Benefits of remote working
When I began my studies in the field of computer science back in I was working for an Big Tech company was a goal that seemed almost impossible for me. The place I was born is was raised in Spain and that’s the place I attended college. The distance of 5000 miles from the tech-related scene that is Silicon Valley had an interesting influence on me. I would watch Apple’s tech conferences and Microsoft’s product announcements like they were Hollywood films. I’ve never imagined myself as a participant in these events.
The most important reason Big Tech companies felt unreachable was the fact that none had centers for development of software in Spain. The only option to work for companies such as Microsoft as well as Google as Software Engineers was to relocate to a different country which made the goal seem more impossible and added to the already difficult selection process. There was a lot of talent neglected in Spain and a large number of engineers who hoped for having a chance to work in Silicon Valley never got it.
For a long time physical presence at work was a requirement for employment. Big tech companies established their headquarters to provide incentive to recruits Many of these campuses turned into vibrant, small towns with corporate accommodation, breakfast bars restaurant, shopping zones theatres, gyms, and fitness centers, all with fancy décor. Of of course there was a purposeful motive behind the flashiness, the synergy that came from face-to-face meetings. Big Tech campuses are considered to be community leaders and innovators.
In the past decade, the COVID-19 disease has altered the world’s society. However, if there’s one sector that has managed to weather the crisis of coronavirus and that’s the technology sector. When the shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders began spreading across countries, Big Tech companies were the first to transition their workforce into a remote environment. The technology that allowed it to be done in a mass scale had been in use for a long time; many smaller enterprises had demonstrated that the desire for work flexibility exists and that productivity is able to be maintained even in teams that are entirely remote.
About five months after outbreak of the disease, tech companies began preparing for the possibility that many employees will not return to work until there’s a vaccine that works or cure. The major players, such as Twitter or Facebook have shifted to let employees work from home for a long time and it’s safe predict that other players will be following. Many employees may not appreciate the social and perks they had at work however, they are now able to have the option of working from any location in as long as they’re connected to the internet. Managers are discovering that when all meetings are conducted using videoconferencing, managing a group that is located together in the same location is almost identical to managing teams across various places or time zone. Engineers are making the most of the value that video conferencing apps offer to keep in touch to collaborate, and progress.
But, Steve Le Vine theorized that remote work could devastate Silicon Valley, saying that ” in seemingly every industry, CEOs pay millions in consulting, design, and architectural costs to multiply and optimize the number of chance encounters between their most creative employees — and hopefully profit from the blockbuster new products that might result“. It is logical to consider that the crisis of serendipity caused by the absence of face-to-face meetings can be addressed with the creation of a brand new communication device.
Communication challenges continue to arise in a work-from-home environment such as working across time zones that are not overlapping. They can be overcome with the help of technology. Attracting the top talent from all over the world is a more difficult task. Companies have carefully considered which areas to build their business presence considering the cost. Based on factors such as the location of the candidates and the costs of living, companies have spent millions of dollars to gain access to a broad group of talented.
Annual trips were planned by recruiters to contact the top universities within and outside of the nation. Large Tech firms were able to compete for the attention of students during these trips to recruit, especially when they were visiting countries or regions which could improve their employee diversity .
Diverse teams improve the company’s ability to innovate and product quality. Proper representation of minorities in an organization results in better-designed products as they take into account an array of demands. This is exactly why the tech industry puts an enormous amount of energy and resources in connecting people from across the globe. Since physical distance and place are no longer relevant when it comes to interviewing candidates, new opportunities are available to all hiring managers and recruiters The next best employee on your team could just be waiting for the chance to be found in a completely different country.
Prior to COVID-19, the likelihood of hiring a graduate from Mexico such as, for example was dependent on the university’s hiring trips that were scheduled every year, either once or twice. Nowadays the majority of interviews are conducted via remote and this trend will likely to continue once the data shows that the quality of hiring is stable. Employers only require the presence of a payroll department at the location of their choice to be able to offer offers to top regional talent. Prior to this, teams typically were offered “relocation packages”, whereas in the near future, they’ll offer “work flexibility”.
All parties involved are beginning to see how beneficial situation this is: wages are more easily adapted to the different workplaces and office expenses can be used to improve the wellbeing of employees (including frequent trips and activities for teams to enjoy meetings) Companies are able to access a wider selection of highly skilled engineers and applicants from small or remote cities may be offered similar opportunities as candidates who reside in, for instance, Silicon Valley.
The assumption that “work flexibility” means “working from home” is an easy error to make. When you are able to return to social interactions remote work will be evident in the various settings it can be used in including working from a park the cafeteria or an official workplace or, in some cases, even your own home office. The concept of work-life balance is given an entirely new meaning as what could have been an two-week vacation in Hawaii could now be an entire month of travel where the majority of the time is used to work from the hotel’s business center, a public library or even a room at an Airbnb home.
A few Big Tech companies started experimenting with remote work through summer internships. Participants from around US work with teams located in traditional tech hubs. Morning stand-up meetings are planned by engineers who may be a few miles away, or even a couple of states far away. This is only the beginning. The world may return to normal in a couple of months, however the technology business will forever change by the realization that employees are able to be employed in a more positive way thanks to the freedom remote work gives.
However, this does not mean the Big Tech companies will get away from their gorgeous campus, nor that their employees would be required to work from home. This means accepting a work environment that allows physical presence as an alternative, not a necessity. It is about embracing the benefits of a distributed culture in the way a team thinks up new ideas and provides value to its customers. It also means opening the doors to truly diverse business.