Remote working used to be this unicorn-type of employment that only a few were privileged to experience. If everyone was honest, when someone said they worked from home, everyone’s inner voice thought “yeah, sure”.

Since March 2020, remote working is no longer a privilege but a necessity. Many staff are still working from home as their organizations are being conservatively safe about bringing all staff back into a limited-control area of social distancing. Some brought them back in the summer after the vaccination rollout and are now moving back into remote working as the Delta variant of the coronavirus rears its ugly head.

All this to say, technology has been here with us from the beginning of this journey. Prior to the pandemic few septuagenarians even knew what Zoom was or dreamed they would be worshipping via it or participating in a healthcare visit online through telehealth.

From their new offices in coffee shops, man caves and living rooms, a growing number of remote workers are quietly remaking the way we work and live. So many jobs that were always deemed not appropriate for remote status have changed the way we look at the terminology and how it can be realized.

Apart from a few downsides, this new approach has improved the quality of lives by releasing a tether to specific places near employers. While remote work has blurred some of the boundaries between work lives and personal lives, most employees now say they’re happier and more productive than they’d been at traditional offices. Most employers would agree.

One survey revealed that over two-thirds (74%) plan to permanently shift employees to remote work after the COVID-19 crisis ends. Big tech companies are leading the charge.

One area of concern with remote working is performance management. Even though reports and surveys show that most employees are even more productive in this new environment, identifying employees for professional advancement is a bigger challenge without person-to-person interaction. But it isn’t impossible.

Organizations increasingly focus on work done instead of hours worked—making tools and apps to help manage remote employee performance more essential. To maximize employee efficiency, employers will need visibility over what workers are doing.

In a remote setting where employees collaborate mostly via email, engagement is much harder for workers to convey and for employers to identify. By participating in virtual events, being active in online meetings, and demonstrating high enthusiasm, employees will be able to stand out as leaders while working from home.

Remote work is not going away and more tools and applications are being created every day to make the process more efficient for everyone.

No one is thankful or grateful for the pandemic, but this might be one sliver of a silver lining.

Much like access to data and content improving your search results, employees that have options are more likely to exceed expectations.

Making data accessible is something we know a little about. Whatever you are searching for, it is important to have a comprehensive search feature and quality indexing against a standards-based taxonomy. Choose the right partner in technology, especially when your content is in their hands.

Access Innovations is one of a very small number of companies able to help its clients generate ANSI/ISO/W3C-compliant taxonomies. We are the intelligence and the technology behind world-class explainable artificial intelligence solutions.

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Access Innovations, the intelligence and the technology behind world-class explainable AI solutions.