With what the world has gone through in the past few years, work from home became the norm for a significant period. However, now people and businesses are moving into what is known as work from anywhere. Given how dynamic the world is now, it is not surprising to see more and more workplaces introducing HR policies allowing their employees to work from any part of the world.
This blog will take you through the WFA concept along with the advantages and disadvantages associated with it for HR.
What Is Work From Anywhere (WFA)?
The working from anywhere concept, more popularly known as the WFA, is an option provided by employers to allow employees to work from quite literally anywhere they like. All you need is a laptop and a solid internet connection to stay productive. You can imagine WFA to be the next-gen version of WFH.
The difference is that those who work from home now may be required to attend the office once in a while for a meeting, etc., whereas working from anywhere has no such obligations. With the pandemic, employees have become accustomed to working from home and are now ready to switch to working from anywhere.
Is Working From Anywhere Feasible?
There are many companies out there that allow their employees to work from anywhere to increase productivity and reduce overhead costs. But this may not be the right case for all. There are different factors that affect the way the work of these companies are done. For instance, one of the many factors would be the size of the company. A smaller company may not be able to handle the logistics like that of a larger company. Therefore, before implementing WFA, HR will have to consider these factors that affect their company and the issues that might arise as a result and make plans on how to tackle them.
Benefits of Work From Anywhere
Increased Productivity and Saving of Time
Absences and employee turnover have been reduced.
Lower Facility Costs
Employee Retention
Instantly Diversified Workforce
Disadvantages of Work From Anywhere
Employee Management
The primary downside of WFA is that managing remote employees on a large scale may be challenging. You may find it difficult to keep everyone responsible and on line with their job as they won’t necessarily be in close proximity. Without the typical clock in and clock out mechanism in place, ensuring that work begins on time and concludes on time is not totally viable.
Productivity Management
The organization’s productivity expectations are controlled on a local scale, which is the second drawback. Employees who work from home may feel less compelled to complete tasks or meet deadlines. If there is no framework to how work is done, this may quickly become an issue. The first downside is that when you don’t have the capacity to meet remote workers on a regular basis, managing them becomes a challenge. This could result in a waste of time and resources for your business, as well as missed opportunities.
The working from anywhere model is here to stay and it is up to companies to decide if they want to adopt it. Clearly the benefits listed above are more than the drawbacks explained. The companies that create their technological infrastructure to support this way of working will be well positioned to fully realize the model’s huge potential as explained above. With the right strategy, organizational procedures, technologies, and most importantly leadership transitioning to working from anywhere can become a reality.
