The Future of the Remote Workforce

On March 16, 2023
10:46 am
Filed under Remote Work, Tips and Tricks, Uncategorized

Permanent remote working teams are the new normal for many businesses across various sectors. While an entirely remote workforce carries several advantages for management and staff, this model also presents some unique challenges. This article will discuss how a distributed workforce affects the business and its employees and how management can successfully navigate a virtual working arrangement. Benefits of a Remote Workforce A healthier environment and less waste While working remotely gives employees freedom from in-office, stress-inducing distractions, it also positively impacts our natural environment. Fewer vehicles are on the road when more people work from home, resulting in decreased

You can work from anywhere with the right gear: a solid internet connection, a decent laptop, and a mobile phone with essential communication apps. In this post, we’ll explore some suggestions for tech that can help you be more effective, productive, and look cool (and professional) doing it. Whether you’re working from home, the office, a coworking space, or someplace entirely different, these tools can help you get the job done in style. So, let’s dive in and look at some of the best gear for working on the go. Sound Sound quality can make it challenging to understand what

Working across time zones is becoming more and more common as people continue to work from various locations worldwide. Remote work has become the biggest draw for top talent. The diversity this brings comes with new ideas, different points of view, and a range of benefits to companies. Companies must change the traditional way of doing things to succeed when working across time zones. This post will discuss some of the best practices to communicate effectively and maintain productivity across time zones to maximize the benefits listed above. Working across time zones It’s now normal for people to work from

The global pandemic completely transformed the work dynamic across every business sector. In the blink of an eye, offices were shut down and replaced with virtual teams spread across multiple locations or countries. Many CEOs and managers found themselves scrambling to successfully transition from traditional workplace structures to remote working environments with limited preparation time. Hybrid and remote workforces are here to stay. A Gallup survey conducted in June 2022 showed that 8 out of 10 employees are embracing a hybrid or remote model for the foreseeable future. Gone are the days when spontaneous in-person meetings and brainstorming sessions helped

Not all that long ago, most people worked from a central location, and business owners believed in-person meetings were the best way to exchange information, solve complex issues, and build strong workplace relationships. Although we’ve had the technology to collaborate remotely for decades, corporate America was initially hesitant to adopt a hybrid business model. Today, experts in the field predict the availability of hybrid work will continue to rise through 2024 and beyond. With so many people embracing the option of working from home, there’s also been a dramatic shift in the way we communicate, with new circumstances and challenges

Remote work is the new paradigm. Despite forecasts that workers would be back in offices post-pandemic, the ability to work remotely remains a significant consideration for those seeking employment. Once employees proved that they could not only conduct business as usual remotely but often be more productive in doing so, there was little appetite to go back into the office. That trend shows no sign of slowing down and may even increase as we step into 2023. A remote workforce requires reliable communication between both the employees and customers of a business. For small businesses, a virtual phone system can

In the age of the internet, phone calls remain an integral part of business operations. While email and messaging are thriving, 60% of consumers still prefer over-the-phone communication. No matter how small a business is, customers expect it to provide a professional phone call environment. Startups and home-based businesses can have a hard time setting up a traditional phone system with its wires, connections, and hardware. Meanwhile, the costs of installation and maintenance aren’t low. That’s where VoIP comes in. Let’s take a closer look at key ways a virtual office with VoIP can help your business thrive. What Is

More than 30% of Americans use online video chat to communicate with brands and service providers. These numbers are expected to increase as the number of people who work from home increases. Consequently, if your business has not implemented online video chatting, you might be losing out on the opportunity to interact with your customers and, thus, revenue. If you want to be a brand known for customer service and responsiveness, you’ll need a live answering service that most closely mimics a physical encounter. A video chat is the closest thing we have to physical, eyeball-to-eyeball interaction. A reliable video

