Starting next Monday (October 7), Logitech, which specializes in solutions for workplace collaboration, is leading a week-long campaign that promotes the ability to work from anywhere.

To spread the word about Work From Anywhere Week, Logitech recently teamed up with Laurel Farrer, founder of the Remote Work Association, for a webinar on the benefits and barriers to remote working.

Farrer defined remote work as any situation where, instead of regularly commuting to a centralized location for work, you work from home, a cafe, the train, or wherever you can optimize your productivity. She shared statistics that reveal nearly 50 percent of the U.S. workforce is engaged in some level of remote work, and 90 percent of workers say they would work remotely at least once a week if they could.

Farrer also shared:

Five benefits of remote working, most of which factor in business and health concerns

1. Streamlines operations and helps businesses and communities grow because they can easily extend their presence to different regions. 
2. Develops workforce equality.  People get equal opportunity to produce great work regardless of their location, age, gender, and other factors that may lead to discrimination. 
3. Diffuses the war on talent. Companies can access talent wherever it happens to be and leverage geographic regions for their benefit. 
4. Eliminates commutes, which lessens wear on our transportation infrastructure and addresses environmental concerns.
5. Strengthens the work-life balance. Remote work means less stress and more time for one’s health and relationships.

Barriers to remote work 

Farrer noted some of the obstacles to implementing a successful remote work policy, including:

• Managers who haven’t been trained on how to adjust to managing remote teams.
• Remote workers not having the resources they need to do their jobs.
• Information security risks. By establishing policies and expectations, companies can ensure that remote workers are aware of what they need to do to protect sensitive work-related information.

Conversation starters for adopting a sustainable remote work initiative

• Are workers empowered to design, control, and troubleshoot their workflows?
• Do workers have access to all the tools they need to stay productive?
• Are company policies for off-site staff legal, fair, secure, and sustainable?

Jenn Jakubowicz, Logitech’s channel marketing manager for video collaboration, then offered Logitech’s plan for inspiring that conversation she covered:

Technological ingredients necessary for remote work:

• High-speed internet
• Collaboration software (Microsoft Teams, Zoom)
• The right user tools (Logitech webcams and headsets)

Logitech’s work-from-anywhere campaign, which runs October 7 – 11, includes infographics and social media banners that share a positive message about remote work. I’ve shared one of those infographics in this post. Follow Logitech’s Twitter account as well as the hashtags #WFA and #WorkFromAnywhere to keep up with next week’s promotions, information, and inspirational ideas.

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