Work-life balance has a whole new meaning these days.
The joys of working remote! What did your work-life balance look like before the pandemic? 9-5 in an office? Sitting in traffic for an hour both ways? The COVID19 outbreak seems to have shaped the future of employment completely. Pre-COVID, for a lot of businesses that were starting out, their future could have looked something like this...
A person or partnership comes up with a good idea and starts a business. They work hard until the business finds initial success and now needs its first employee. Maybe they would have that employee work in the basement or even remote. As the hard work presses on, they would inevitably begin the search for office space. The natural progression then continues towards owned real estate with its own large logo displayed for everyone to see it on their own daily commutes to work. With the right concoction of dedication, perseverance, and a little luck, a small business owner can only hope for continued success and growth from that point forward.
This would have been a typical growth structure for businesses that had their start 5-10 years ago. Even two and half years ago when our own business started, I pictured a large office with all of our employees working in a cubicle with their phones and computers. The big sign on the building and all. Then, 2020 happened.
Thankfully, we were in an industry that could survive the pandemic, unlike most. Some companies were able to transition their employees to remote positions. Others had to let people go or temporarily close. Some even shut down permanently. According to Upwork, 42% of all jobs in the US right now are remote. As things look up and the pandemic weakens, what will this number do? Do you think it is cheaper to avoid leases and purchasing office space for employees to work in? Of course. What is it doing to productivity though? Some say the remote employment rate will drop down to nearly 20% by 2025. Others say it's here to stay! This, in turn, could make cubicles and offices a thing of the past.
We are blessed that our business is experiencing growth. We hired our first employee a month ago and officially started an internship program this week. We have a total of 9 people working for MB Design right now, all remote. For us, remote employment was an easy decision, and it will stay this way for the time being. What is your business going to do? Are you bringing employees back to the office? Is the number of remote workers going to increase or decrease? How will this decision affect your business?
Chase Bullock
MB Design