what your team is doing with the rest of the company.
20th Apr 2020 - Forbes
It is critical to overcome the challenges of remote working to push a virtual Parliament over the line
Whilst MPs may be subject to the same social distancing measures as the rest of the UK, Parliament has a vital role to play in the coronavirus pandemic. During a time of major social and economic pressure, passing emergency laws, scrutinising the Government and representing constituents is absolutely essential to both the nation’s response and to safeguarding democracy. Facilitating these key roles whilst minimising risk to health has presented a unique challenge for House authorities.
20th Apr 2020 - Politics Home
Blog: The remote work phenomenon: How virtual employment is shaping a new future for parents
Remote work makes it very possible to achieve the perfect balance between career and quality time with the kids. It’s also a tremendous benefit to employers as well.
As mentioned, the economy is driven by small business. Often, small businesses experience the growing pains of needing to hire, but lack the funds to create the space needed for that growth to happen. This is right where remote work comes in handy. Statistics provided through Global Workplace Analytics (GWA) have shown cost savings to businesses of up to $11,000 per employee each year by simply allowing remote work. There’s also a cost-savings due to fewer sick days with remote employees versus in-office ones as well.
20th Apr 2020 - People Matters
Can remote working rejuvenate rural Ireland?
The building of digital hubs in community centres and the future prospect of working from home could help rejuvenate rural communities. That’s according to a UCC technology expert and a county councillor, who has been campaigning for several years to regenerate rural Ireland. Bernard Moynihan has consistently argued more has to be done by the Government to help some communities, especially in western Duhallow which has seen villages like Knocknagree hanging on by its fingernails due to depopulation.
20th Apr 2020 - Irish Examiner
Top tips on how to remain motivated in the new normal of working remotely
The global pandemic has meant many companies are implementing mandatory work from home policies. Karla Pearce, Senior Marketing Manager Europe, Cvent Hospitality Cloud gives her top tips on how to remain motivated in the new normal of working remotely.
20th Apr 2020 - ITCM
How Cancer Research UK’s workforce became fully remote
While many of our researchers have volunteered to return to the front line and support the COVID-19 response, we hear from our Chief Information Officer, Tiffany Hall, about how new technology and shifting to more adaptive, collaborative and flexible ways of working last year have allowed our office-based staff to continue their important work during lockdown
20th Apr 2020 - Cancer Research UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 20th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in full15 Best Practices for Working Remotely From Home
We’ve got decades of experience in working in the same place where we live – here are the time-tested practices we at ITPro Today rely on to establish, maintain and grow business as usual.
17th Apr 2020 - ITPro Today
It’s Not Just Working Remotely; Hiring and Onboarding Go Virtual, Too
For her first day on the job at Accenture last month, Danielle Mizrachi planned to walk to the consulting firm’s offices near New York’s Grand Central Terminal wearing the work clothes she bought after accepting their offer back in November.
Instead, Ms. Mizrachi, a 26-year-old software engineer, found herself at her grandmother’s house in Stamford, Conn., awaiting delivery of her company laptop and attending weeks of virtual orientation.
15th Apr 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Sudden Rise in Remote Work Self-Isolation and Health-Related Anxiety
Following a surge in anxiety caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, managing and supporting mental health at work has never been more crucial. With the whole world facing unprecedented challenges around COVID-19, John Williams, Head of Marketing at Instant Offices explains why it’s an ideal time for businesses to place a sharper focus on talking about employee mental health, whether teams are working onsite or remotely.
19th Apr 2020 - BusinessNewsWales.com
Presenter Polly Bartlett plays violin version of STV News theme tune while working from home
Reporter by day and violin supremo in lockdown; super-talented Polly wants to lift spirits across Scotland and was inspired by BBC weatherman Owain Wyn Evans
16th Apr 2020 - Daily Record
Work will transform after this crisis
Now is the time to retool businesses for a remote economy, improve the quality of life for parents, and retrain the workers who lack digital skills. In fact, the response to coronavirus may reveal that some workers and employers prefer remote work after all.
19th Apr 2020 - The Hill
Holyrood committees to be held remotely
Holyrood committees are to be held remotely, Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh has announced, as MSPs will be asked to approve rule changes. Changes to Scottish Parliament standing orders are to be proposed on Tuesday, when MSPs return to Holyrood after the Easter recess, which will formalise virtual meetings. Previously, only committee hearings held in person within the Scottish Parliament were considered formal meetings.
19th Apr 2020 - Evening Express
It's not too early to plan for the future of work in a post-pandemic Ireland
The Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on all our lives. Employers and employees across all sectors found themselves adapting overnight to an entirely new way of working. Remote Working- With much of the workforce now working remotely, a good step for employers is to look at their remote working policy. They should check it is fit for purpose and communicate with staff to ensure they understand the content.
20th Apr 2020 - Independent.ie
Rapid Remote Work: 10 Tips For Success
The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing a multitude of workers to face the challenge of working from home. So how can you work productively and successfully from home? How can you continue to be heard and hear others? What tools do you need? Here are my top 10 tips for successful rapid (sometimes emergency) remote work.
