Technology did away with the classic concept of the office and reimagined work in a nomadic, open and revolutionary format. No matter where we roam, we can connect with these three trends that define the future of work.
A year has passed since offices opened their doors for the last time. We can all remember the all too familiar frantic commute to get to work on time, the 9 to 5 schedule, and punching into a timecard. How things have changed. The global quarantine made it clear that the office and its customary ways are no longer the sole synonym for productivity.
According to McKinsey surveys, 80% of employees enjoy working from home, and 41% of them consider themselves to be more productive than before, with 28% stating that their productivity has remained the same.
It’s time to consider the different options at our disposal, so we can continue to provide workers the flexibility needed to balance their personal and professional lives, while tapping into the opportunities created by this new model of work.
Workation, Coliving and Offices with a View are three trends generated by remote work, which is here to stay.
Offices with a View is the perfect solution for digital nomads: people who can work from anywhere where there is Wifi. Hotels have repurposed their rooms to meet the needs of the modern workers. Rooms now feature office perks, such as oversized desks, ergonomic furniture, and high-speed internet, while maintaining the best amenities of a hotel in-room service, poolside lounging, and on-site food and beverage. Offices with a view can be rented for hours, days or weeks, and more and more hotels are offering this service as a way to counteract the devastating effects that the pandemic has had on tourism.
Co-living is a trend in which people are living with people who are like-minded instead of family members or spouses. The term is relatively new, and it has emerged as peers came together to share a space because of mutual interest or to solve a common problem (such as exorbitant rental prices in some cities). As people explore new ways to work and collaborate, co-living has emerged as an ideal way to collaborate professionally, and personally.
The term workation combines the words work and vacation, and it is essentially the name given to work performed from any tourist destination. After all, we have witnessed the end of the Office as we knew it. If we no longer have to commute to work every day, then we can go anywhere on the planet and connect from there, time-zone differences notwithstanding. Most destinations combine technology, accommodations, local gastronomy and the privilege of strolling on the beach or through the mountains when office hours end, instead of waiting on the subway platform to go home.
Covid-19 catapulted us into the era of work flexibility, and allowed us to question our routine. And while these trends promise to make work more comfortable, more collaborative and more accessible,they may also pose the potential risk of extending the workload 24/7. Striking a balance between work and free time is essential to prevent job burnout.
Digital nomads have to have a lot of discipline, so that the freedom to work from any place does not end up working against them. To this end, digital tools to account for work hours are very useful for both employee and employer. They monitor the time billed for each project and keep an ongoing record of the hours worked, so we can best calibrate our efforts and win at the future of work.
