Leaders rethink remote work as over 70% of employees cite benefits

Social distancing impacted everything in our global community, from social gatherings and consumer behaviours to education and healthcare services – and of course, how we get our work done. Millions of jobs were impacted – those not facing layoffs, furloughs or limited hours were suddenly transitioned to remote working.

Overnight, the “normalcy” of face-to-face meetings was dropped in favour of online collaboration – with numerous challenges. Employees were dealing with the added stressors of finding quiet places to work, maintaining professionalism and balancing, family, and/or roommates.

Those living alone, had with no obvious substitute for “water cooler” conversations with colleagues, the struggle to stay connected was an ongoing battle.

There was light at the end of the tunnel, as people settled into their new normal and got to grips with online collaboration, they began to see the benefits: increased productivity, spending time with family and friends, and having more time.

GoToConnect and OnePoll surveyed of over 2,200 global workers to examine how they feel about the role of remote work, highlighting the benefits of flexible remote working:

Almost 3/4 of people (72 per cent) feel that remote work gives them more time in their day

2/3 agree that remote work helps them save money on commuter costs (like fuel and public transport fares) and lunch.

Over half of respondents (56 per cent) felt they were spending more quality time with their families and friends.

Leaders in IT, HR and at the executive level are taking this opportunity to think holistically about setting up a flexible workforce in the long term to support their employees

GoToConnect comes packed with over 100 features across cloud VoIP and web, audio and video conferencing enabling employees to work from anywhere.