Teleworking has become inevitable as a result of the corona pandemic. The current Gartner study showed that three-quarters of all CFOs expect that at least 5 percent of previously on-site employees will continue to telework permanently after COVID-19.

After initial doubts about teleworking, companies noticed that this new form of work will continue to remain in the long term. McKinsey mentions the example of a pharmaceutical company with more than 10,000 sales representatives: In February, it switched from on-site work to practically 100 percent remote working. Since some of the corona restrictions started easing up in some countries, one might expect remote working to disappear again. However, the company is planning to introduce new models in order to take advantage of the newly developed online capabilities of its field staff. These models include a 30 percent online work model with only 70 percent on-site work on a permanent basis.

Many employees learned to telework in the first phase of the crisis either by trial and error or by resorting to spontaneous training methods. On the other hand, for those who have completed their advanced training, teleworking can become a permanent task. For example, sales teams can use video conferencing to effectively manage customer relationships in remote locations.

Organizations are now increasingly developing their employee´s online skills as executives now systematically search for the best ways to digitally manage teams. This transition is often smoother and easier for long-standing employees who have built relationships and understood their role than for new employees who have yet to get to know the company without informal office interactions.

Additional collaboration tools and new work culture will be available when companies return to "normal working practices". Individual companies are already creating new collaboration locations in suburban centres and downsizing their central offices to reduce commuting times for employees. As entrepreneurs seek remote working skills such as the ability to self-motivate and strong time management, recruitment processes are also being affected at the same time.

The current challenges will make employees think about whether they want to work from home in the future. According to Gartner´s research, up to 80 percent of the employees also want to work from home.