Remote working’s history
Remote working can vastly impact the jobs of workers in first world countries, as often big organisations such as Microsoft, Dell and Apple outsource the work that can be done remotely to third world countries to limit the amount of cost that is required to run their support centres,
If they were to have their support centres in the locations where their head quarters are based, it would cost them over 3x the amount it does currently.
There has already been massive controversy with multinational companies exploiting the work of third world countries to make a greater profit with no thought about the moral implications that come with it.
The Guardian has wrote an amazing article explaining the extent of the Nike controversy that has been missed by mainstream media here, they go on to state how Nike “pledged three years ago to improve conditions for the 500,000-strong global workforce,” but never did.
The conditions in the factories do not meet any US regulations and would have been shut down in any first world country, but Nike continues to seek children to work for them to increase their profit margins.
How does this tie in with remote working in the tech world?
Previously we have explored the idea of manufacturing being exploited by large organisations to gain profit over their competitors in the industry, but how does this have anything to do with remote working?
The Coronavirus has caused thousands of jobs to be maintained from home on a remote working basis.
Although this is good for the economy of the world as it has allowed the world to continue to function, despite the global pandemic.
It has caused concern for job security in the future.
Employees are now asking themselves, what is stopping my employer from saving costs and employing personnel from other countries to fulfill my role in the company?
Now that the directors have a clear understanding of how their business can function with remote work, there is nothing stopping them from realizing the cost that they could save with remote working abroad.
We dove into how to maintain your business through the Coronavirus which showed how much profit can be lost by the pandemic and companies are going to be looking for new ways to save cost.
Is my job likely to become remote?
No job is definite to become remote after the pandemic is over, but big organisations may consider creating more opportunities for workers living abroad to cut costs in general, which will leave you with a worse career path because higher up jobs in your company will be taken by remote workers.
We believe, there is going to be a rise in remote work due to the fact that the world is becoming more interconnected, which makes it easier to host meetings over Zoom or work with your colleagues on a project.
If you are worried about your job, we would advise talking to your manager or if you are part of a union they can often help with job security and moral issues that are facing your company.
How can I stop my job being done remotely?
There is no true way that an employee can dictate how the directors are going to manage an organisation, but there are some key techniques that you can do to help prevent it.
The first being, prove to your employer how good at your job you are. If you’re surpassing targets, then they are more likely to keep you on as you will be making the company more money than the average person who would fulfill your role.
The second, ensure that your management know that remote working could be less efficient, as distractions at home are more common than in the office, This could be done by contacting your manager directly, or bringing it up in a meeting.
Finally, if all is lost and your organisation announce that they will be cutting jobs to move the workforce abroad, make your opinion known to the media.
They will be interested if the organisation is sacrificing moral and ethical responsibility for increased profit.
Conclusion
Remote work in the future is inevitable, there is no way that an organisation is going to say no to making more profit.
The only way, long term is to ensure that workers in third world countries are getting paid the same amount, so that everyone has a fair chance at getting the job.
Short term efforts after the Coronavirus can consist of contacting employers to see their plans to reopen offices. or focus on a remote work force now that they have seen the potential in it.
