ATLANTA — The coronavirus pandemic is leading to some dramatic changes in the workplace. In the fast-paced hi-tech industry, working remotely is becoming the norm.
Mike Dickerson heads the $45 million high-tech Atlanta based company, ClickDimensions. He said working remotely for his worldwide and metro Atlanta staff has been an eye-opener.
“The pandemic really accelerated a few things. It got people very comfortable with working over video and working from a distance and we saw that productivity actually was better.” Dickerson said.
He's opted to the remote preferences of his workforce and at the same it has given him the opportunity to rethink the need for considerable high rent office space.
“In Atlanta we will be cutting back about 50 percent (in real estate) and the benefit of that is we have people who commute an hour and a half each way to get to work from Johns Creek to our offices at the Perimeter, and that is a lot of extra time to spend with your family,” Dickerson added.
With the new normal taking shape in the workplace, Dickerson sees his traditional offices disappearing, and being replaced with more open space for colleagues to meet and exchange ideas and recharge, but not five days a week.
“It will be radically different and it will probably look more like a Starbucks with an open coffee bar and collaboration rooms around it,” he said.
Dickerson said the pandemic has taught them that long commutes and long stretches in an office may no longer be the norm -- at least for hi-tech.
“With collaborative technology it’s not that hard to keep in touch with people. I was joking with somebody and I have run from meeting to meeting to meeting so fast and so frantically without ever leaving my chair,” Dickerson added.
And working remotely has spread rapidly through a wide range of industries.
In television news alone, and for almost three months, most of us are working from home and other remote locations. With a camera, a computer and home office space we are capitalizing on the latest technology to create stories that hold importance for our television viewers and digital audiences.
It’s a trend that may continue for some time.
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