Everyone had to rapidly respond to the challenges posed by COVID-19. One year in and the way that business is conducted has been completely altered. As we move forward, some of the changes brought about by the pandemic will be a permanent part of doing business. The profound implications of that will affect every industry, and people everywhere, especially marginalized groups like women, and people of color.
One of the biggest changes we have seen is the trend of companies moving their headquarters or opening up new operations away from expensive cities like New York and San Francisco, to locations with lower taxes and lower costs of living. In the technology industry, this is especially true, where we have seen an exodus of companies leaving the bay area. Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Dropbox, and Oracle all recently announced they’d be moving to Texas. Others are moving to or expanding in places like Atlanta, Miami, and Denver.
There is a lot of potential for a positive impact with this trend. Companies are starting to realize that top talent doesn’t need to be in a specific city and they’re opening up to the idea of hiring in nontraditional tech hubs. This means new opportunities for those who are connected to diverse regional locations, it lowers the barriers for professionals who face economic barriers to moving to the nations most expensive cities, and presents a strong opportunity for better career balance for couples who moved to a location to prioritize one partner’s career but not the other.
Remote work and video conferencing seem to be trends that are here to stay. Before the pandemic, 80% of workers said they would prefer flexible work options to employment at a prestigious company. Since the pandemic, new data shows that 80% of employees would not even accept a job if it didn’t have those remote work benefits. In response to this 83% of employers are now offering telecommuting options with the result being as much as a 47% increase in productivity.
Remote work and video conferencing seem to be trends that are here to stay. Before the pandemic, 80% of workers said they would prefer flexible work options to employment at a prestigious company. Since the pandemic, new data shows that 80% of employees would not even accept a job if it didn’t have those remote work benefits. In response to…