We work in different ways - which is why we need different kinds of jobs

There has been much talk about how businesses’ working practices have been revolutionised and how they have had to transition to remote working due to the Coronavirus. This is true, and in the long run the effects are likely to be greater than we can imagine.

It is clear that remote working will become possible for more and more people in the future. One of my friends, who works for a large Finnish company, said immediately after being asked to work remotely that if they make a success of it, the management of the company will no longer be able to avoid giving the employees the option of working remotely.

The fact is that there are a huge number of people in Finland and around the world who would like to work remotely and who, due to the nature of the work, would have great opportunities to do so. The bottleneck in these cases is the employer who has not given employees the right to work remotely.

In the future, Job Market Finland’s partners could offer training for remote working

Another lesson from the remote working period during the Corona pandemic is that employees need different support and technical tools when they are working away from the office. In the future, these things will most certainly include much more than virtual coffee breaks and background wallpapers for virtual meetings that hide the mountains of dishes and unmade beds behind the participants.

In addition to support and tools, remote working also requires different skills than working in an office. Effective remote working often requires more self-management than working in an office. Remote working also requires more from the manager - for example, they must be able to interpret who in the team needs more support and who needs less. Keeping in contact remotely with their manager is not easy for everyone.

Developing skills needed in remote work could be something that Job Market Finland’s partners will offer in the future. It is easy to imagine that developing remote working skills would be desirable for both individuals and employers, who could offer a course to all their employees that is tailored to their company’s needs.

Not everyone has to enjoy remote working

Remote working isn’t suitable for everyone. I myself have sometimes thought about this, as I have enjoyed the right to work remotely in all my workplaces since 2009. However, I haven’t actually worked remotely that much. In fact, for six years I commuted between Turku and Salo every day, even though I could have done my work remotely from home.

For me, remote working reduces my work efficiency and my mental well-being at work. I recognise that I need colleagues around me to have coffee and lunch with, bounce ideas around and chat about what’s going on. It has been a little difficult for me to come to terms with this when I see so many people around me who clearly enjoy and are well suited for remote working.

The opportunity to be the master of your own work

The need for different kinds of jobs is also illustrated by the fact that fewer and fewer people now work their whole career in a ‘traditional’ employment model. Many work as gig workers, as light entrepreneurs or as entrepreneurs.  Sometimes circumstances may force this form of work on them, but often a person chooses a non-traditional employment model because they want to be the master of their own work.

The underlying fundamental difference is that we all have different expectations about work. Nowadays, people are often looking for work that enables them to realise their ambitions and provides further meaning to their lives. Correspondingly, others look for routine work because for them, the time for meaningful things is only after the working day.

We are all different as people, which is why it is wonderful that the labour market is changing so that everyone has the opportunity to find work that suits them and their situation. This is the world that we are building Job Market Finland for, a platform that, thanks to a network of cooperation and partners, is able to offer people work that suits their needs.

 Ville Pyylampi

Development Specialist, KEHA Centre / Job Market Finland