Teleworking after the pandemic

According to a study carried out by a company active in research, 90 per cent of the human resources managers of the companies surveyed worldwide will continue to allow, at least partially, remote working even after the end of the coronavirus emergency.

The main advantage of this practice is the flexibility regarding the choice of workplace, which allows daily work tasks to be carried out from home or from any chosen location. All that is required for teleworking is an efficient Internet connection and a fixed, pre-established workstation.

As early as March 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Chairman of  DOS Group argued that ‘with teleworking, you earn more and work better’. More than two years later and with the pandemic situation more under control, the Chairman’s position has not changed, in fact he asserts: ‘Thanks to teleworking, the market is increasingly moving towards a hybrid, modern and digital form.

A differentiation must, however, be made between teleworking and so-called smart working: the former refers to the practice of carrying out work with predetermined office hours in a location other than the canonical office; whereas smart working involves the employee applying more flexible and less regulated methods, relying more on his or her personal needs.

Pros and cons of teleworking

Teleworking offers multiple advantages to both companies and employees who decide to adopt it, including the possibility of attracting and retaining qualified professionals who will feel more comfortable working in an environment that offers modern and flexible solutions. From a social point of view, it is worth mentioning how teleworking is an excellent solution for disabled people, who will avoid the usually very tiring commute; not to mention how this system promotes equality between men and women within the family unit, allowing an equal division of parental duties.

Teleworking also has disadvantages due to the decentralisation of resources, such as an obvious difficulty in internal communication between colleagues, who, not all being under the same roof, will be slower to exchange information. This is why it is useful for companies to equip themselves with modern workplace systems to replicate office dynamics by means of instant messaging programmes and state-of-the-art graphic and audio software.

Another issue related to this practice is that of computer security, which can be undermined by attacks from hackers intent on stealing sensitive data. These criminals often exploit the naivety of employees to render even the most sophisticated firewalls useless. In this regard, digital literacy protocols need to be implemented to make colleagues aware of the risks they run by surfing without proper supervision, thus preventing misconduct.

What future?

The DOS Group’s field of expertise, IT, is among those that will continue to benefit from teleworking even after the end of the pandemic emergency. In fact, according to statistics, in technology-intensive sectors (IT, consulting, finance) entrepreneurs plan forms of remote work for more than 70 per cent of their total employees. However, studies suggest that it is still crucial to maintain a hybrid form with a percentage of physical presence in the office, especially to enable less experienced colleagues (interns, apprentices, newcomers) to develop the soft skills that are crucial today for human and professional growth. One of the challenges of the future will therefore be the proper planning of working time and alternating teleworking/presence to ensure opportunities for informal exchange and conviviality.

If you were intrigued by the article, please write to us to tell us about the situation in your workplace!