Page 96 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Spring 2021 Digital Interactive Issue

THE FUTURE OF REMOTE WORK: NEWFOUND ADAPTABILITY BROADENS

HORIZONS FOR BUSINESS RELOCATION, TALENT ATTRACTION AND

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

A full year has passed since COVID-19 how their companies have adapted, pivoted and create leaner operations, eliminating office space
dramatically impacted how businesses operate differentiated themselves amid the pandemic. from total overhead seems to be a quick financial
around the world as a tremendous amount of The team began its study in October of last year, win, as does the ability to draw employees from a
work shifted out of central office buildings and and so far, has received input from approximately vaster talent pool than those who can easily report
into home offices. It’s still too early to predict 50 participants across the globe. They’ve begun to that office space. It also presents an opportunity
exactly how many workers will shift to remote sharing some of their findings on their research to adjust wages that align with the cost of living for
work permanently, however these months have site, covid-research.wedevelop.me. each employee’s geography and potentially save
brought many useful lessons for companies the company money in that regard.
who’ve considered it. For many, what began “The topics have been changing as the reality
out of necessity is giving way to insights that are has,” says WeDevelop Founder and CTO Abel Because of that, companies that rely on remote
informing long-term strategy. Osorio. “At first, it was all uncertainty and fear. workers may seem less attractive to communities
Now it's more about how the ‘new normal’ will looking to recruit based on job-creation numbers
By summer of 2020, tech companies such as be and in part how remote work relates to that. alone. That shouldn’t be the case, according
Google, Twitter, Facebook and Uber had already So, we are shaping the project as it goes and will to Jason Rivas, co-founder and CEO of Austin,
announced that working from home would be continue to do the research, adapting it to get Texas-based Maia Synergy. Rivas launched the
an indefinite option for their employees. With that insights as the world is evolving.” company in April 2020 after a long-planned
news breaking so soon, it became safe to assume spin-off from Western Michigan University. The
over the time since, companies in other industries Some broader strategies found in the responses company leverages a custom content management
have been arriving at the same conclusion, or at they’ve gathered may not seem unsurprising system for virtual learning that encourages positive
least inching toward it. at all, such as shifting to leaner processes and behavioral change to improve health outcomes.
stricter risk management, making what were
Institutions conducting research on remote work over previously multi-year goals come to fruition “While we are a small, remote company, most of
the past year have begun releasing their findings on in just one, developing new businesses and our employees are in Texas,” Rivas said. “I have
the topic, with most taking into account that pre- business models, striving to predict permanent the freedom to hire people from anywhere, yet I
pandemic data showed it to be a growing trend shifts in customer behavior, and building better always feel like I want to hire people locally. I want
long before safety concerns became the driving relationships internally and externally. to be helping and contributing to the place I live,
factor. For example, in the U.S., 2018 Census data so I lean toward that whenever possible.”
showed that telecommuting had become the REMOTE WORK IN RELATION TO
fastest growing means of commuting even then. BROADER STRATEGIES Growth in remote work also means business
owners have more freedom to live and locate
Argentina-based web development and consulting When considering remote work alongside those their companies wherever they want, perhaps
firm WeDevelop is among those collecting objectives, some unexpected and interesting now in places they’d not before considered.
insights and data from business leaders about implications arise. For example, when looking to

96. FDI ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL