In today’s world, many people can work from home without commuting, thanks to technological and internet development. While this trend can be negative in terms of a lack of productivity and erosion of a long-standing traditional workplace, there are advantages such as reducing the pollution level and widening an access to workforce who cannot move to cities.
One of the main advantages of remote work is decreasing the rate of air and noise pollution in many parts of the world. Nowadays, many people use their private vehicles and public transportation to commute, working from home would reduce the reliance on those modes of transport. Since transports such cars are considered one of the main causes of air and noise pollutions, as they release carbon dioxide and make the city streets quite noisy. Therefore, online working may help reduce such environmental problems. Another advantage of this trend is having access to people who cannot move to city centre. It is clear that in city centres people can find an ideal job with a competitive salary. However, not all people can commute to city centre due to several problems such as financial constrains and family commitments. In such cases, online working from remote ares allow them to bring in a substantial income and pursue meaningful career, meaning companies can also have access to a wide range of workforce.
With regard to the drawbacks, the most evident one is being less productive at work. In many offices, employees are monitored by managers to endure maximum productivity, which, is absent in remote work. The environment of home tends to make workers more relaxed and makes it harder to focus on tasks, resulting in poor results in most cases. A further disadvantage of working remotely is the loss of a valuable old method. Interaction with customers in person is a backbone of almost any business. This, in fact, can improve trust between company and clients, as people usually shape trust when they meet in person. Sales companies, for instance, they often report that when they reduce the in-person negotiations between customers they usually experience lower rate of sales. As a result, businesses that depend on personal relationships may find their client retention and revenue decline significantly.
In conclusion, remote work offers significant benefits – most notably a reduction is commuting-related pollution and great employment opportunities for these unable to relocate to urban centres. However, the risk of reduced productivity and the loss of face-to-face professional interaction are genuine concern that should not be overlooked.