The COVID-19 pandemic has already had a tremendous impact on our work lives. Even people who have continued to get up and go to work as usual – such as those with “essential” jobs like healthcare workers, grocery clerks, etc. – have likely seen their jobs morph into something different than they were before the onslaught of COVID-19. Changes have been especially felt by workers who have been furloughed or asked to work from home. In fact, recent statistics show that more than 60% of American workers are currently telecommuting, many of those for the first time. For this segment of the workforce, the typical workday is far from average. And in most instances, these changes are not temporary. At least part of what we are experiencing right now in our day-to-day work lives will likely become permanent fixtures in the future. What follows are some of the ways in which we believe COVID-19 will reshape the typical workday in the years to come.

• Remote work will become more commonplace. Although some companies have allowed their employees to work from home (at least part-time) for the past several years, it’s very likely that telecommuting will become much more common for many companies that had never considered it before. There are several reasons why employers will embrace remote work; it means less office space will be required for companies to function, and that means lower overhead costs; employees who can work from home are typically healthier than those who work in a traditional office environment, and that means fewer “sick days”; and workers who telecommute are usually grateful for the opportunity to do so, which translates into more loyalty toward their employers and lower turnover rates for companies.
•  Video conferencing is here to stay. During the recent stay-at-home directives that have affected most of us throughout the US and around the world, video conferencing has skyrocketed. Conferencing tools like Zoom, Skype and several others have demonstrated how face-to-face meetings can be easily replaced with technological tools designed for that purpose. This is true not only for staff meetings, but for meetings with clients as well. Telemedicine is an excellent example of the power of video conferencing. When even going to the doctor can be accomplished remotely, it’s easy to see how effectively these tools can be used in a variety of other industries.
• Employers will need to find a way to measure the productivity levels of telecommuters. When your employees are working in a regular office environment, it’s simple enough to assess how hard they’re working. But if employees are working from home, it’s a different story altogether. You’ll need an effective way to track their productivity levels, which is where MySammy comes into play. Our cloud-based software is specifically designed to track productivity levels of remote workers. We accomplish this without the need for blocking websites and without invading your employees’ privacy with “spyware.” Instead, MySammy collects data and produces a variety of graphs and reports that effectively measure your employees’ productivity levels.

The changes brought about by the current pandemic will undoubtedly alter the typical workday for countless people throughout the US and around the world. But thanks to advanced technological tools like MySammy, you will be well equipped to adapt to these changes and ensure the continued success of your business for years to come.