19th Apr 2020 - Forbes
Even Banksy is working from home during the lockdown
Coronavirus lockdown measures mean people around the world are making adjustments to their daily lives, and sometimes their homes. Famed street artist Banksy has joined those who have had to adapt their working life, bringing his outdoor work inside. "My wife hates it when I work from home," Banksy posted on Instagram Wednesday, alongside a set of images showing illustrated rats larking around in his bathroom.
20th Apr 2020 - CNN
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Parliament agrees 'historic' plan for virtual House of Commons
Decision-makers agree plan to allow 120 MPs to take part in virtual proceedings.
Number of MPs physically present in House of Commons will be capped at 50.
Digital Commons will initially apply to questioning ministers and statements.
But if it works it could be extended to allow debate on new laws and motions
16th Apr 2020 - Daily Mail
Staying on task while working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic
I've been working from home for the last six weeks since the coronavirus began to spread in New York. In that time, I've shifted workspaces from my kitchen to my tiny bedroom in my New York apartment to my mom's house in Austin, Texas. I've been reading up on the best ways to stay on task and be productive, especially while working from home, and putting the tips into action. After six weeks of working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic, here are my seven tips for how to stay on task while working from home.
16th Apr 2020 - Business Insider
How will coronavirus change offices? Think new seating, more cleaning and hands-free tech
When people start coming back to the office, what will the post-pandemic workspace look like? Think new seating arrangements and stronger cleaning protocols, architects and designers say.
15th Apr 2020 - San Antonio Express-News
66% of U.S. Employees Are Working Remotely at Least Part-Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Two-thirds of employees are currently working remotely at least part of the work week as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from Clutch, a B2B ratings and reviews platform. Clutch found that 44% of all workers are currently working from home 5 or more days per week, up from 17% before the pandemic. Just 34% of workers aren't working remotely at all during the pandemic, likely a direct result of most states only allowing essential out-of-home work or a reflection of workers who have been laid off.
16th Apr 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 16th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow coronavirus could change your office space and remote work from home
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If and when you return to your office after the novel coronavirus pandemic, you’ll probably notice some differences. Upon entering your building, the doors may open automatically so you don’t have to touch the handles. Before you board your elevator, you might tell the elevator where you’d like to go, rather than pressing the many buttons within the elevator. When you reach your floor, you could walk into a room full of dividers and well-spaced desks instead of the crowded open floor plan you’re used to. In common areas like meeting rooms and kitchens, expect to see fewer chairs and posted documentation of the last time they were cleaned.
15th Apr 2020 - Vox.com
How coronavirus exposed Japan’s low-tech blind spot
15th Apr 2020 - Financial Times
Almost half of the workforce to work remotely after coronavirus
New research suggests the coronavirus will have a lasting impact on the way we work, with almost half of the workforce expected to work remotely after the virus is contained. Large swathes of the global workforce are working from home for the first time after social distancing measures forced many businesses to temporarily shut down offices. And new data from global research and advisory firm Gartner suggests the move could be a permanent one.
15th Apr 2020 - The New Daily
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 15th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in full13 tips for working at home from business owners and consultants
Working from home is the new reality for so many right now. We use Zoom, we chat on Slack, and we manage our projects — all from the comfort of a home office. Most of us already know the basics as far as how to stay productivity — keep regular hours, communicate with family members about your projects, and find a distraction for the kids. These tips from consultants and business owners are different. They are a bit more surprising and unique.
14th Apr 2020 - Ladders
Three tips from Asian businesses on making remote working 'work'
Businesses in Asian countries felt the most immediate blow following the COVID-19 pandemic due to their proximity to China. With almost three months’ worth of lessons learned, and ahead of several others in terms of impact experience, Asian businesses are likely better equipped to survive with more resilience and knowledge on what to do.
14th Apr 2020 - Tech Wire Asia
Working Remotely Is Harder than Expected
Mental health may be suffering for those of us who have recently transitioned from working on-site to working remotely at home, according to a new study from Japan, conducted by Professor Isamu Yamamoto of the department of Business and Commerce at Keio University. In fact, around 35% of respondents felt that telecommuting was taking a toll on their mental health – not enhancing it. For those who cited remote work as a threat to their mental health, there were three leading factors noted by the participants: work life boundaries, physical activity, and communication.
14th Apr 2020 - Psychology Today
How to keep telecommuting teams effective by overcoming four challenges
The author, a mother of children aged four and two who has to work with colleagues across four time zones, shares some tips on how leaders and employees can keep themselves and their teams healthy and effective while working remotely.
14th Apr 2020 - TODAY Online
Sorbonne University’s remote work goes on
14th Apr 2020 - Gulf Today
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 14th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullGot 'Office'? Working Remotely May Be Your Best Bet -- In Good Times And Bad
It's where we're headed. It could be a permanent solution for some. Are you ready? Some companies are better prepared than others. According to "The future of remote work" by Zara Greenbaum for the American Psychological Association (APA), research suggests that "when it's done right, telework can improve employee productivity, creativity and morale."
13th Apr 2020 - Forbes
Remote working: the need for leadership
At very short notice, recent events have forced businesses across the globe to change how they work. Sure, many organisations have offered some degree of remote working for a number of years now, but to be in a position where the entire workforce has to suddenly work from home is challenging even for the most prepared. Remote working has moved from being a “nice to have” to a “must-have,” and at least for the foreseeable is now the new normal, so business leaders must ask themselves – how can our organization stay productive, connected and happy?
