An article in Harvard Business Review by Maxim Sytch and Lindred L. Greer asks "Is Your Organization Ready for Permanent WFH?". While not every type of organization can adapt to remote work (hospitals and police are two prominent exceptions), most organizations have found that work done on-site can be done remotely. At least some of them will make the change permanent.
One advantage of remote work is companies can hire talent from a wider area. A second is some workers will trade lower pay to work from home. Third, eliminating the daily commute is estimated to add the equivalent of 28 to 50 workdays per year, per employee.
The authors recommend steps in the transition to permanent remote work:
- Map out critical tasks and needed competencies. Don't be limited by current tasks, but anticipate future needs.
- Assess costs and benefits - less spending on real estate, more on technology
- Restructure jobs to meet communication and coordination challenges.
- Minimize unnecessary coordination while retaining necessary interdependencies.