When the pandemic had eased from its initial stages and the early lockdowns were being loosened, there was much talk about whether those who had been working from home – in some cases for the first time should return to the office.
Among those talking up the benefits of doing so was the then chancellor Rishi Sunak, who argued in spring 2021 that when he was young the office environment had enabled him to tap into the experience and mentoring capacities of colleagues, and thus advance his career.
Now that he has become prime minister, some might argue that his approach to career progression could hardly have been more justified. However, it remains the fact that for many, working from home, flexible working or hybrid working brings lifestyle benefits, convenience and opportunities to take up jobs geographically distant from their employers.
Small wonder, therefore, that far from being inspired by Mr Sunak’s approach – after all, not everyone wants their office to be in 10 Downing Street, even if rather more people have had a go at it than normal – others are still looking at what remote working can offer.
The Daily Express, for instance, has picked up on this widespread desire for remote working by highlighting the ten best remote jobs that can offer salaries of up to £50,000 a year. The list included IT, public relations, sales, accounting and finance, HR and recruitment, creative and design, graduate jobs, consultancy, administration and customer service.
All that covers a wide range of white collar professions and demand for them is high, with the report noting that demand for jobs offering the chance to ‘work from anywhere’ have increased by 48 per cent in the last year.
This means firms may find they miss out on talent of they are not willing to offer out-of-office working. That means they need to be equipped to enable staff to enjoy full functionality when away from the office in terms of telecoms, internet connections, VOIP, video conferencing and anything else they need.
To make all this possible, firms from the county should seek business IT support in Essex in order to ensure their remote employees are fully equipped to carry out their task and be a major asset to their business.
Among the benefits may be the ability to recruit staff from the more rural parts of the county and the East of England for whom commuting to work regularly would be a deterrent to taking a job.
As Business Insider recently reported, many professionals have enjoyed major career and lifestyle gains from being able to work remotely.
Focusing on the experience of three individuals, it noted how a psychotherapist, personal finance website owner and marketing technology consultant have all enjoyed enhanced lifestyles by switching to remote working during the pandemic. One ended up switching from London to Yorkshire, before eventually ending up in Brazil.
An Essex-based firm may not go as far as having staff working from South America, but the fact that such things are not just possible but increasingly popular means that the companies who can get their staff working remotely will be able to attract talented people from anywhere at the expense of their office-bound rivals.
