The evolutionary leap of companies towards digitalization

The spread of telecommuting has been one of the consequences of the pandemic of the coronavirus in the workplace. Many companies were already prepared, they had the technological and digital capacity to work remotely. Their workers had also acquired this habit. However, the coronavirus has put on the ropes those more reluctant to telework and who postponed the digital transformation of their processes. The urgency of taking measures to continue their business has led to accelerated transformations.

The telework situation in Spain before the spread of the virus was very different. The latest data published by Eurostat indicate that only 4.3% of Spaniards 4.3% of Spaniards teleworked on a regular basis, a very low percentage compared to other European countries, such as Eurostat  indicate that only 4.3% of Spaniards teleworked on a regular basis, a very low percentage compared to other European countries;European countries, such as Ireland or Sweden, where the percentage of workers who telecommute is 25%.

Also, that 4.3% is even lower compared with the 70% of workers who responded that they would like to switch from face-to-face to remote work in Randstat's latest workplace preference survey.

The work routine will never again be as we remember it, as companies have reinvented their models and the percentage of regular telecommuting will skyrocket. The concept of work has changed, forcibly, forever.

Based on the data on different companies that Kaizen Institute has obtained over the years, this evolution to telework will bring numerous benefits to the business sector:

– Better work reconciliation: Teleworking allows greater flexibility in schedules and, therefore, is one of the measures that most favor reconciliation.

– Cost reduction: Remote work allows companies to reduce their per diem and travel budgets, as well as the cost of office space. This can lead to a reshaping of budgets that results in increased employee satisfaction and has a positive impact on the company, for example, by increasing investment in infrastructure, R&D, etc.

– Increased productivity: Working in a company that allows flexible schedules and facilitates conciliation, avoiding commuting and working in a comfortable and pleasant environment, leads to increased productivity.

Digitization is the first step necessary to carry out teleworking effectively and this is something that companies have to bet on. It involves automating, with the help of technology, the way in which we approach the resolution of a problem or business need, but it is a process that must be approached from the point of view of people;and using their knowledge to redefine the company's processes, not just bringing bad practices from the company's day-to-day operations into a digital environment.