In the 1980s and 1990s, office buildings were filled with the whirring screech and smell of fax machines. These devices have become obsolete, replaced by email and instant messaging. Could the same fate befall the suite of applications that arose during the remote work revolution?
The global outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020 dramatically altered how businesses worldwide operated.
Millions of employees were forced to work remotely, making use of apps that facilitate remote work, such as video conferencing tools (Zoom), project management software (Asana), and cloud collaboration systems (Google Workspace). These apps became indispensable during that time.
According to Polaris Market Research , the worldwide remote workplace services market was valued at $20 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $109 billion by 2030. This rapid expansion demonstrates these apps’ importance in keeping businesses afloat during extraordinary change.
However, we are now in 2024, four years on from the rise of these apps, and we’ve entered a new era. Companies are scrambling to reopen offices and bring their employees back from their homes to the familiar smell of office desks and the whirring sound of printers. Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United’s minority owner, recently stated that the club will no longer allow work from home and is prepared to sever ties with employees who refuse to work from the office.
The question becomes: Will these once indispensable apps become obsolete, just as fax machines became obsolete when instant messaging took center stage?
Technologies at risk and how they could be repurposed
Video Conferencing Apps: During the pandemic, apps like Zoom became pivotal for companies to keep their teams connected. However, as companies now demand their employees return to work, the need for video conferencing apps might dwindle, although hybrid working systems could still keep these apps relevant.
Certain features, like real-time video resolution optimization, can be repurposed for vital office use, which could improve workflow efficiency in large corporations.
Project Management Platforms: Project management platforms like Asana and Trello have become vital for companies to ensure that team goals are kept on track and monitored seamlessly without in-person meetings. The challenge is how these platforms will adapt as employees return to physical offices and in-person meetings reclaim their importance.
For repurpose opportunities, these apps can still be used to manage complex projects. For instance, teams distributed across several offices can use a tool like Asana to stay current with projects. If these platforms are to survive, they must integrate smoothly with everyday office routines and provide solutions that work for both physical and digital collaboration.
Cloud-Based Collaboration Systems: These systems are designed to allow teams to work together on projects simultaneously. Tasks like file sharing and cloud storage make these platforms crucial. However, these systems might lose importance as more employees return to the office. Yet, there might already be a way to keep cloud-based collaboration systems relevant. The ongoing data breaches have highlighted the importance of data security, so even as employees return to their offices, companies would do well to keep these systems in place for several reasons.
Data on remote work efficiency
When remote work became the go-to for businesses and organizations during the pandemic, no one could have easily predicted the overreliance on various apps and systems like Zoom, Asana, and Slack to maintain productivity.
However, studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of remote work, and questions have been raised about the future relevance of these apps as companies shift back to in-person operations.
Stanford University economist Nicholas Bloom, renowned for his research on remote work policies, has uncovered compelling data supporting the advantages of hybrid work arrangements for workers and companies.
In a study of more than 1,600 employees at Trip.com—one of the world’s largest online travel agencies—Bloom’s research revealed that staff members who telecommute two days per week maintain productivity levels comparable to their in-office colleagues and have equal chances for career advancement.
The results on team member turnover were also encouraging. Employees who switched from full-time office work to a mixed schedule resigned at a 33 percent lower rate. Women, non-managers, and employees with long commutes were the least likely to leave their positions when their workweek was reduced to three days in the office. Trip.com believes that reducing attrition saved the organization millions of dollars.
“The results are clear: hybrid employment benefits employee productivity, performance, and retention,” says Bloom, the William D. Eberle Professor of Economics at the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
However, working outside the office has come under fire from high-profile corporate executives such as Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (previously Twitter), and Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who argue that the costs of remote work exceed the benefits. Opponents claim that employees’ training, mentorship, innovation, and corporate culture suffer when not on-site five days a week.
According to Bloom’s study, leadership in businesses where not all employees work remotely tends to “systematically [undervalue] the productivity of hybrid and remote workers.” Bloom’s research indicates a significant gap in managerial skills for overseeing remote teams. The core issue may not lie with employees’ work attire or environment but with leadership’s difficulty adapting traditional management practices to evolving work-life preferences and modern workplace dynamics.
Perspectives from IT professionals and developers
From the perspective of IT professionals and developers, remote work should not become a thing of the past. With the right strategy, it can continue to serve companies with the same degree of importance.
As stated earlier, remote work can be implemented in a way that adapts to the workflow of in-office businesses. Therefore, instead of becoming obsolete, remote work tools can be repurposed to meet the demands of an in-office model.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, had this to say about creating tools that support flexibility: “Our new data shows there is no one-size-fits-all approach to hybrid work, as employee expectations continue to change. The only option for enterprises to address this complexity is to embrace flexibility throughout their whole operating model, including how people work, where they live, and how they approach business processes.”
At Zoom, 83 percent of employees reported feeling more productive in hybrid/remote situations than in-office/on-site settings. The advantage of hybrid extends far beyond the obvious benefits of flexibility; hybrid employees report feeling better connected to their teams/managers.
The future of remote work applications remains uncertain as companies shift back towards in-office work.
However, the story isn’t as simple as these tools becoming obsolete like fax machines. Research shows that hybrid work models can offer significant benefits in productivity and employee retention. While some high-profile executives push for full returns to the office, there’s evidence that this view may be short-sighted.
The key for these remote work technologies seems to be adaptation rather than obsolescence. By repurposing features to support hybrid models and enhancing in-office collaboration, these tools may continue to play a vital role in the modern workplace.
As work cultures continue to evolve, the most successful companies will likely be those that embrace flexibility and find ways to leverage both in-person and remote work technologies to their advantage.
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