The transition from offices to homes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the traditional workspace as we’ve known it. With the majority of employees remote, companies are saving millions on real estate and office expenses making this temporary plan likely to become permanent. Join GitLab’s Head of Remote, Darren Murph, as he sits down with Savvy Millennial’s Founder, Savannah Peterson, to discuss the next phase of work and how society will benefit from widespread flexibility.
Only five percent of work was done remote before the COVID-19 pandemic according to Peterson, with the current remote workforce in America now at almost full capacity. Murph calls the shift “The Great Remote Migration” and claims that it might not be such a bad thing.
“Who would pave a road only to drive on it for three months? If you are going to put in the effort to pave a road, significant effort, you might as well drive on it as long as it’s there, continue to retool it, and make your company better along the way.”
Giving people the freedom to optimize their work environment whether it be at home or in an office is key to productivity, Murph suggests. The session stresses executives to take advantage of being forced to implement a remote plan and encourages companies to use what they have learned to implement a permanent support system for remote work. The change will require many iterations and we won’t all get it perfect the first time but taking a step forward flexible workspaces has the potential to outweigh traditional office work.
“It’s shifting a sense of identity from a physical place to a purpose” – Savannah Peterson
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