10th Apr 2020 - Tech Radar
Is Working From Home The Future Of Work?
An early-April 2020 MIT survey of 25,000 American workers found that 34% of those who’d been employed four weeks earlier said they’re currently working from home. Combined with the roughly 15% who said they’d been working from home pre-COVID-19, that means nearly half the U.S. workforce might now be remote workers. And that’s also true, the researchers say, for workers 55 and older.
10th Apr 2020 - Forbes
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 13th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullWorking remotely means we can’t be remote
While working from home is something many of the team does at some time or another, the fact that everyone is now operating from their place of residence is obviously out of the ordinary. It’s extremely impressive that there has been no drop in productivity whatsoever – everyone is giving 100% to ensure the business runs as normally as possible…even if some may be doing so in pyjamas from a coffee table in their living room!
9th Apr 2020 - Money Marketing
How to Keep Your Team Motivated, Remotely
Many leaders have crossed the first hurdles of moving their teams remote: ensuring colleagues have set up their tech tools, defined their processes, and permanently logged into their video conference accounts. But this is just the first step towards creating an effective work environment for remote employees. The next critical question we must ask is: How do you motivate people who work from home?
9th Apr 2020 - Harvard Business Review
CNN International launches new show about the ups and downs of WFH
For the first time, we are trying to keep the economy going by having such a large number of people working from their living rooms. CNN anchors - broadcasting from their homes - are exploring this uncharted territory
9th Apr 2020 - Journalism.co.uk
9 Productivity Tips for Working at Home Under Quarantine
How to boost concentration and curb procrastination and social isolation.
11th Apr 2020 - Psychology Today
Working from home proving to be viable
The pandemic has put the spotlight on working from home, and while it is not possible for many jobs, the experience may prompt an examination of more flexible work arrangements in the future
11th Apr 2020 - South China Morning Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 10th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullTop 7 Digital Tools for Working Remotely During COVID-19
Some of the challenges of working remotely at home are a lack of team collaboration, in-office culture, family distractions, and so much. So, how can you work from home effectively and collaborate with others during the coronavirus outbreak? I rounded up some of the best business tools you need to work remotely at home, collaborate with others, and be productive.
9th Apr 2020 - Business 2 Community
The importance of routine when working remotely
One of the most difficult transitions people often mention is not being able to ‘switch off’ after they have finished when working from home due. It’s easier to switch off from work when you leave your office and travel back to your house as this provides a change of scenery and some time to ‘decompress’. However, when you are working and living in your house, the lines can blur. So it’s important you find something to do to signify the end of your working day and the start of your evening. This could be a workout, shutting down your laptop and making dinner, going for a walk or simply picking up a book to read. Keeping to a routine will help you feel more productive and, hopefully, feel more mentally positive in this worrying time.
9th Apr 2020 - Dealer Support Magazine
The best apps to learn a language during the Covid 19 lockdown
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Linguist experts and educators say the best way to learn a new language is to converse directly with the instructor or native speaker, ideally in the same physical space. However, with schools and foreign language centers closed, we have to take our lessons indoors, online and in isolation. In response, a few organisations, such as the International Center for Language Studies and the Global Language Network, both in the District, have shifted their in-person classes to virtual "synchronous classrooms." For this arrangement, students and teachers confer via Skype, Zoom or another similar computer interface platform.
9th Apr 2020 - The New Zealand Herald
Coronavirus: self-employed working from home checklist
What does working remotely mean for the self-employed? Whether you run your business on your own or manage a small team, you might now be working from home and holding more remote meetings during the coronavirus outbreak. With that in mind, we’re sharing some tips our Head of Wellbeing, Kelly O’Neill, put together to help our employees adjust to working from home.
9th Apr 2020 - Simply Business knowledge
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 9th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus became the catalyst for remote working. Here's what to do now
Employers can encourage certain behaviors, switch to specific apps and services, and help employees stay productive during these dark times. These tips are divided into three sections related to health and safety, tools and services, and staying productive. They apply to most business functions, although they are geared for the typical home office worker.
3rd Apr 2020 - TechRadar UK
Disabled Students Already Faced Learning Barriers. Then Coronavirus Forced an Abrupt Shift to Online Classes.
Organization is key in classroom teaching, and for students with learning disabilities or brain injuries, that significance is amplified in a virtual setting. According to the National Center for College Students With Disabilities, about one-fifth of undergraduates and 12 percent of graduate students have some kind of disability. For many of those students, the nationwide shift to online learning brings additional accessibility problems.
7th Apr 2020 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
NHS England to ensure all GPs can work from home if isolating
NHS England has committed to providing GPs with IT solutions to enable them to work remotely during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. NHS England said it was making ‘a commitment’ to support every practice ‘where possible’ with the ‘solutions’ they need for any of their staff to work remotely, including providing them with laptops. However, GP leaders said that provision was 'not consistent enough' and that practice teams need access to testing so that they can return to the frontline.
8th Apr 2020 - Pulse
What lies ahead after the coronavirus? A view from Japan
In a survey of more than 10,000 Japanese business, more than 63% projected that COVID-19 would have a "negative impact on their business performance"; But going online and remote working is creating opportunities for some business and forcing reflection on Japan's long-hours working culture; More time spent at home is also prompting families to reconsider traditional domestic roles.
8th Apr 2020 - World Economic Forum
All the comforts of the office, at home: Remote workers snapping up desks, webcams and lamps
Workers nationwide are snapping up electronics, furniture and lighting to transform their spare rooms and kitchen tables into centers of productivity while they wait for the all-clear message on the coronavirus, the global pandemic that sent most of the country into lockdown in March.
8th Apr 2020 - The Washington Post
'How Do I Set Boundaries With My Boss During a Pandemic?'
I want to start by saying that I know I'm in a very privileged position right now: I have a stable job, which I've been doing remotely from the comfort of my apartment for the past month. The issue I'm having is with setting boundaries.
8th Apr 2020 - VICE
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 8th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in full11 Editor-Approved Home Office Essentials To Make Remote Working Healthier and Happier
7th Apr 2020 - YAHOO!
Challenges And Solutions For The Hard Of Hearing In The World Of Remote Work
“I’ve always found a way to make sure being hard of hearing didn’t get in my way. I’ve even managed teams remotely. But in that scenario, I have the ability to get to know each person’s speech patterns. It helps decipher what they’re saying when trying to read lips on a video screen.” But now, like the many others in her similar situation, she has been flung into operating 100% through remote platforms.
7th Apr 2020 - Forbes
How can organisations create a culture of equality while working remotely?
Dr Michelle Cullen, head of inclusion and diversity at Accenture Ireland, writes that we should still focus on company culture when teams are apart.
7th Apr 2020 - Siliconrepublic.com
Working from home: What the new normal looks like, plus remote management tips
ZDNet Editor-in-Chief Larry Dignan, ZDNet UK Editor-in-Chief Steve Ranger, and TechRepublic Editor-in-Chief Bill Detwiler sat down to discuss their best management hacks for getting the most from their teams while working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.
6th Apr 2020 - TechRepublic
Tips on Working Remotely
Over the past few years, more and more companies around the world have discovered the benefits of allowing their employees to work from home. Not only does remote work allow companies to save money on their overhead, but employees enjoy spending more time with their families and simply having a more flexible work schedule. However, remote work does also hold its challenges. Thus, the following list includes a few tips on working remotely.
7th Apr 2020 - Thrive Global
The best apps that boost productivity while working remotely
With the current wave of coronavirus, many businesses will allow a portion of their employees to work from home. For some businesses, this is the first time they will allow their workers to do this. Many business owners will dread allowing their staff to work remotely as they may feel it reduces productivity. These statistics show that working remotely can reduce operational costs and boost productivity.
7th Apr 2020 - HR News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 7th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in full10 Tips For Working Remotely During Coronavirus
If you enjoyed having daily social interaction with co-workers, feelings of isolation and loneliness could set in. Given that this is the new normal, here are ten tips for working remotely that will make your experience less stressful and more productive.
6th Apr 2020 - Forbes
3 ways to manage conflict when you work remotely
A 2017 United Nations report found that 41% of telecommuters were stressed since working remotely can lead to longer office hours and an increased overlap of one’s work and personal life. Add new concerns over COVID-19, a struggling economy, homeschooling children, and shaky job security, and remote workers may find themselves mired in fear and anxiety, creating fertile ground for conflict.
6th Apr 2020 - Fortune
Effective Time Management While Working Remotely During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Time management is one of the most common issues in the way of productivity under normal circumstances. But we are operating in strange times. Working from home automatically comes with its own additional time management challenges under regular circumstances. But we are all dealing with time management on top of the undeniably chaotic events that are unfolding due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
6th Apr 2020 - Forbes
Popular Time-Blocking or Time-Management Techniques You Can Use While Working Remotely
Adapting to remote work can be difficult, especially for those of us who have spent years commuting to the office week after week. Managing time is extremely valuable for working remotely, where distractions abound. Let’s look at some new ways you can manage your time to make the most out of your new workday:
6th Apr 2020 - Entrepreneur
Office Obsolescence - Why Working Remotely is the Future of Business
With technological advancements in recent years, more people than ever are choosing to work from home. What was once but fantasy is now a reality, and people all around the world are able to get their work done on the run. Remote working has completely changed the way businesses operate, allowing employees the freedom and autonomy to work from wherever they choose. In today’s article, we have a look at why working remotely is the future of business
6th Apr 2020 - CEOWORLD magazine
8 Steps to Have a Good Day When Working Remotely
Whether you are a member of senior management or a few months into your startup, these strategies can help you look forward to your workday.
6th Apr 2020 - Inc.com
Covid-19 pushes traditional airfreight training into the virtual classroom
Strategic Aviation Solutions International (SASI), which offers air cargo training programmes, including the Air Cargo Development Programme, under the aegis of Tiaca, is also speeding up its migration to an online format. “We were in the process of converting,” confirmed SASI president & CEO Stan Wraight. According to Mr Careen, the switch to an online framework is not very challenging and around 90% of IATA’s training programmes could be converted.
