Functioning Remotely in a Post-Covid Society

Many workers are reluctant to go back into the office full-time, especially while the virus lingers. And the overall, unexpected success of working from home has sparked speculation that teams will strike a balance between the home and the office even after the pandemic. Additionally, a post-Covid world will likely include a much higher proportion of permanent home workers than before the coronavirus pandemic.

63% of paralegals told us they felt more productive at home than in the office. And 40% said workloads had increased. In fact, the demand for paralegals is on the rise. And while overall productivity has been high and workers enjoy wearing comfy clothes and saving on commuter expenses, working from home has also been frustrating and stressful, particularly for teams struggling with outdated technology that was not designed for modern work.

Many legal operations teams are still using outdated processes and systems that form an obstacle course out of everyday workflows. Navigating these hurdles slows down work and increases the risk for errors and costly mistakes. For example, managing entity data via spreadsheets dramatically increases the risk of human error and version confusion.

These outdated processes also force paralegal teams to waste their energy on tiresome, inefficient workflows instead of applying their skills to higher-return projects.

The data tells us that teams are doing their best to stay productive, even without the right tools, but at what cost to employees?

Working from home has real challenges. And as a result of the challenges from this year and the remote work situation, employee mental health is suffering. People work longer hours, blurring the lines between work and personal lives, and struggling to find human connection in a video conference world.

Technology can help mitigate some of these challenges. Deploying Cloud-based entity management platforms is proven to streamline workflows, improve communication, and make collaboration easier. And the ultimate benefit to Cloud technology is that it works wherever work is being done.

Companies can experience benefits by continuing remote work such as:

• Increased productivity

• Reduced operating costs (cost of premises and office overheads reduced)

• Lower staff turnover due to improved work/life balance of staff

• Reduced recruitment costs
  

While employees may find gains of their own due to remote work like:

• Increased personal performance and greater job satisfaction

• Reduced commuter time and costs

• Flexible hours

• Increased autonomy

(Credit:https://www.athennian.com)