Friends and family often ask me: “When are you going to go back to the office for work? Has the company you work for set a date yet?”
And I’ll tell them: “I don’t have to go back to an office, Clarity Quest has always been remote. We were set up to do full remote work from home before it was even a thing.”
It’s not something we’re doing temporarily because of “you know what”. No, we’re set up that way intentionally for efficiency, not because of necessity.
The benefits of remote work
One of the best benefits of working remotely at Clarity Quest has been getting to see my young daughter every day during quick breaks from work.
She’ll be in school soon, and I can honestly say that I didn’t miss her important toddler phase. That’s because I wasn’t away at the “office” for work. I have been able to see her develop every day, I haven’t missed out, and I’m very thankful for that.
Other benefits of remote work:
- It’s allowed us to socially distance ourselves from each other (during “you know what”) and avoid exposure.
- We set our own schedules, I can take a break and help my wife with things during the day, and get back online when I need to.
- I live in Michigan where snowstorms can be brutal and cause deadly accidents on morning commutes – no commute is awesome.
- It saves money on gas, work clothes, eating out for lunch, and car maintenance.
How long remote work has been around
Depending on how far back you want to go, you could make the argument that working from home began about 1.4 million years ago. The modern concept of what we know as “working from home” started in 1972 when NASA engineer Jack Nilles first coined the term.
From there, the concept gained popularity in mass media and it was thought that it would have a positive impact on the nation’s gasoline consumption, traffic congestion, air pollution, and mental and physical stress.
Its popularity continued to grow in the 80s, and by 1999 when 400 million people had internet access, it became inescapable.
The future of remote work
Remote work used to be a perk that employers offered for a change of pace, but now it’s become the standard operating procedure for most businesses because of “you know what”.
It’s estimated that by 2025, 70% of the workforce will be working remotely a minimum of five days a month.
And according to a McKinsey study on what’s next for remote work, hybrid models of remote work are likely to persist in the wake of the pandemic. But, the continuation of remote work after the pandemic will be industry-dependent.
So, remote work isn’t going away and for some, that can be a good thing.
What’s next?
The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t slow us down. When offices were shut down, we continued client work without missing a beat.
We KNOW what it takes to be successful with remote work and how to keep employees engaged and morale up.
Contact us to find out how a fully remote marketing agency can take your healthcare, biotech, and IT marketing to the next level.
