V.12.2020 - Can Technology Successfully Help Us Deal with the Financial Repercussions of this Pandemic?
As we enter the 7th week of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario, I am curious about what kind of impact the pandemic will have on our economy. There has been an incredible amount of 
job loss as a result of the Coronavirus. But, at the same time, I know that many organizations have continued to function by implementing new behaviors, workflows, and technology. The crisis has revealed a significant number of career-driven professionals who are capable of working remotely. In many organizations, they made the transition seamlessly. Some companies are considering changing the way they conduct business because they can save a tremendous amount of money if they leverage the “work-from-home” model going forward. My point is, have we mitigated the impact of the recession by using technology to maintain the flow of business?
Wikipedia defines working from home as “…telecommuting is a work arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel (e.g., by bus, bicycle or car, etc.) to a central place of work, such as an office building, warehouse, or store.” The shift to working from home emerged in the late 1970s. In 1995, the phrase “work is something you do, not something you travel to do” was introduced as a new working model by a variety of businesses in both the public and private sectors. It has been proven time and time again that conducting daily operations virtually significantly reduces costs and maximizes productivity. Many companies have been hurt financially as a result of COVID-19, but perhaps bouncing back from the recession will go smoother because of how people have successfully embraced technology.
The concept of work-from-home isn’t as technically complex as one might think. All you need to set up your home office is high-speed Wi-Fi (for those Zoom and GoToMeeting sessions), a computer, and a phone or tablet. That’s it! The concept of a brick and mortar office is immediately transformed into a kitchen, dining room table, bedroom, cottage–whatever! You can literally work anywhere that you can “connect”. The average cost of commercial office space in Toronto is How many people do you know that would prefer to work from home? I know, as a Career Management Consultant, this is the preference of 94% of my clients. Now, how many of those clients actually have their own phone and computer? You see where I am going now… This is a perfect opportunity to negotiate working from home with your employer based on the fact that you can set yourself up to get started with zero-cost.
If working from home is indefinite for you, it will make sense to discuss the costs of your phone and internet with your employer to ensure you are being compensated adequately. But, imagine a world where work is at your fingertips and doesn’t involve a 45-minute train ride and trip to Starbucks. Your employer is not the only one who is going to save money and capitalize on this investment, you will too. This could possibly be the way of our future now and perhaps it actually makes sense for our economy to continue to thrive and grow.