4th Apr 2020 - TheLoadStar.com
Remote working could put an end to the office as we know it
The ongoing pandemic has brought about the world’s largest remote working experiment, with tens of millions forced to participate worldwide – and its outcome will likely have repercussions that will reverberate long after the last quarantine restrictions are lifted.
4th Apr 2020 - TechRadar India
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 6th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullPeople are sharing their work stations as they adjust to working remotely
Creating and organizing home office spaces can be a great way to find balance in places that once signified rest and privacy, but have more recently been split between peoples’ professional and personal lives. For some workers, this has meant bringing pieces from their workplace offices to their home work stations, while others seek ways to make their work stations feel cozy and inviting.
3rd Apr 2020 - CNBC
CFOs Plan To Permanently Shift Significant Numbers Of Employees To Work Remotely — Survey
Finance leaders, scouring balance sheets for costs to cut, are considering reducing the need for office space by permanently shifting a portion of employees to working remotely, according to a survey released Friday. Allowing employees to work from home, which was once considered a perk for senior employees or hotly sought after hires, is now a lifeline for countless companies hoping to keep operations running amid social-distancing measures aimed at slowing the COVID-19 outbreak.
3rd Apr 2020 - Forbes
Goldman Sachs CEO: Remote work policies could 'attract' new employees after the coronavirus pandemic is over
Even after the coronavirus pandemic calms down, Solomon believes the company will continue to see an increase in the use of video conferencing and become more comfortable with that type of technology. “It will make us more comfortable in providing more flexibility to employees, which, by the way, makes this a more attractive place for people to work,” said Solomon.
3rd Apr 2020 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 3rd Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Seven essential tips if you have to work from home
Not going into the office is an effective way of preventing the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, because it minimises the risk of you coming into contact with someone carrying the disease. Many companies are suggesting workers who can get the job done from home do just that. Some technology companies which produce software used by remote workers, including Zoom and Slack, have subsequently received a bump in share prices in recent days.
17th Mar 2020 - Sky News
David Ainsworth: How to work remotely in a time of coronavirus
This article is intended to take a look at the technological solutions which enable effective distributed working, and the adaptations to culture and ways of working that are involved. It’s based on learning from our own organisation. Catalyst is a charitable initiative incubated at CAST, a charity set up for remote working. We’re distributed by default. For most people that means four days based at home, and only one in the office
12th Mar 2020 - Civil Society Media
There is no workplace like home
As the coronavirus spreads across the globe, forcing more people to work from home, has the outbreak kickstarted the world’s largest workplace experiment?
30th Mar 2020 - Raconteur.net
How to work from home during the coronavirus outbreak
As the coronavirus outbreak grows, more people are working from home.
Tech giants including Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Twitter announced earlier this week, that most of their staff are mandated to work remotely due to the coronavirus. Business Insider has highlighted some tips that will help your staff remain productive while working from home.
3rd Apr 2020 - Business Insider
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 2nd Apr 2020
View this newsletter in full27+ Tools That Make Working Remotely a Breeze
Are you working remotely because of COVID-19? Take a look at these great tools for collaboration, safety, and task management.
1st Apr 2020 - Interesting Engineering
The brave new world of remote work | The Hill
Laboring off-site has been a trend for the last several decades, enabled by a host of varied and ever more powerful technologies. A variant of remote work (also known as telecommuting) is distributed work in which virtual teams – many scattered across the globe – collaborate on projects under the direction of their employer.
1st Apr 2020 - The Hill
How Managers Can Support Remote Employees
In a poll of my coaching clients last week about their biggest challenges, their key themes were about how to stay connected with each team member, help manage their own and others’ stress, maintain team morale and motivation, run engaged meetings, track and communicate progress, and help their team shed nonessential work.
1st Apr 2020 - Harvard Business Review
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 1st Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe Coronavirus Is Creating a Huge, Stressful Experiment in Working From Home
Even before the pandemic struck, remote work was accelerating in the U.S. But the next few months will be a very strange test of our white-collar future.
13th Mar 2020 - The Atlantic
What if we just carried on teleworking?
In this article we discuss a possible knock on effect from the coronavirus pandemic and compulsory containment, with millions of employees working from home. Could we see a future working from home revolution just around the corner?
27th Mar 2020 - Le Point
Vague remote work policies won’t cut it during the coronavirus pandemic
As a result of the coronavirus, organizations should and likely will move away from arbitrary discretion and toward companywide, objective policies on which jobs can be done remotely and under what circumstances.
17th Mar 2020 - Fortune
Coronavirus: five tips on running a remote working drill
Firms have been running work from home tests in preparation for enforcing such arrangements as the crisis worsens. Here’s how to get this right
16th Mar 2020 - People Management Magazine
How to set up remote teams during coronavirus
The CEO of HackerOne, which features a community of over 600,000 people working remotely, offers tips for the best ways to set up remote workers to succeed.
11th Mar 2020 - Fast Company
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 31st Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullRadio Corona: managing remote work in the era of Covid-19
In this episode of Radio Corona, we'll be helping you learn how to better connect in this time of remote work and isolation. Tanya Basu, a senior reporter at MIT Technology Review covering the intersection of humans and technology, will host a Q&A with Rajesh Amandan, the CEO of Ultranaut, and Ali Rayl, the VP of customer experience at Slack.
