John Evoy
General Manager, Grow Remote
The ‘return to office’ debate has intensified in the past 12 months: why wouldn’t companies return to the ‘old normal’? Yet, much of the discussion has been overshadowed by noise.
Rather than viewing it as a constant struggle between employees and employers, it’s important that we take a step back and see what remote work really is. It is a new, more productive way of working and one that has significant positive social impact for individuals, organisations and communities alike.
Benefits of remote work
For centuries, labour and location went hand in hand. Working on farms meant living on them. Likewise, working in offices or factories meant living near them in predominantly urban areas. What the pandemic exposed was that work and location no longer need to be bound together.
This, in essence, benefits everyone and is transformative in a way that can help us face some of the biggest economic, societal and environmental challenges facing us. Employees no longer need to spend hours commuting to do the very same work in offices that they could easily be doing remotely.
Remote work presents an unprecedented
opportunity to drive positive change across
communities, society and the environment.
Remote work boosts talent and communities
The benefits are manifold for employers too — why limit your talent pool to one specific city or region, when a remote-first model opens your organisation up to finding the best talent across Ireland? Perhaps the biggest impact is seen in communities. With commutes now a thing of the past, and with more employees and employers alike being able to spend that money at home, communities all over Ireland benefit from social and economic growth as local businesses benefit from increased patronage while community organisations see an increase in engagement and volunteerism.
New work methods and equity
The future of work is not just about where we work but how we work. Remote work presents an unprecedented opportunity to drive positive change across communities, society and the environment. The debate should not be about returning to old ways, but about finding a new way that works for everyone — and one that can make Ireland a more equitable, efficient and energetic place.
