Homo Sapiens have always had a collaborative zeal and it is this very facet of our personalities that cater to our sustenance. From a psychological standpoint, humans work better when they come together and it is our collaborative capability that makes us stand apart from the rest of the species on the planet. Humans might not have enormous strength or extraordinary physical capabilities but our cognitive superiority has helped us sustain ourselves for centuries.

In today’s world, how do we maintain the same sense of collaboration and team spirit at a time when social distancing is more than necessary? The fundamental process of working together in close proximity in common office spaces and work areas is being replaced with a remote working culture. The global pandemic has caused a major shift in working practices across countries and major corporations and companies have started to shift to remote working in order to maintain social distancing while also sustaining business. Remote working, while slowly being adapted and accepted has seemed to develop a liking of its own among employees.

While there are certain disagreements over remote working as an ideal approach to work practices, studies show that remote working has proven to make more productive employees in the long run. There are several findings that point towards the fact that employees who practice remote working are essentially more focused, able to deliver better results and create a better lifestyle for themselves compared to their office-going counterparts.

Remote interactions replace physical proximities:

A research conducted on human interaction by Dr. Fiona Kerr reveals that eye contact and physical communication with another human being increases dopamine and decreases the stress hormone cortisol. The very act of looking someone in the eyes can be calming for the person. With such findings, remote working is incorporating face-timing and video conferencing in order to sustain the live-interactive aspect of working in office spaces. More than 60 percent of teleconferences in countries like Norway and the Netherland include video in order to increase live interaction.

Blurring boundaries of time and space:

With more and more companies going global and incorporating a diverse range of workforce from different parts of the world, the standardized 9–5 job is no longer the kind of streamlined approach that is sought after. Work doesn’t just happen between 9 AM to 5 PM behind a desk in an office building, five days a week. People are now more mobile than ever and with remote working, employees have the option of creating their own work schedules while keeping in mind the needs of their team members and co-workers. With this increased flexibility, productivity receives a boost and with collaborative tools and technologies at their disposal, employees are shifting to a working landscape where they are not tied to a particular location or time.

Saving costs and eliminating physical logistics:

As more and more companies turn to remote working, many aspects of having a physical office space shed away. Corporations do not need to worry about maintenance, security of premises, organization of interiors and that leads to a lot of cost-saving. This money can be further utilized in digitizing the work environment so that operations are rendered smooth and workflow remains steady even as employees switch to remote working. From the employees’ perspective, traveling time, as well as expenditure, is reduced significantly.

Remote work prioritizes physical and mental health:

Most jobs in today’s world involve sitting long hours at a desk and with a lack of physical movement and change in one’s surroundings, physical and mental health issues can arise. With remote work, employees have the freedom to schedule out their work hours and maintain a sense of distance from work at the same time. Problems like obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and blood pressure tend to be high risks for office-going employees. With remote work, these issues can be prioritized and tackled steadfastly and contribute to a holistic improvement in employee morale.

These four areas represent exciting avenues where remote work is surely to enhance productivity, improve collaborative efforts, and pave the way for a technologically ready and remote work culture that hinges on people’s ability to implement creativity and innovation to the best of their abilities. With the implementation of modern productivity tools and the human zeal to work excellently in a shared environment, remote work does look like the future that can be achieved through a journey of digital transformation.