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Here’s what you need to know today:
- Amazon Extends Remote Working Policy Again
- Wi-Fi 6 To Transform Workplace Connectivity
- Why Being “Always On” Is Hurting Workers
Amazon Extends Remote Working Policy Again
Amazon has announced it will be extending its remote working policy until June of 2021 due to the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases across the country.
“The health and safety of our employees is our top priority, and it will be some time before things return to normal,” the company said in a blog post. “Accordingly, work that can effectively be done from home can continue to be done from home through June 30, 2021.”
Prior to the extension, Amazon had planned on allowing employees to work remotely until the beginning of October. In July, it pushed it back to early January.
Despite the company’s lengthy remote working policy, the company revealed it would be expanding its office footprint by over 900,000 square feet across six cities in the US.
Meanwhile, the company recently leased three offices in downtown Nashville buildings including SunTrust Plaza, Serendipity Labs’ L&C Tower annex and WeWork’s Capitol View location. This news follows the company’s announcement of hiring its 1,000th employee for its Nashville operations.
Wi-Fi 6 To Transform Workplace Connectivity
Today’s workforce has relied on Wi-Fi more than ever before and this need for connectivity is highlighting how strained technology is.
A recent report from the Wi-Fi Alliance anticipates that Wi-F networks will need more spectrum in order to meet increased traffic demands.
That is where Wi-Fi 6 will play a significant role. Similar to how 5G will usher in a new wave of cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi 6 will allow for the fastest network connection that companies have seen.
“Wi-Fi 6 is simply the latest generation of WiFi technology, that improves the whole network speed for all connected devices, instead of just boosting the speed for individual devices,” said Vasudevan Venkatakrishnan, business development director for CommScope Asia Pacific.
However, the details of Wi-Fi 6 are still mostly unknown. What is known is that it will have the capacity to speed up a network by four times.
A survey from the Wireless Broadband Alliance found that 90% of respondents will implement Wi-Fi 6, with 66% stating they would do so before the end of the year.
At the moment, the biggest challenges companies are facing are network performance, security and coverage areas.
Why Being “Always On” Is Hurting Workers
Being “always on” means constantly staying connected with our devices, whether it be for work or virtual socialization. With millions of people working from home at the moment, this way of living has become the norm.
However, research has indicated that being “always on” can have a negative impact on stress levels.
“This suggests that organizations stand to benefit from exploring how to help individuals find the ‘sweet spot’ between using technology to increase engagement and flexibility, and not letting technology take over to a point where it causes negative effects,” according to a Myers-Briggs Company study by co-author John Hackston, head of thought leadership at the company.
The study finds the impact depends on the personality of a person. Those who are more attached to their gadgets felt more stressed in both their professional and person lives.
However, people who were able to set aside time for themselves and their loved ones experienced less stress. That is why it is essential for remote workers in particular to switch off their cell phones or laptops at the end of the work day.
This is admittedly difficult when your home is also your office throughout the pandemic. That is why people are demanding having more of a say in where and when they work.
Now, many organizations have revealed their commitment to a hybrid workforce, where employees can choose to work from home part of the week or come into an office.