30th Mar 2020 - MIT Technology Review
What do I need to work from home due to coronavirus?
If you are paying for your own kit, you may want to take an economical approach. But if the company is insisting that you work from home, ask for ergonomic equipment. This often costs more, but is worth it in the long run.
19th Mar 2020 - The Guardian
Big tech firms ramp up remote working orders to prevent coronavirus spread
Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), Twitter (TWTR) and Amazon (AMZN) have implemented remote working policies for many or all of their employees around the globe. Google parent company Alphabet is recommending that all employees in North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East work remotely. Twitter has made working from home mandatory for all workers globally. The company is also in communication with its San Francisco staffers after an employee from that office developed symptoms consistent with coronavirus, though no official diagnosis has been made, according to a company spokesperson.
12th Mar 2020 - CNN
What are you wearing while working from home?
For some it will make sense to dress even more smartly than you might to the office, via pinstripe shirts and proper shoes. For others it will mean dressing for work with your top half, the sofa with your bottom half; otherwise known by a multitude of other names: “conference call dressing”, “dressing from the top up”, “telecommutercore” and “news anchor dressing”.
30th Mar 2020 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 30th Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow to set yourself up for remote working
Bigger businesses with lots of employees are seeing that sending everyone home to work remotely can, and does work effectively. While you might expect it to be counterproductive, many businesses that have adopted this way of working have claimed to see productivity go up, rather than down.
18th Mar 2020 - TechRadar
What are the real challenges tech workers face with working remotely?
Fear of the coronavirus is prompting more companies to have their employees work remotely. But what are the real challenges workers face when working from home and trying to communicate with colleagues?
18th Mar 2020 - ZDNet
A guide to working remotely by locals who do it daily
After 11 years of living locally while operating remotely in a virtual world, the 83 Degrees team and many of our friends, especially those working in tech and online media, are experienced at making it successful. Here are our top tips for first-time remote workers to consider while we all keep our distance and await the outcome of #COVID19.
17th Mar 2020 - 83degreesmedia
Coronavirus: Remote working software crashes on first day of mass working from home
16th Mar 2020 - Yahoo Philippines News
First Time Working Remotely? Here’s How To Ease Into It
The good news is that most workplaces are establishing guidelines and plans for how employees may adjust to working remotely. Ready to ease into working from home, whether it’s on a temporary or slightly more long-term basis? Here’s what you need to do to transition into becoming a telecommuter:
21st Mar 2020 - Forbes
How coronavirus COVID-19 is accelerating the future of work
The coronavirus is forcing enterprises to rethink the way they do business and dust off policies for security, business continuity, and remote workers. Chances are that some of these efforts will stick
24th Mar 2020 - ZDNet
Italy Working Remotely During Lockdown Get A Preview Of The Future Of Energy
“Saying that working from home is not sustainable because houses will have to be heated during the day is a bit unwise, as offices would have been heated instead. For sure, smart working has a positive energy impact, mainly driven by a drop in transports.” Indeed, the climate think tank Ember reported a dramatic fall in electricity demand everywhere in Europe - with Italy on top. They saw Italy's electricity demand drop by 25% in three weeks, followed by Spain 10-15% and Germany, UK and Poland 8% so far.
27th Mar 2020 - Forbes
Finding Your Motivation When Working Remotely For the First Time
Both new and veteran remote workers are finding it challenging to work from home these days. So we’ve gathered a few tips to help you find and sustain your motivation to keep you going. You can read about what tools to use elsewhere; here, we’re going to talk about some different things you can do to get your mojo back.
27th Mar 2020 - Thrive Global
'Is the dog about to bark?' The perils of home broadcasting in the Covid-19 crisis
Although news media is considered an “essential service” – meaning reporters can still go to the office to do their jobs if necessary – many are opting to work from home. Ferguson – who had a rarely used direct line to Radio New Zealand’s studios installed in her office years ago, when she became co-host of the Morning Report programme – is among them.
28th Mar 2020 - The Guardian
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 27th Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullWorking Remotely for the First Time? These Seasoned Experts Have Advice for You to Follow
You need to stay productive, maintain communication and connection, and take care of yourself. We explain how
20th Mar 2020 - Inc.com
More than 30,000 USAA employees are working remotely during COVID-19 pandemic
More than 80 percent of employees and contractors with possibly the largest employer in the city are working from home. According to USAA, more than 30,000 employees are working remotely across the country and the number is increasing daily. In San Antonio, a majority of the 17,000 are also working from home.
26th Mar 2020 - WOAI
6 Tips for Staying Successful While Working Remotely
We know a thing or two about working remotely. In fact, it’s one of the foundational cornerstones of our company. Over the years, we’ve found the secret recipe that enables us to spend ample time with those we love, while still having fulfilling careers. When working from home is done right, we know that remote workers can be more productive than those in an office.
21st Mar 2020 - Business 2 Community
Keep calm and carry on working (remotely)
Buffer, a company specializing in social media content, surveyed 2,500 remote workers on the benefits and challenges associated with teleworking. The number one challenge, at 22%, was the ability to unplug after work. While appreciating this statistic, I suspect many office-bound workers who regularly take laptops home probably suffer from this issue as well. Number two on the list, at 19%, was loneliness, closely followed by collaboration and/or communication at 17%.
