Do you know what smart working is?

Do you know what smart working is? All right, we noticed you’re up to date. Do you not know it yet? Do not worry too much (for now). This is a new linguistic expression- about 40% of Spaniards have never heard of it – but that does not mean that you should gloat over your ignorance.

Do we already have your attention? Very well, the smart working deserves it,
it wants to be known all over the world, and enjoy a good reputation.

What is Smart Working?

Smart working is known as a new model of work that uses the new technologies and the development of existing technologies to improve both the performance and the satisfaction that is obtained from the job. It should not be confused with the term co-working, which refers to a shared workspace, usually by self-employed professionals.

Although it is a very broad concept, it would have two key ideas: a more profitable way of working – in many ways, not only money -wise – and the use of technology to carry it out.

The meaning of smart working means exactly what it looks like, yes, nowadays everything is “smart”: telephones, clocks, vehicles…) and is closely related to the concept of teleworking. It could even be said that smart working is a natural evolution of the latter, which has added greater mobility and versatility to the features of the “traditional” distance work such as hourly flexibility or comfort. If teleworking used to move the work from the office to the home, smart working takes it to almost any other place, from a park or a coffee shop to the waiting room of an airport.

Smart working offers advantages and disadvantages for both the worker and the company, which you will get to know below. But if you want to know more thoroughly all its advantages and disadvantages you can access this link (Link to teleworking article and advantages and disadvantages).

Smart working advantages

• It increases the worker’s freedom and autonomy. It has a greater capacity to organize your time.
• It saves you money on workspaces, transport or supplies (electricity, heating, etc.)
• You can save a lot of time on journeys, especially in big cities.
• It improves the reconciliation of work life with personal and family life, which is often highly valued.
• If the work is well structured (usually based on objectives), productivity can be increased.
• An improvement in the worker’s quality of life is noticed, the worker values ​​the work and the company. This can attract talent to the business.
• It allows the integration of people with reduced mobility.

Nice, isn’t it? Now lets talk about its drawbacks.

Smart working disadvantages

• The worker sees his personal life invaded by the work.
• It might lead to isolation of the worker due to not having contact with peers. This can also cause feelings of not being identified with the company.
• If distance work is not well planned or executed, productivity may decrease. There may be less control over the quantity or quality of work.
• Part of the savings generated for the company can mean expenses for the worker (in workspace, cost of supplies, etc.).

Facts you should know about Smart Working

The Adecco Global Report published in December 2015 offers some interesting facts about the current state of smart working and people’s opinions about working in a different place from the traditional workplace.

For example, it seems that smart working would be widely accepted among those who are more or less clear about what it is, so that, despite the drawbacks, such as distractions and possible isolation, only 17% Of job seekers would reject the flexibility offered by smart working.

The study provides other data of interest; For example, it reflects the opinion of professionals who work at human resources. For recruiters, it would be helpful to look at some of the drawbacks of smart working, such as isolation, less interaction with colleagues or lack of identification with the company. To fight them, it would be helpful to integrate smart working solutions into the work environment rather than the domestic one.

More interesting facts; 55% of the people surveyed would have worked from home at some point, and 46.5% would have done it from their smartphones.

But one fact stands out above all others: 90.8% of the people surveyed would like to be able to work outside the office, which demonstrates the old theory that work from a distance is a longing for many people. Among the preferred spaces to do so, the first would be from home (64.2%), followed by co-working spaces (47.6%) or any place near home (41.3%).

So it seems that there are more people who would like to apply smart working to their working life than people that know what even the term means (there is no need to worry, sometimes these things happen).

Conclusion

As we saw at the beginning of this article, new technologies and the improvement of existing technologies are a key factor in the development of smart working. These would include a wide range of tools, such as the Internet, smartphones, social networks or any type of programs designed to facilitate flexibility at work and mobility. Not so far from the future, other technologies, such as virtual reality, will be added to the list of techniques that will help the development of smart working.

The ultimate goal of using all of them would be to achieve not only a better job performance, but also a better reconciliation of work and professional life with personal and family life. More happiness after all, for the company, and for the worker or professional.

Some technological tools, such as Pandora RC, can help you work smarter. Do you want to know what Pandora RC is and what it can offer you? Enter this link.