Tag: remote working

It’s been nearly three years since we converted our couches, kitchen tables and bedrooms into our work from home offices - but WFH habits risk ageing our bodies and brains even as many people return to work or follow a hybrid model.

The only thing that’s constant in life is change. Many companies are now choosing hybrid workforce models to power their operations. As a result, they are adopting the technology necessary to complement this type of flexible model. The COVID-19 pandemic forever altered how the modern workplace functions: trends clearly show the demand for the hybrid workplace model.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have always been compelled to find and leverage every opportunity to remain competitive and stay ahead of the curve. Amidst all of the disruption of the past two years, this need has become a business imperative.

At a time when hybrid working is normalised, many companies have taken to using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) that enables computers on the same corporate network to be linked together and accessed remotely even when employees are at home.

The fifth annual State of South Africa Small Business report 2022 found that 95% of business owners have experienced stress in running their businesses. Undoubtedly every late payment, supply chain issue, and government decision over the past two years has placed additional stress on the owners of small businesses.

A need for flexibility at work, employee benefits, the effects of the great resignation on organisations, the increased role of technology and a shift to a gig economy are some of the trends that were discussed at our Corporate’s Partnership Connect 2022 event in Rosebank.

The concept of a four-day work week is attracting growing interest in countries around the world, including South Africa. Local employers must understand the model, decide if it will work for them, and know how to implement it effectively.

Having reached the halfway mark of 2022, there’s little doubt that travel is rebounding – and quickly. So much so, that airports around the world are reporting delays, queues and flight disruptions as they struggle to hire (and rehire) staff quickly enough to meet the huge surge in demand.

In 2021 alone, The Great Resignation saw 47 percent of high-performing employees leave companies to join another - for better perks, for greater resonance with their values or for more flexible, remote working - or to seek the fertile, fast-growing pastures of digital nomadism. And in terms of those who stayed?

For millions around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense workplace disruption and compelled many companies to reassess how they do business. By this time last year, about 50% of the South African workforce was working from home, while globally, this number was up to 76%.