Work from Home and Productivity

The new workforce configuration of a 'remote' model is not new.

There are millions of people around the world who have worked remotely or freelanced for years. When you think about professions as journalists, actors, writers - these professionals have been freelancing long before the term 'gig economy' became common.

WFH model is becoming more popular, and we expect even more professionals to switch to the WFH model even after COVID-19 quarantine ends.

Here are some statistics for you to think about:

• As of now, the number of people who work from home has increased by 140% since 2005. (1)
• The amount of people who work remotely at least once per week has grown by 400% since 2010. (2) Between 2017 and 2018, telecommuting increased by 22%. (3)
• 4.3 million people in the USA (3.4%of the workforce) work from home at least half the time (2018). (4)
• 40% more U.S. companies offered remote work as an option in 2018 than they did in 2013.
• 16% of companies exclusively hire remote workers. (5)
• If they could, 99% of people would choose to work remotely, at least part-time, for the rest of their careers. 95% of people would encourage their friends or family to work remotely. (6)
• Once the COVID-19 pandemic passes, rates of people working from home will explode. In 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showed that 8% of all employees worked from home at least one day a week. (7)
• These numbers will more than double in a post-pandemic world. I suspect almost all employees who can work from home — which is estimated at 40% of employees ­— will be allowed to work from home at least one day a week. (8)

Once the pandemic started the WFH shift for many became a test and a challenge. Some companies forced to rearrange instantly found that many employees were not ready for the new lifestyle.

Some are happy about the change and are now willing to pursue remote work directives further, but some want to get back to 'normal. While, many companies, on the other hand, realized the benefits of the WFH model that other employers found successful. What does that mean? It means that wherever possible, the WFH shift will remain in place.

Those who haven't accepted this new "normal" must learn how to get the most of the modern lifestyle by optimizing their time, organizing their home offices, and learning how to stay productive while working from home.

It might sometimes seem difficult or even close-to-impossible: kids are home, housework, your favorite book is right here, your Netflix binge-watching habit seems to get stronger as that sofa of yours almost calling you for the extra break.

Frankly, there isn’t a universal secret of how to make it work for everybody, but there's a set of secrets that have proven helpful. The reason why it is not universal is simple - once we see or read about new hack, we say 'I cannot do it because...' and we coming up with tons of why we are different, our situation is different and so on. The significant part of success is to action. Recognize the opportunity of this change. Be open to new strategies and try. Attempt different combinations of tools and find the one that works for you.