The Remote Workforce, what companies are doing about it

Interesting guest post by Victoria Apodaca from Soply.

With 2017 on the rise, the changing workforce has become more and more prevalent. Whether you are freelance, or you have a company that gives you the privilege of working wherever you want, the standard workforce has shifted. Technology has turned a meeting into a virtual conference hall. Collaboration no longer requires arranging meeting times, or even calls – now you can work on an entire project without having a physical interaction with the person on the other side. Many companies are riding the coattails of the remote workplace, and are basing their business models on it. So how exactly does tech in the remote workplace benefit business? And where will it go from here?

Hope for the Little Guys

Small teams, or one-man-bands can now pursue their endeavours without having to hire a fully-stocked team. If you are a small team, who needs some branding design work done, you no longer have to hire a full-time designer. If you are a small business, who needs someone to work on your finances, you no longer need to hire a full-time accountant. Many businesses have moved even more-so into working in segments. By modifying the model in which business is done, they’ve allowed room for outsourcing aspects of their business. Outsourcing not only allows to hire someone who is a committed expert on the task, but it also can save immense costs, especially if the job is seasonal.

Any Task Can Be Done

When there’s holes in the necessary aptitudes of a business, they can be supplemented with someone who can do the job remotely. Whether it be legal, financial, business development, or creative work, most tasks can be delegated and done autonomously. This not only supports small businesses, but large businesses as well. By allowing aspects of the company be done by someone remotely, no task needs to be left behind. With 35% of the US workforce alone doing freelance work, there’s certainly an available person for any task needed. Hiring a remote worker allows for supplementing tasks, as well as strongly encourages diversity and creativity in the position. Freelance platforms have allowed nearly any task to be completed on either a one-off or ongoing basis. Companies like Upwork can help a business complete nearly any task (i.e. accounting, development, branding), as it is a general platform. Then, there are more specific platforms such as Freelance Writing Gigs, which focuses on writers, editors, bloggers, and anyone else who has way with words, and Soply, which focuses on the creating visual content (i.e. animations, illustrations, photos, videos, designs) for brands. Consider outsourcing as a means to expand your reach.

How Tech is Helping the Remote Workplace

The remote workplace wouldn’t be possible without technology. Now, the thought of traditional interviews is continually becoming a thing of the past. Virtual interviews, and social media has changed the way hiring is done. Once you have a foot in the door, software such as Skype, Slack, Buffer, Podio, and Google Drive allow for connecting and collaborating with colleagues, anywhere. For a freelancer, or remote employee, feeling as connected as possible is necessary, so that nothing falls through the cracks. Technology has allowed tasks to be brainstormed, collaborated on, as well as effectively improved project management and internal communication. In addition to the hiring and collaboration processes, technology is now streamlining day-to-day tasks even more.

So What’s Next?

Tech is not only affecting the way people work within a business, it also affects the way businesses function. Working remotely, and outsourcing specific aspects of a company’s activities can significantly help the progressiveness of the company. Also, with the assistance of machine learning, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence combined with human intelligence, tasks are becoming more and more streamlined. Machine learning is enabling driverless cars, making even Uber’s initial business model unfeasible. Blockchain technology has the opportunity to massively assist monetization in the music industry. And, finally, Amazon has conducted its first drone delivery, significantly reducing the man-power and time required to deliver an online order, showing the combination of human and artificial intelligence. With this in mind, the remote workplace isn’t the only shift in the workforce.

The remote workplace not only makes businesses more effective, it also allows for a more diverse workplace and progressive working culture. The evolution of the remote workplace has triggered the business industry to take an overall shift in a direction which welcomes the integration of technology; therefore, businesses are also welcoming many other alternative ways of working. Technology’s improvements in communication has allowed for a stronger work-life balance, making the workplace even more satisfactory for generations to come. The remote workplace is a big step in the direction of the “future workforce”, and it’s only going to advance even more as long as the technology allows for it.

About the Author:
Victoria Apodaca works in Marketing for a UK/DK-based tech company called Soply. Soply is a company which outsources visual content creation to brands by leveraging the remote workplace for getting tasks done. In addition to that, the company encourages its employees to work wherever they want, with an international staff overseeing projects in 110+ countries.

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