Why Find Zoom Alternatives for Online Video Meetings? Since the pandemic started, small and medium-sized business owners everywhere began looking for ways to enhance communications. Keeping staff, clients, and other contacts efficiently connected became critical for operational sustainability. Therefore, online video meetings rose as a primary form of communication. COVID-19 boosted demand for video conferencing software and video chat applications in 2020, which saw a record 62 million downloads in March last year. Zoom quickly took the lead among other competitors such as Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. In fact, it was the most downloaded video conferencing app globally in

In every industry there are many stories about companies that start carelessly spending money on superfluous things such as signing long leases on luxurious office space, furniture and equipment, hosting huge launch parties and events, getting a brand-new sports car as a company car, and the list of unwise decisions goes on until reality inevitably catches up to them and the company collapses completely. On the other hand, there are businesses who look to cut their costs as close to zero as they can get away with, even at the expense of the quality of their product or service. These

Why Is VoIP Used On Office Telephone Systems? Are you looking into office telephone systems? Then probably, the term “VoIP” appeared a lot on your search. Going through the basics of this technology, as well as its pros and cons, will help you determine if it is the right phone choice for your business. What is VoIP? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) explains, “Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line (…) VoIP services convert your voice into a digital

Having a distributed workforce was a reality for some companies prior to the Covid-19, but the pandemic and the accompanying work from home orders have made this a reality for almost every company out there. This sudden, massive shift towards remote work was an effective measure at the beginning of the pandemic, but for most organizations, it was always supposed to be a temporary one. Now, as companies are coming to terms with the idea that they will be dealing with a distributed workforce for the foreseeable future, they are realizing that they need to implement the tools necessary to

As you already know, investing in a professional business phone line gives your company’s image a credibility boost among your clients, prospects, partners, and competitors. A professional business phone line cements your status as a legitimate and reliable business, which, in turn, sets you up for attracting more customers, high-quality employees, and sustainable growth. But the benefits of having a professional business phone line can be maximized by further investing in a more professional image through a virtual address (also known as a virtual office) for your company. Contrary to what the name implies, a virtual address is an

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was created in 1996 to modernize the flow of healthcare information. It stipulates how all personal data maintained by the healthcare and healthcare insurance industries should be protected from fraud and theft. It also addresses limitations on healthcare insurance coverage. All healthcare and healthcare insurance industries are required to comply with HIPAA guidelines and can expect to be audited by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), an organization within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). HIPAA compliance should be taken very seriously, as violations can carry civil or even

For so many companies, the transition to remote work following the COVID-19 outbreak was unplanned and urgent. You should be proud if you’ve managed to stay operational and engaged. Now that we’ve got some practice under our belts, it’s a good time to think about how to improve on what you are already doing. We chatted with some of our clients who have been remote working for years, and this is some of the best advice that they shared. Remote Work Ground Rules Remote teams lose many of the visual clues that foster communication when everyone’s in the

Recently, our team presented a webinar that addressed the shift to remote work and some Phone.com features that make it possible to get work done from anywhere. In case you missed it, the video and a condensed transcription are below. Enjoy! Brent Barbara—Phone.com Senior VP of Business Development Introduction Thanks, everyone, for joining us today. Work has dramatically changed in the last couple of months, and we want to take this afternoon to talk a little bit about how we have adjusted to this new normal. The way people work has changed, although COVID has set

Working from home has gained a lot of acceptance in the last decade, and that acceptance has recently accelerated due to the coronavirus outbreak. What started as a very rare option that was available to only a select few workers is now something that is mandatory for most knowledge-workers as cities go on lockdown and organizations implement social distancing protocols. While working from home offers a variety of benefits, it can be challenging at first as people figure out how to juggle home distractions with getting work done. Something that is even more challenging now as entire families are staying

Introducing our new video conferencing and screen sharing solution. Now you can collaborate from anywhere using your personal computer. Phone.com’s new first-class audio, video, and web conferencing solution empowers communication with clear and effective high-quality audio and video capabilities, from anywhere. HD video conferencing with Phone.com is the next best thing to being in person. You can: Conduct video meetings Meet for as long as you want Share your computer screen and documents Use your phone or computer audio Invite participants with a personal meeting room link Start or join a meeting with no downloads and nothing