Remote working: Remain adaptable, says TeamViewer APAC head

The pandemic has proven that remote working is feasible. And even now that many companies are asking people to go back to the office and adapting a hybrid working model, businesses must recognize the changing needs of their employees.

"In today's digital age, businesses must remain adaptable to evolving working models that encourage optimum employee performance – regardless of where they are. As a leading provider of remote connectivity solutions, we are in the best position to attest that when equipped with the right tools, support, and policies, remote work and collaboration are possible without compromising performance," TeamViewer President for Asia Pacific Sojung Lee told Digital Life Asia.

She said businesses must consider two key aspects when they embrace a remote or hybrid working model: culture and technology.

"Firstly, a company must create a strong culture that values transparency, accountability, and flexibility to make remote working possible. Well-defined processes and clear expectations must be established. That said, companies need to be willing to evolve and adapt. It is important to recognize that the pandemic completely transformed how employees regard their work-life balance. In fact, a survey by Randstad showed that 2 in 5 Singapore workers won't accept jobs that don't offer remote working or flexible hours – only affirming that enabling remote work is the way forward for businesses to effectively keep up with the changing times and attract or retain top talents," she said.

The second important aspect that businesses must consider is ensuring that they are enabling productive remote working by providing the necessary and suitable technology.

"This includes giving employees access to reliable internet, communication and collaboration software, and project management tools, among others. The IT team should also have a remote connectivity solution such as TeamViewer to be able to provide sufficient tech support to employees if necessary," she said.

She noted, however, that companies must also acknowledge that remote and hydrid working models may not be suitable for everyone.

"Companies should assess the nature of the employee's work and needs before implementing remote work policies. Clear guidelines and policies must also be established for effective collaboration and alignment with company values.

"At TeamViewer, we have embraced the hybrid concept by implementing a work-from-home and office work policy at a ratio of 60:40, recognizing the benefits that hybrid working confers. At the same time, we do this by ensuring that we equip our workforce with the best possible home office IT setup so that they have convenient access to all necessary equipment to perform their roles at their best. We even have a Work From Abroad Program that allows employees to work for up to 40 days outside of the country where they are contracted to work," she said.

TeamViewer recently launched its TeamUP partner program to empower its channel partners in Asia Pacific with a range of benefits. Through the unified partner portal, they can take advantage of exclusive discounts, dedicated support, and comprehensive sales training, along with a broad variety of certifications.

Moreover, TeamViewer has introduced the next generation of its core product, TeamViewer Remote. The new TeamViewer Remote offers a new user interface and web client, a simplified connection process, information about incoming connections, additional security features, and integrated remote monitoring and management capabilities for business customers.

As the workplace keeps evolving, one of the innovations that businesses should remain adaptable to is the rise of the metaverse. Whether it will take three to 10 years, or 10-15 years, what’s important is for companies and individuals to already prepare for a world where metaverse jobs will be mainstream.

How will more mainstream acceptance of the metaverse affect the workplace and the future of work?

"There are two types of metaverse – the consumer and industrial metaverse. The consumer metaverse is a hypothetical construct of a potential future characterized by a form of virtual reality with digital representations of people and objects. With the help of virtual reality headsets, users are catapulted into a digital and futuristic reality where they can meet as avatars, hold meetings, or go shopping," Sojung said.

Meanwhile, the industrial metaverse digitalizes information and data.

"These are displayed to industry workers using augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) smart glasses in the immediate field of view via small screens placed directly in front of the eye. However, the full potential of the industrial metaverse is unlocked through software. With AR and MR solutions, such as TeamViewer Frontline, you can show the workers workflows and holograms as if they were part of reality and without blocking their field of view. The software uses real-time data from back-end systems and displays immersive training workflows or step-by-step instructions. This results in almost boundless application areas, including but not limited to logistics, assembly, service, training, or maintenance. The technology can thus be used along the entire industrial value chain.

"One example is TeamViewer’s usage in training scenarios in the automotive industry. New employees learn – using mixed reality glasses together with our Frontline platform – how to inspect and repair cars, seeing a 3D hologram with instructions on top of the real car. The potential for the industrial metaverse is huge as 80% of the world’s workers aren't sitting in an office – they are out in the world, operating and interacting with equipment, machines, and other humans. This only underscores the fact that the industrial metaverse is and will continue to play a big role in further automating industries, streamlining business operations, and expediting the advancements in the future of work," she said.

So, are you ready for the workplace of the future? You should be.