The office as we know it changed dramatically in March 2020 when people around the world were asked to stay at home and work remotely. Office leaders had to quickly adapt to introduce new ways of working and adopt the technology to allow staff to stay productive and keep the lines of communication open.

This article looks at the role residential broadband has played in this radical change in the workplace and introduces some of the tools that have been vital in allowing businesses to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The acceleration of flexible working

Before coronavirus, flexible working was gaining traction with many people regularly spending time working outside of the office. Mass adoption of remote working was still very much in the distance however, with concerns around its impact on employee productivity and workplace culture being two key doubts for employers.

But in fact, the transition to remote working has been so successful that large numbers of people are continuing to work from home even though their offices have reopened. Why? The answer lies in the worldwide prevalence of residential broadband. In 2019, there were around 1.05 billion fixed broadband subscriptions worldwide!

Essential tools for flexible working

Here are some tools which have emerged as firm favourites for remote working during the pandemic:

 Zoom

The cloud-based video conferencing tool Zoom has seen a huge surge in growth since the pandemic, with its use increasing 30-fold in April as the impact of remote working kicked in. At its peak, the company saw more than 300 million daily participants use its software for virtual meetings!

 G Suite

Google’s G Suite offers a comprehensive range of tools covering a multitude of functions from video conferencing to file sharing, collaborating and increasing productivity.

 Slack

Slack is another great tool for communication. The app provides a useful forum for employees to ask quick questions. It also enables staff to raise things they may have felt uncomfortable discussing in a larger meeting.

10to8

This handy meeting scheduling tool makes it easy to arrange recurring meetings, such as standups, irrespective of time zone. It’s also integrated with Zoom so you can easily jump on a video call from your 10to8 diary.

Asana

Asana is designed to support team collaboration and project management. Teams can create projects, assign work, set deadlines and see who’s doing what, all in one tool!

The future of flexible working

Without a reliable home broadband connection, remote working would be simply impossible and many businesses would have ground to a halt in the face of the pandemic. Whilst there will always be a place for face-to-face communication, the working landscape is likely to be forever altered due to COVID-19. Home working is here to stay.

How has your home broadband service performed during the pandemic? To discover more about our premium residential broadband packages, contact our friendly team!