Remote work has become a reality for hundreds of people worldwide, since in the face of the growing chain of infections by covid-19, companies have had to implement this model to avoid falling into ruin. According to a survey conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network, 89% of people expect to continue the telecommuting model after the pandemic.
Likewise, the McKinsey Global Institute company, quoted by the newspaper El País, estimates that more than 20% of the workforce in developed countries will continue to work from home, this after the covid-19 is controlled. That is, in nations like the United Kingdom, only 26% will be able to work remotely, in Germany 24%, and in the United States and Japan 22%
It is believed that hairdressers and farmers will be able to work less than a day remotely; technical engineers, physicists and psychologists, will work between one to two days; and the financiers, market analysts and statisticians, between three to five days.
For the Boston Consulting Group partner, Pablo Claver, his expectations regarding remote work will “double”, since it will go from 17% in the main European countries, to 30% or 40%.
How can the remote work trend affect the economy?
Experts have shared that in the long term remote work may affect sectors such as: transportation, restaurants and real estate.
The trend indicates that people would save more money on public transport and gasoline, since they will not require daily mobilizations; Regarding restaurants, the pandemic has shown that employees prefer to cook at home; And as for real estate, many workers have decided to move to cheaper areas, which allows them to live in larger spaces with much more affordable services, this compared to when they resided in the large metropolises.
What is happening with the headquarters of the offices in the big cities?
Like workers, offices are moving to smaller and therefore cheaper cities. According to McKinsey Global Institute partner Anu Madgavkar, in 2020, there was a “vacant office” in the world’s major cities. For example, the “exodus” indicator in San Francisco (United States) was 91%; and in Berlin (Germany) 27%.
Likewise, companies have decided to restructure their spaces, moving away from the traditional a bit, to approach a path directed towards teamwork and conferences. This would reduce the demand for offices between 10% and 15%.
Will the imbalance between personal and work life change?
According to CBRE Vice President Alfonso Galobart, “We will return to maximum flexibility. The workplace is going to adapt to the life of its employees and not the other way around: companies will keep their headquarters and hire satellite spaces to get closer to their workers ”.
Remote work may even threaten business travel, as people have found new ways to conduct meetings, saving hundreds of expenses typically incurred by these types of travel.
