{"id":114,"date":"2021-04-21T14:40:31","date_gmt":"2021-04-21T14:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sageworkspace.com\/blog\/?p=114"},"modified":"2021-05-07T18:30:59","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T18:30:59","slug":"los-angeles-businesses-look-to-the-future-of-remote-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sageworkspace.com\/blog\/los-angeles-businesses-look-to-the-future-of-remote-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles businesses look to the future of remote work"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the clock counts down to June 15th, 2021, the date California aims to fully reopen, Los Angeles-based businesses are putting their plans in place to return to the office. According to the<\/span> LA Times<\/span><\/a>, less than 1 in 4 workers in Los Angeles had returned to the office by mid-April, fewer than earlier in the year due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. However, as the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccinations gathers pace, many businesses are focusing on bringing their employees back to the office safely and productively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While their main efforts will be focused on putting in place the necessary <\/span>protocols<\/span><\/a>, focus will also be on the future design of the workforce and optimum work model for the business and its employees. Although the leap to remote working has truly been made – whether companies wanted it or not – few are likely to become fully remote companies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, we can expect the majority to adopt a hybrid work model.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does a hybrid work model look like?<\/b><\/p>\n

A <\/span>recent article<\/span><\/a> by tech hub BuiltIn looked at three possible hybrid models:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Remote-first, which would see most employees continue to work remotely, most likely across different timezones and locations,<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Office-occasional, in which employees would work from the office two or three days a week, <\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Office-first, remote allowed, which would signal a return to a popular pre-covid model in which the majority of the workforce is office-based but some exceptions are permitted.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Remote-first is not a viable option for all companies<\/b><\/p>\n

    The optimum work model will depend on dozens of factors, including operating model and organizational structure. For practical reasons, some businesses will simply not have been able to transition the mass of their workforce to working remotely, and while they may have found ways to incorporate it into their operations, are likely to adopt an \u201coffice-first, remote allowed\u201d model.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Others, however, will have found themselves making lemonade out of lemons and using the pandemic as a catalyst to reengineer parts of the business to make \u201cremote-first\u201d or \u201coffice-occasional\u201d models viable long-term options.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Key considerations when evaluating a work model<\/b><\/p>\n

    As always, the best model will depend on striking the right balance between what is best for the business and what is best for the workforce and employees. While cost savings from downsizing office space and decreasing overheads is one major factor, employee productivity and wellbeing are another.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Some key questions that companies can ask themselves when evaluating their options are:<\/span><\/p>\n

    Can the job be done remotely?<\/b><\/p>\n

    This may seem like a question with an obvious answer, and in the case of physical or manual activities, it usually is. However, think of the many roles once deemed impossible to do outside of the office. Business assistant is one such example, but the <\/span>boom in virtual assistant services<\/span><\/a> proves that the answer isn\u2019t always obvious. Even receiving mail can now be done digitally thanks to virtual mailboxes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    On the other hand, the fact that Facebook, a digitally native brand, has announced that only 50% of its workforce will be able to work fully remotely goes to show that many jobs still require office presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s clear is that fully answering this question now requires the ability to tap into the latest technology trends and understand the options available<\/span><\/p>\n

    Do all my employees suit remote work?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

    Even if the job can be done remotely, there may be reasons why it\u2019s not for everyone. \u00a0 Examples include:<\/span><\/p>\n