COVID-19 Could Accelerate Remote Working Policies

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, companies are implementing work-from-home policies to continue business operations, while abiding by social distancing guidelines. This transition might seem sudden, but many organizations have started working remotely before this.

“The coronavirus is going to be a tipping point. We plodded along at about 10% growth a year for the last 10 years, but I foresee that this is going to really accelerate the trend,” said Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics.

According to Gallup’s 2017 State of the American Workplace study, 43% of employees were working remotely at least part of the week. In fact, research has found that working remotely two or three days during the week can have a positive impact on productivity.

Still, while remote working seems like the most reasonable step for companies to take during these times, not all Americans have access to the internet, which is vital for this type of work. The Pew Research Center found that around three-quarters of American adults have the internet at home, but racial minorities, older adults and rural residents are less likely to have this access.