India Employer Forum

World of Work

Work From Anywhere – Is This The Future Of Work?

  • By: India Employer Forum
  • Date: 30 July 2020

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Work from anywhere could be the newest trend on the block considering how businesses worldwide are moving towards providing employees the freedom to work from any location of their choice. Work from home has already become commonplace worldwide as more and more businesses are learning the realities of this pandemic the harsh way and are now willing to compromise on certain things to run operations smoothly. The productivity does take a hit initially, but when teams get used to working from home and communicating over digital apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, things start falling into place.

Companies are learning their lessons and innovating with what they believe will help them resume and continue operations under the current situation. SBI, one of India’s biggest private sector banks and lenders, is innovating the work from anywhere policy to ensure that it copes well with the challenges that this pandemic has brought upon.

The effects of the pandemic go beyond what anyone would have imagined when they heard about a new virus spreading fast in China in December 2019. Nearly eight months on, the world is a completely different place now. People have lost their jobs and economies of even the most powerful nations have suffered. But even with shortage of jobs, most of the people who are either unemployed or looking for a better opportunity prefer remote jobs. This is going to be the trend not only until the end of this year but a few months into the next year as well. Flexible and remote jobs are going to stay even after a vaccination is developed.

You might also be interested to read: Trends Transforming Workplace : A 2020 Overview

SBI’s work from anywhere strategy to stay operational is backed by technology and tools that will help its employees perform administrative tasks remotely and remain productive at the same time. This is a lesson for those businesses that are planning to release work-from-anywhere jobs to continue hiring. Hover, before organizations venture on to this new mode of work, they need to have the right technology and tools in place, for it to not backfire.

There are several benefits of this work from anywhere strategy. The biggest one out of all the others is how employers can have their employees commute less often. Not only will this help in saving time but also providing better services. Employers can also use it as a means to strike better balance between personal and professional lives.

SBI has already brought this policy into effect in as many as 19 foreign locations. It will soon be rolled out domestically as well. This remote working policy is not only seen as a way to keep employees motivated and productive through this tough period but also reduce operational costs.

If other companies follow suit, this will be a great opportunity for them to get up and running. This will also provide better opportunities for those candidates that are looking for freelance jobs that they can do from just about anywhere. It won’t be a surprise if job portals or even employers start posting jobs tagging them as “jobs you can do remotely” to lure candidates. This also creates an open talent economy, allowing the boundaries of an organization to become fluid.

Reference: “Work-from-anywhere: SBI’s new mantra amid Covid-19” | livemint | June 20, 202

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