It has been more than a year since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the closure of schools and workplaces around the world, radically changing our daily routine.
But some may argue that not all changes caused by the pandemic have had a negative impact, especially in terms of distance work.
In a way, COVID-19 forced many companies to undergo a large-scale social experiment, which was that of working from home over the phone. And the result? Some companies had to admit that their fear of declining productivity due to distance work was not true at all.
Instead, many are showing the benefits of this new lifestyle: No round-trip travel, better work-life balance, and more autonomy. Several multinational companies have tried to make this procedure permanent so that they too can reap the benefits of this system.
Such has been the case with Japanese tech giant Fujitsu which has employed 80,000 people across Japan.
Maintaining a balance between work and personal life
The company is maintaining its “Work-life balance” policy, offering high flexibility for employees. “We have been asked to move to new work models, where employees can choose the best time and location themselves,” he said. Hiroki Hiramatsu, Director of Human Resources at Fujitsu.
Mr. Hiramatsu believes that in the long run, distance work will empower women in the workplace and also help revitalize rural communities. “From a corporate point of view, we can hire different talents regardless of location and support them to play an active role in our company,” he said.
However, experts warn that if other companies are to decide to allow employees to work remotely and continue to be competitive, they must pay close attention to the IT and security issues that the pandemic has highlighted.
“There are various problems that companies need to solve, but while some companies are taking initiatives to address those issues, others are still passive or are delaying investments in Information Technology, which divides corporations into two groups.”
