In 2003 during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Epidemic, Citrix teamed with Cisco offering solutions to help Hong Kong companies continue business operations. Then in 2015, both companies renewed the message that despite the fact that Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) could be contained more companies began allowing employees to work at home.
The year 2020 starts with Covid-19, fueling global shockwaves including tumbling stock markets and oil prices. Could this be a global tipping point for an increase in the numbers of companies adopting flexi hours and rethinking their resistance to the growing trend of working from home ?
Fact is I have not travelled with a laptop or notebook for over 5 years. I much rather travel with a Apple iPad or my Samsung Mobile Note device. My Skyroam device provides me with stable 4G global internet access when I need it. Citrix technologies allows me to comfortably access my office files and applications from anywhere on the planet I may be.
While such technologies will not completely remove the need to be physically present, it helps to minimize the need for non-essential commutes to a place of work . I am no health expert, however I do know that decreasing exposure will lessen the chances of community-acquired infections.
Feel free to read the BBC Worklife article that led me to write my own piece – How Covid-19 led to a nationwide work-from-home experiment