20th Mar 2020 - We Live Security
The Art Of Working Remotely: How To Ensure Productivity
Most of us have been conditioned to work and focus because of outside constraints. Meetings force us to adhere to certain schedules, office hours dictate our start and end time and a manager’s watchful eye keeps our internet surfing to a minimum, for the most part. Once on your own, you may find yourself floundering a bit to stay productive. Here are some tips to set yourself up for success.
12th Mar 2020 - Forbes
While working remotely, chaplains aim to give COVID-19 patients rare human touch
With a ‘new normal’ causing most clerical duties to be conducted via phone or video chat, spiritual caregivers try to adapt without changing what works most
27th Mar 2020 - The Times of Israel
The secret to landing a remote job — and who is hiring right now
To help those who want to shift away from working in the office to working from home, CNBC spoke to FlexJobs to find out the best way to search for a remote job, sell your skills and prepare for the interview — and which companies are hiring remote workers right now.
26th Mar 2020 - CNBC
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 26th Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow Covid-19 led to a nationwide work-from-home experiment
Millions of Chinese employees are working from home for the first time, as the nation tackles Covid-19. Will it change conservative corporate culture?
9th Mar 2020 - BBC News
Covid-19 could cause permanent shift towards home working
Covid-19 could permanently shift working patterns as companies forced to embrace remote working by the pandemic find that their employees do not want to return to the office once the closures are lifted.
13th Mar 2020 - The Guardian
Tips for working remotely amid COVID-19 | Stanford News
Stanford employees are being asked to work remotely whenever possible amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are some tips to help you do so effectively.
16th Mar 2020 - Stanford University News
5 Tips for Working From Home Amid COVID-19
We’ve heard all the advice from experts on social distancing and making sure we wash our hands. What we discuss less is the psychological disruption working from home has on millions around the world.
17th Mar 2020 - Psychology Today
Covid-19: Tips for successful remote working | HRD America
Leaders will need to adopt flexible work options and self-care for themselves – not just their employees
17th Mar 2020 - Human Resources Director
Covid-19: NCSC issues secure remote working guidance
With hundreds of thousands likely to be working remotely for some time, the UK’s NCSC has issued best practice guidance to enable security teams to support them
17th Mar 2020 - ComputerWeekly.com
Video lessons to indoor rugby - how Edinburgh is coping with working from home
People from all over Edinburgh have found themselves spending more time at home than ever before in the wake of government lockdown to avoid the spread of coronavirus. We asked Evening News readers about how they were keeping themselves entertained during this unprecedented period of isolation and working from home
25th Mar 2020 - Edinburgh Evening News
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 25th Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe internet’s resilience to mass homeworking
This week, as people who could work from home did, the Underground emptied out and the internet filled up. By March 15th, a day before the prime minister asked people to telecommute, British internet traffic was already up 12% compared with the beginning of February, according to data from Cloudflare, a big network-infrastructure provider. Ridership on the Tube, meanwhile, slumped.
21st Mar 2020 - The Economist
Adjusting to Remote Work During the Coronavirus Crisis
The right technology tools and clear and constant communication are more important than ever. She recommends that managers do an official remote-work launch, carefully plan and facilitate virtual meetings, and pay extra attention to workers’ behavior. For individual contributors, it’s critical to maintain a routine but also embrace flexibility, especially if you’re in the house with family.
24th Mar 2020 - Harvard Business Review
A Swiss hotel is offering a luxury quarantine package — including a $500 coronavirus test
Le Bijou, a high-end Swiss hospitality company that’s part luxury hotel, part serviced apartment, that has meant launching the Covid-19 Service — a customizable stay with add-ons such as in-room coronavirus testing, doctor visits and 24/7 nurse care.
24th Mar 2020 - Washington Post
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 24th Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullAs coronavirus forces millions to work remotely, the US economy may have reached a 'tipping point' in favor of working from home
Companies are enabling remote work to keep business running while helping employees follow social distancing guidelines. A typical company saves about $11,000 per half-time telecommuter per year, according to Global Workplace Analytics. As companies adapt to their remote work structures, the coronavirus pandemic is having a lasting impact on how work is conducted.
23rd Mar 2020 - CNBC
Could remote working be the future of work?
As all the normal rules for business and social interactions are shredded daily by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, working remotely has become a lifeline for UK businesses. Many organisations that have previously ignored remote working are making an overnight u-turn, or those that only allowed hybrid working when team workloads overflowed, now need a framework, some rules and fast ideas for keeping morale up.
23rd Mar 2020 - Tech Radar
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 23rd Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: tidy up your books, we’re all watching remotely
We know that adventurer Ben Fogle colour-co-ordinates his bookshelves. Like remote-working Kevin McClouds, we will snoop during these isolated times. How much more will the boundaries between life and work break down? Next week, the children are home, so we will find out.
22nd Mar 2020 - The Times
An online ambience that recreates the sound of your local cafe to help you work better
Coffitivity recreates the ambient sounds of a cafe to boost your creativity and help you work better. Proven and peer reviewed, see the research to learn more.
