There has been a lot in the news lately about companies wanting to get their workers back to the office now that the pandemic seems to be subsiding. Some companies are using the threat of firings. Others suggest that employees that want to work from home will have to take a pay cut.

This approach doesn’t really make much sense. In our July 14, 2020 blog titled Hybrid Offices, we address this issue: 

“Procedures and protocols had to be put in place to allow for a business to succeed while their employees stayed safe and practiced social distancing. It hasn’t been easy, but many have found that it is feasible.

So now there is a new school of thought the businesses are considering. When – not if – this pandemic ends, do we really need to physically staff an office with people that can just as easily get the job done from home?

The answer for a lot of forward thinking companies is no.”

A recent nasdaq.com article cited that over 40% of workers surveyed are considering leaving their current job in order to find one that will allow them to work from home. Why not? After all, the kids are back in school. There are less distractions at home during the day.

Not to mention that many working from home now have procedures in place in order to be successful while working from the spare bedroom. We’ve advised a lot of people working from home that the best thing they can do to insure success is to assess – and if necessary, upgrade – the equipment and services they are using to communicate and be productive.

We’ve stressed the importance of monitoring network performance. From bandwidth utilization, latency and jitter issues to the drawbacks of using ISP provided all-in-one modem/router/wireless access points. Even the placement of wireless access points throughout the home will impact performance.

If you find yourself in this position, we suggest you take a look at our blog archive. There is a lot of information on network performance and how to, not only get the most out of your network, but make it better.

Employees have a decision to make. Go back to the office, or find a position that will allow them to continue to work in the comforts of home. If you decide that you don’t miss the long commute, and enjoy having lunch at your kitchen table every day, make sure you are set up to succeed remotely.