Remote work was, by new means, introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sure, it became far more common across the board, a method of work used by professionals in all different industries across the world. However, that’s not to say that it didn’t exist at all before this time. Many professions utilised the notion of remote work, including people like journalists, IT specialists and so on.

However, since the world has opened up a bit more after the end of the pandemic, many companies have had to re-evaluate their “work-from-home” policies. Allowing employees to work from home required a massive shift in protocols relating to everything from email clients to cyber security. In some cases, companies completely gave up their office space.

So, now the question has become whether or not they go back to their old ways, stick to remote work or find some kind of hybrid solution.

Speeding Up the Process

An interesting aspect of the shift from office work to remote work is the idea that it was probably always in the cards. That is, most experts predict that had Covid-19 not happened, the shift to more of a remote style of work was always going to come – albeit at a far slower rate.

However, Covid-19 pushed the process along, forcing companies and employees to figure out how to make it work, because there simply was no other option. Now, since these new structures have been put in place, what’s the point of going backwards? Well, that’s the question on everybody’s minds.

Niche Industries

It’s essential to consider the fact that while many people, businesses and industries as a whole have been able to adapt to these changes, they’re simply not feasible for others.

Teachers, for instance. Sure, they can teach classes via Zoom or other online software, but this comes with a plethora of issues. First, accessibility – the idea of being able to do this assumes a certain amount of privilege, specifically access to computers and the internet. Unfortunately, not everybody around the world has this privilege.

Another industry that is mostly excluded from complete remote work is the legal fraternity. While lawyers can certainly do much of their admin work from home, they still need to go to court and have in-person meetings, among other things. Thus, this is another example of a niche profession that cannot go completely remote.

A Hybrid Work Model

An option that many people are choosing to try out is that of creating a hybrid work model. That is, a mixture between working from the office part-time and working from home the rest of the time.

This has a lot of potential to work for many people, allowing them to capitalise on the upsides of both situations. The flexibility of being able to work from anywhere and browse golf betting odds during lunch while also having the structure of an office environment when necessary. This allows employees to still be part of a working community with colleagues and possible meeting space, while also being able to work independently.