21st Mar 2020 - Coffitivity
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 19th Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullItaly COVID-19 lockdown does not halt work of UN agriculture agency
Italy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak, with nearly 28,000 confirmed cases of the disease and 2,503 deaths, according to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO). While a national quarantine has the country in lockdown, it has not halted the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), based in the capital, Rome. Most staff have been working remotely since last Tuesday, although a skeleton team remains at the building to ensure critical business continuity. It too will be reduced this week as FAO moves to complete telecommuting. The new arrangements mean new ways of working. Teams are using technology not only to get the job done but also to keep in touch. FAO has provided staff with licenses for Zoom, the remote conferencing service, thus facilitating virtual meetings and collaboration. Colleagues are calling each other, instead of emailing, to discuss work matters but also to maintain human contact. Daily check-ins, weekly meetings, and WhatsApp groups are also helping to foster team spirit.
19th Mar 2020 - DeviDiscourse
The ins and outs of working from home in the age of COVID-19
As the marketing director for Ignite Northwest, a company that supports entrepreneurs, Cyndi Donahue said most if not all of the people she works with regularly work from home, with one glaring exception: Donahue herself. But with officials advising to “hunker down” to curtail the spread of COVID-19, Donahue is doing just that. Luckily for her, her husband is an old pro and helped her get situated in their home’s guest room. He’s helped her set up the technology, and they’re putting their children on a schedule for structure, but the thing Donahue is struggling with is missing people.
18th Mar 2020 - The Spokesman-Review
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 18th Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullChinese students flock home as coronavirus shuts Western campuses
Packed onto a plane full of fellow Chinese students heading home from the United States, 20-year-old Harvard University undergraduate Roger Zhang wore goggles to ward off the coronavirus for hours until they became just too uncomfortable. Zhang is among tens of thousands of overseas Chinese students making the journey back to China, where the coronavirus emerged late last year, as fears of it grip Western countries and schools and campuses shut their gates. "I can't predict the future, but it has seemed relatively more under control in China," the Shenzhen native told Reuters.
18th Mar 2020 - DevDiscourse
T-Mobile has a plan to temporarily hike the speed of its 4G LTE and 5G networks during the crisis
With the coronavirus forcing adults to work from home and students to stream virtual lessons, T-Mobile expects demand for its network capacity to rise sharply causing traffic bottlenecks and slower data speeds. To prevent excess traffic from slowing its 4G LTE data speeds, T-Mobile is borrowing 600MHz spectrum to increase capacity. By renting the additional 600MHz spectrum, T-Mobile will increase its 4G LTE capacity allowing those working or studying from home to experience faster data speeds than they might have otherwise had to deal with. And with T-Mobile possibly using the borrowed 600MHz holdings for both 4G LTE and 5G, the additional airwaves are very much welcome especially in markets where it can be quickly put to use. The companies loaning the spectrum to T-Mobile include Bluewater; Channel 51; Comcast; Dish; Grain Management affiliate NewLevel, LLC; LB Holdings and Omega Wireless, LLC. This list includes half of the 10 largest holders of 600MHz spectrum in the U.S. The spectrum will be borrowed by T-Mobile for a period of 60 days.
17th Mar 2020 - PhoneArena
Coronavirus, what are the necessary protocols to follow for work? What are the best recommendations for businesses, what rules must employees follow
Il Fatto Quotidiano lists and explains the 13-point worker protocol backed by the government, unions and business - which details safety best practices for employees during the current coronacrisis
15th Mar 2020 - Il Fatto Quotidiano
Working Remotely - Connecting Communities for COVID19 News - 17th Mar 2020
View this newsletter in fullHit the precaution button not the panic button
1) Restrict handshakes and practice ‘hello’ from a great distance. 2) Ask your employees to practice sneezing and coughing etiquette 3) Clean your workplace desk or workstation often 4) Promote hygienic washroom practice 6) Disseminating tissues, dustbin and pocket sanitizers to the employees 7) Hygienic office canteen 8) Basics First - Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
16th Mar 2020 - Tribune India
Coronavirus: Stuck At Home? Here’s The Tech To Get You Through It
If you find you suddenly have some unexpected time at home, there are technological solutions to help you make the most of it. This applies for keeping in touch, video-conferencing that meeting with your colleagues, or FaceTime calls to friends and family, especially if they’re overseas. But the right gadgets can make your sudden enforced solitude more pleasant, too, from using your iPad to watch Netflix if the TV in your bedroom isn’t up to snuff to installing a video doorbell so you don’t need direct contact with the guy at the door.
15th Mar 2020 - Forbes
Coronavirus: 8 ways to look after your mental health
1 - Seek accurate info from legitimate sources 2 - Set limits on news about COVID-19 3 - Look after yourselves 4 - Reach out to others and support those around you 5 - Maintain a sense of hope and positive thinking 6 - Acknowledge your feelings 7 - Take time to talk to the children about COID-19 8 - Ask for professional support if and whenever you need it
13th Mar 2020 - Mental Health Europe
What Can Be Learned From 'Virtual' Firms as Coronavirus Necessitates Remote Work? | The American Lawyer
Brick-and-mortar firms weren't built with remote work in mind, say the leaders of distributed firms, so they face obstacles both physical and cultural as more attorneys log in from home to limit the spread of COVID-19.
12th Mar 2020 - The American Lawyer
