How would employers know if workers were really working or just out goofing off somewhere? What about communications among team members? Would there be problems if they can’t have face-to-face meetings? These would undoubtedly have been some of the concerns and suspicions about the efficiency of remote working back then.

Now, with the COVID-19 situation getting worse and worse, an increasing number of companies are allowing their staff to work from home due to health concerns. This has been an important turning point, forcing many firms to adjust their working methods to what has been termed ‘The New Normal’.

Despite Thailand being new to remote working, it’s not new for some countries, such as the USA. A Gallup Poll conducted in 2017 revealed that over 43% of American workers had already adopted working from home for some time and the trend was continuing.

Leading technology firms in the Silicon Valley such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple allow their staff to work from home. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, these companies were among the first to allow their staff to stay home indefinitely until year-end. Some companies, like Twitter, even allow their staff to work from home as long as they want.

Some of the many pros of working at home are the time and cost savings gained from avoiding the need for daily commuting and the fact that working from home allows workers to spend more quality time with their families. However, some of us working from home may still have a question. “What if I prefer working in the office? I miss a working atmosphere where I can meet and talk with co-workers.” There are some undeniable constraints involved in working from home. These limitations have led to the idea of “work from anywhere”, which is more flexible in real life.

When talking about work from home, it means that we spend most of our time working at home, instead of going to the office on a regular basis. If we talk about work from anywhere, it means that we really work from anywhere – not just our homes. Our office may change every day. You can work at home on Monday, work from a coffee shop the next day, or go to the office some days. You can even work on the beach, listening to the sound of ocean waves. Flexibility and freedom are the advantages of working from anywhere. Workers can adjust their work schedules and venues to better suit their lifestyles.

Wade Foster, CEO of US tech startup Zapier, adopted a remote working method in 2012, with some 300 staff members working in the US and 28 countries. Wade has remarked that there are three major elements contributing to the success of working from anywhere, which are teamwork, tools, and processes.

1. Teams

Team members feel comfortable with working from anywhere. They must trust one another and must have good communication skills.

2. Tools

When working from different places it is necessary to have the necessary tools, software, and effective management to ensure that all team members are on the same page. All updates must be accurate with the same understanding by all parties, despite not sitting together.

3. Processes

Efficient working processes will lead to results. While working, it is necessary to provide feedback and monitor assignment progress, both overall and individual, on a regular basis.

In Thailand, companies have increasingly switched to working from home/anywhere, in line with changing lifestyles caused by the pandemic. Some were concerned about issues of the past, whether about productivity or communications, but those concerns turned out all right. A recent survey conducted by the National Innovation Agency revealed that over 44% of new generation workers view working from home as more efficient, with some 50% saying that they wish that working from home policies will continue even when COVID-19 is no longer a threat.

SCB is one of the firms adopting the work from anywhere concept to create a new corporate culture and New Normal way of working with flexibility and speed. By allowing staff to work from anywhere, some of its office areas have been renovated as co-working spaces for any staff, such as the SCB Sky Space and SCB Ground Space. These co-working spaces have been designed to fit the working styles of the new generation, which offer an alternative option to inspire and offer the pleasure of working with others. We believe that a better quality of life will lead to positive results and productivity.