Remote work has become possible on a scale we have never seen before, thanks in large part to technology. All
Increased use of digital products inworkspace has become one of the manifestations of a general trend - in the context of social distancing, people began to use online services more often to stay in touch with each other, family and friends. In the regions hit hardest by the impact of the coronavirus, video and voice calls on Messenger and WhatsApp doubled in March 2020, and Facebook Live and Instagram Live views also grew significantly over this period.
It is unlikely that we will ever return to that way of workingand life, which was before the start of the pandemic. And the remote format is likely to be our future. As we increasingly use technology to solve work problems, we will continue to notice the benefits of this format. In my opinion, one of the main advantages of working remotely is the ability to choose in what conditions we work best, how close we are to family, affordable housing and other infrastructure.
Accelerated adaptation of workflows to newreality has already shown many companies that the productivity of a team depends not so much on its presence in the office as on the availability of effective tools that allow employees to complete work tasks and stay in touch with colleagues from anywhere in the world. This observation is especially important in the post-pandemic world, in which executives will focus even more on how to keep the company running without compromising employee health.
Key technologies for remote business
Now under effective tools forbusiness development, we understand mainly postal services, messengers and video platforms, which have become a key element for solving work problems in the current environment. But we believe that even they will find it difficult to cope with the dispersal of the labor force around the world, which is likely to continue after people leave the social distancing regime. The time has come to use those solutions that enable people to realize their potential without being tied to their geographic location.
When we think about formats at Facebookremote work, we not only develop solutions for the short term, but also think about the future. Already today, businesses around the world can use products such as the Workplace corporate social network, the Portal video calling device and the Oculus virtual reality glasses for more effective remote team work. What about the future?
The future of the workflow is technology ataugmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR). They will make remote work more effective - with their help, employees will be able to communicate in real time, retain a common vision, and will also feel belonging to their team. And we imagine that the office of the future may well become a virtual space with elements of human presence (images, movements, sound), in which everyone can communicate and work with colleagues as if they were in the same room.
Much effort is now being made to help companies adapt their businesses to the new work environment.
Office solutions of the future
What criteria should the solutions meet?for remote work in the future? Virtual reality should help employees perform several functions: work in multitasking mode, easily manage different services and switch from one platform to another, and also conveniently interact with colleagues, clients and partners. VR solutions of the future can be built on the basis of existing technologies, but at the same time open up a completely new way of developing work processes for people. And crucially, the new office experience should be centered on a flexible workspace that allows teams to shape a common work environment from anywhere in the world. Several innovative tools can provide all this.
● A VR-based platform that allows you to open multiple windows at the same time, easily and easily switch between them, and conveniently configure all the necessary parameters using a common menu.
● Such VR-screens can be implemented in realspace in the form of augmented reality. This mixed reality will give people the opportunity to be more flexible and easily move from virtual to real space. In addition, the combination of real and virtual objects (keyboard and screen) will make the process of adapting employees to new formats more comfortable.
● Feel the presence of other people in a newspace will be helped by avatars of employees who will copy the appearance, voice, movements and facial expressions of specific people. Only in this way we will get the same positive emotions from communication with colleagues and partners, as in the real world!
Implementation of everything conceived to createworking space of the future is one of our main goals. We believe that virtual and augmented reality will open up many opportunities for people to better build relationships with each other in the workspace. Today we are doing everything necessary for people to try these technologies. At the same time, the necessary base of tools and technological developments is being formed in order to make the leap towards new platforms for remote work.
What to expect
Partial return to normal... We hope that in a year many countries of the worldmore or less return to their old way of life. Some businesses are more likely to continue operating from the office while recognizing the benefits of working remotely. But the more forward-thinking companies will start actively recruiting remote workers, expanding the economic opportunities for professionals around the world.
Growth in the number of remote workers.This will make companies even more “virtual”,than ever before, made possible by improvements in video services and advances in artificial intelligence. People will get used to communicating with colleagues they have never met in person, and to using technology that allows them to feel the presence of another person.
VR technologies as part of the workflow.A key role in better communication andinteraction with remote colleagues will be played by technologies based on virtual reality. They will open up a new space for companies where they can improve team productivity, conduct trainings, discuss projects, and much more.
More attention to employee comments.One of the lessons of the pandemic for various companiesthere will also be a need to listen more often to your employees, who form the core of their business. Management recognizes the value of feedback from those responsible for direct interaction with customers and the provision of a particular service, and will use it to develop innovative products and services.
What will happen in five years?The office will change beyond recognition.It is quite possible that it will cease to be a space for daily resolution of work tasks and will become a place for one-time meetings with employees, partners and clients, where it will be possible to discuss urgent, topical or most complex issues. And key to our workflows will be the next generation of augmented and virtual reality technologies that will offer people unlimited workspaces with the ability to customize their virtual screens.
Labor market democratization.Geographical location or readiness forrelocation will cease to be one of the important factors for hiring an employee to a company, which means that the employee’s skills and talents will play an increasingly important role. I am confident that in a world where people do not have to choose between family and work, people will be able to work even more productively and efficiently, be more often charged with new ideas and more energetically implement them.
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