Cloud-based Software Solutions – What Will Work Life Be Like After the Pandemic?
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Cloud-based Software Solutions - What Will Work Life Be Like After the Pandemic?
Posted on April 13, 2021
After a year since the initial call for a nationwide lockdown, the effects of the pandemic have shifted the ways in which business is conducted today. Many corporations and businesses were able to adapt to these unprecedented times with the help of cloud-based software solutions.
To ensure the safety of all employees and their families, many changes had to be made. It is safe to say that work-life after COVID will likely never be the same as it was prior to the pandemic. We felt it was necessary to explore these effects and the potential outcome of what the white-collar work-life for employees and the employers will look like once things are brought back to “normalcy”.
From the Employee's Perspective
Perhaps the biggest change has been the necessity to work remotely. The accessibility to work remotely has provided employees a more convenient lifestyle and increased autonomy. The need to go into a physical office has become less important as employees proved their capabilities to complete tasks on their own and collaborate via calls or virtual meetings.
Research has shown that businesses lost $600 billion a year due to distractions in the workplace while remote workers were 35% to 40% more productive compared to their in-office counterparts. Another survey found that 95% of respondents stated their productivity remained the same or has been higher working from home with 51% reporting they were more productive.
Here are some of the reasons listed for higher productivity:
- Comfortable workspace
- Quieter environments
- Increased focus
- Fewer interruptions
- Decreased involvement in office politics
It comes with no surprise that with a stressful situation like the pandemic, the importance and awareness of workers’ mental health has substantially increased. Nearly 7 in 10 employees indicated that the pandemic has been the most stressful time in their entire professional career. Moreover, there has been an increase in new prescriptions for medication such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety compared to previous years from the pandemic. There has been an increase in attendance for psychotherapy and teletherapy as well to combat the negative effects brought upon during these times.
It’s abundantly clear that a shift of focus has been placed on the mental health of workers. While much of the negative effects on mental health have been reported, the ability to work remotely has eased some of that stress by improving workers’ work-life balance. Of the workers who have the flexibility to work remotely, 48% stated their work-life balance is excellent or very good. Unfortunately, those who do not have the flexibility to work remotely are nearly two times more likely to report poor or very poor mental health.
As flexibility to work remotely increased due to the pandemic, there has been a rise in expectations for more access to such accommodations. An online survey found that 61% of employees hope for their employers to continue the choice to work remotely after the pandemic. 29% have gone as far as to state that they would quit their jobs if they are not allowed to work remotely. The same study asked how many days professionals would like to work from an office if going back was an absolute necessity.
Here are the results:
- 30% stated 3 days
- 25% stated 2 days
- 19% stated 1 day
- 9% stated 4 days.
It’s quite obvious that the pandemic has shifted the perspectives of what work-life can be like post-pandemic. For the employees who have been fortunate to keep or find work, they have shown an interest in the transitional results from the lockdown.
While workers have certainly been a primary population that has felt the impact of the pandemic, employers have shifted their views on the whole situation as well.
From the Employer's Perspective
Although it has been a tough year for all businesses and their workers, the results may be in the favor of employees who desire the flexibility to work remotely. A survey was conducted on company leaders finding that 80% of them plan to allow employees to work remotely for at least a part of the time after the pandemic. 47% stated they’d allow employees to work full-time remotely for good. Furthermore, out of 669 CEOs, 78% have agreed that remote collaboration will stay for the long term.
The executives and leaders of companies clearly see the benefits of having their employees working from home with the same or higher level of productivity being produced from remote work. Moreover, budget costs are immensely slashed as some companies have chosen smaller office spaces with lower rental costs or the complete elimination of a physical office. The savings made from these cuts enormously benefit companies that are capable of having their employees working in remote locations.
Moreover, the flexibility of remote work has turned into an intriguing incentive to attract employees. The necessity for remote work has transitioned into a popular trend among job seekers, as expectations for flexibility and autonomy have increased. Employers may use this to their advantage, further influencing the idea of remote work to continue after the pandemic.
Cloud-based Software Solutions -
The Answers to Business' Problems
Multiple studies have shown that businesses are starting to shift their perspectives on what a typical work-life should look like. Research clearly shows that both employees and employers find that remote work will likely stay for the long term after the pandemic, and with that may come newer transformations that further improve work-life balance for workers. What can a business do to keep up with these changes and expectations?
More and more people are being vaccinated, and the country is starting to reopen. The transitional period for businesses having their workforce work from in-office to remote may have been difficult, but today’s technology allows for easy transitioning with cloud-based business software solutions.
What is cloud-based software?
Cloud-based software refers to software applications and solutions that run shared resources among multiple users through the internet.
Not only does cloud-based software allow for easy transitioning between working in-office to remote, but it also comes with numerous benefits that greatly improve business operations for employees and employers.
Some of which includes:
- Reduced costs
- Improved collaboration
- Better data security
- Automated software updates
- Increased mobility
- Data backup and easy recovery
- Data insights and scalability
- Environmental benefits
These benefits should certainly intrigue employers to make the switch to cloud-based software solutions if they have not already, whether it be working from in-office, remote, or both.
Services like the Streamline Solution connects all facets of business in a cloud-based software solution, allowing for all employees to access their business functioning needs via the internet. All they would need is a computer and a Wi-Fi connection, and employees can access vital management databases from home or anywhere around the world.
What is the Streamline Solution?
The Streamline Solution is a packaged software solution that optimizes all business software functionalities that seamlessly work together. It includes customized solutions for accounting, sales, eCommerce, reporting, and field services. A Digital Earth provides these software solutions independently as well.
If your business is looking to evolve with these transformative times, A Digital Earth is here to help. Visit the website to learn more about what A Digital Earth can do for your business software solution needs.
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