The world of work is changing. In fact, some would say it’s already changed. Covid-19 forced the biggest sea-change to the way we work in decades, forcing companies to embrace remote working and giving employees the freedom and flexibility many have always wanted. 

According to a forecast by Global Workplace Analytics, the demand for flexibility in how and where people work isn’t new – but has been growing for decades. President Kate Lister says before the coronavirus crisis, surveys showed that 80% of employees wanted to work from home at least some of the time with a third prepared to take a pay cut in exchange for such an option. 

They got their wish, with a global pandemic forcing a shift in working habits overnight. Offices once packed with hundreds of people lie empty. Spare bedrooms, sheds and dining rooms have been hastily repurposed into home offices and work is more flexible than it ever has been. Much of the unnecessary equipment is stripped away, leaving the very basic of gear that an employee needs to do their job.

Thanks to modern technology, workers can rely on a laptop and phone line to carry out tasks from meetings to presentations, sharing information remotely, discussing projects with teams spread out across the globe and achieving everything from their own remote ’office’ that can move around with them wherever they go.

 

Will working from home be the future? 

Employers may not have been keen in the past on remote working, but the last few months may well have changed their minds. While forced into the move, many have gained the all-important trust needed when it comes to allowing employees to work from home. 

That trust isn’t unfounded. A study by Stanford Graduate School of Business back in 2013 found that remote workers were about 13% more productive than their traditional office colleagues. On top of that, remote workers took fewer days off on sick leave.

Additionally, remote working appears a vital tool when it comes to employee retention. Owl Labs’ 2019 Global State of Remote Work report revealed that remote workers are more likely to stay in their current job for the next five years – 13% more than those employees who work onsite. On top of that, more than half (55%) of remote workers said they would be likely to look for another job if they were no longer allowed to work remotely.

With such bonuses now clear to see after a state of ‘forced’ remote working, it’s no wonder experts are predicting that the days of the office could be numbered. Corporations like Facebook and Twitter have already backed a move to remote working, with the former’s founder Mark Zuckerberg saying he expects half of its workforce to do their jobs outside Facebook’s offices over the next five to 10 years.

According to Global Workplace Analytics’ forecast, at least a quarter (25-30%) of the workforce in the US will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021 and that statistic is unlikely to be confined to the US.

What remote working really looks like?

The terms remote working and working from home are often seen as interchangeable. But they’re not quite the same thing. While many people have been forced to work from home over the past few months, with all the distractions that entails, the future of remote working doesn’t necessarily mean repeating the Covid-19 lockdown experience. 

For many workers, the future of work may not lie in an office but perhaps it isn’t at home either. They may still commute or travel to a new destination, even if that destination isn’t their office. From coffee shops to hot desks, temporary office space or even a dedicated personal space away from their home, the possibilities are virtually endless.

That is thanks in part to a newfound flexibility from employers as well as tech advances that allow employees to become the hermit crab of the working world, carrying their ‘house’ with them wherever they go. Regardless of what sector they work in, it is likely that most can do their job using the contents of a single laptop bag or backpack, no matter where they are.

How will commuting change post Covid-19?

Whether it’s travelling back to an office, or commuting to a new destination to remote work, that journey will be different. According to research by Addison Lee published in June 2020, six out of 10 London commuters said they planned to change the way they travel, prompted by Covid-19 safety concerns. 

The survey of 1,000 commuters found that 56% of those who travel into London said they planned to do their journey to work differently, with planned changes including completing at least part of their journey on foot (28%), using private hire vehicles (40%) and changing the time of their commute (55%). 

It’s clear that in a post-Covid world, employees’ destinations may change. So, too, will the way they travel. But regardless of how or where they go to work, more than ever before they will be carrying the contents of their office on their back. Those hermit crabs of the working world will carry everything they need to do their job with them – compact and easily accessible to suit the future world of work. 

What are commuter backpacks? 

They’re exactly what people who have to carry their whole office with them wherever they go need. Practical, comfortable and secure. Commuter backpacks take into account the specific needs of those who have to travel from A to B with their office on their back, whether that’s by public transport, bike, scooter or on foot. 

For those people, it’s not just about having a laptop, a mouse, a pen and some files. It’s about having a spare pair of shoes to change into after a journey, a rain cover to make sure everything stays dry, and room to carry a water bottle. It’s about having security features that will keep their equipment – most likely provided by work – safe and secure despite it being on their back. 

Commuter backpacks take all the elements of a regular laptop bag but tweak them for the specific needs of those travelling to and from work. It doesn’t matter whether that journey is to an office or to another remote-work destination. The principle is the same.

What is the best commuter backpack? 

Of course we would say that techair makes the best commuter backpack. Here’s why:-

  • Designed with commuters in mind – the techair commuter backpack was designed with commuters in mind. In the same way we approach innovation of every new project, we looked at the pain points commuters have to deal with and addressed each and every one of them to ensure we were creating the best backpack for commuters.
  • Security – It may be a portable office, but it’s still full of office equipment. That means security is important. That’s why we included a concealed laptop compartment and a special security zip to keep everything inside safe.
  • Comfort – If employees are carrying everything on their back, they need it to be comfortable. This bag is lightweight yet still has extra compartments for spare shoes or gym kit, a mesh water bottle holder, a rain cover and special shallow pockets to save its owner searching for things. Everything to make the journey – no matter where it’s to – comfortable.
  • Peace of mindtechair’s lifetime warranty is there to give our customers peace of mind. It’s an assurance of quality that means if anything goes wrong with the bag, it will be replaced.  

Is remote working the future in a post-Covid world? 

Nobody really knows, but it’s certainly looking that way. And even if it isn’t, people will still be travelling to work somewhere. The commuting of the future may have a different destination and a different mode of transportation, but it will still require employees to carry everything they need with them. 

It comes down to trust. Employers trust their employees more than ever. But both also need to trust that their equipment will allow them to do their job wherever they are. That means keeping it safe. Wherever people work, however they get there, they need a practical way to take everything they need within them. 

That’s why employees need commuter backpacks. And it’s why employers need to invest in them now.