As many businesses across the world gear up to go back into the office in July, it seems that some of the changes brought upon us by COVID-19 could outlast the pandemic.
We are all now well adapted to working from home, whether we are still using ironing boards and kitchen tables for desks, or have splashed out on all of the new equipment. And it seems that this quickly bought about change has affected businesses more than we realised.
Businesses across the world have embraced the work from home approach, not only because of benefits such as; reduced overheads, travel expense, eco-friendliness or increased productivity but also because, in a world that is ever-changing, technology now allows us to do much more, from any location. And those who choose not to work from the office are able to do so without disruption to their daily working regime.
Why is the WFH shift good for businesses?
There are many reasons why a business may choose to remain predominantly home-based. For employers, the benefits of adopting work from home as a permanent option mean that they are not limited to employee capabilities within their area, as they are able to employ a person no matter where they live within the UK. By also giving employees the freedom to choose, where possible, where they would like to work from will also create a happier work environment and potentially result in more loyal workers.
For employees, the benefits in the shift offer a less distracting work environment and no commuting. It promotes mental health and wellbeing and in fact, recent studies show that 90% of those working from home wanted to continue doing so, with 60% saying it gave them a better work-life balance.
Companies that have embraced a work from home shift permanently
So far, many companies have openly committed to this new working style, allowing employees to work, where possible, from home. A few of whom include;
- Microsoft
- Nationwide
- HSBC
- Santander
- British Airways
- Lloyds
Joe Garner, Chief Executive of Nationwide said ‘The last year has taught many of us that HOW we do our jobs is much more important than WHERE we do them from’
Working together with IT
With the technical advancements in the last 10 years, IT has enabled us to be able to do pretty much anything from any location. We are able to access, share and collaborate on documents in real-time, hold virtual meetings online, access all telephony via our computers and stay in close contact with colleagues, friends and family.
It is, however, important to ensure your set up is secure. From updates to antivirus, security solutions to IT support, working online brings risks of its own, and it is down to you to remain secure in your working environment.
How can Nebula help?
Of course, we are here to help if you need us! And there are many ways we can help keep you secure, no matter where your location is.
- Working in the Cloud – Using secure tools such as OneDrive and SharePoint offer you and your business that extra level of security.
- Antivirus/ Security – Vulnerabilities are all around us, however, limiting threats to your devices allows you to be able to safeguard your data.
- Email protection – Emails are often unmonitored and unforgotten, however, with thousands being sent and received every month, they prove to be a huge threat to any business
- Getting the most from M365 – As a proud Microsoft advocate, we encourage, teach and advise all of our clients of the wonderful collaborative and Cloud-based applications Microsoft has to offer from tools such as Microsoft Teams, OneNote to Microsoft 365.
- IT Support – No matter where you or your employees decide to work from, we are always here if you need us. We offer different levels of IT support to suit your business needs, and our team of experts here are on hand to solve all your IT problems at a time that suits you best.
So why not get in touch today, and find out exactly what we can offer your business!
