Before the pandemic, I organized my existing business and continued working remotely while preparing for the next project and another one thereafter. I’ve been maintaining remote work even now. During the pandemic, I was staying in Mongolia, and due to border closures and being stuck there, I had no choice but to start remote work from that location.

What’s interesting is that even when people around me were complaining about getting depressed from not going out for an extended period, I didn’t experience much of a mental impact because my normal lifestyle didn’t involve going out much. In other words, remote work suits me well personally.

In the case of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the severe traffic congestion often means that it takes over an hour to travel just 3-4 kilometers. Therefore, meeting someone for a meeting entails a significant time commitment. It can be quite frustrating to have face-to-face meetings when you know that the conversation could have easily taken place remotely.

However, despite this, I believe that working exclusively from home can negatively impact productivity. One reason is that when working remotely, there tends to be longer break times.

In my case, when my body gets tired, I easily find myself lying down on the bed, reaching for my phone, and wasting time during breaks. Watching TikTok or short videos, time flies without productivity. That’s why I sometimes work from libraries or cafes. It makes a difference in my concentration.

The project I’m currently working on has all employees working remotely. In the early stages of the business, we set up an office and had employees come to the office, but switching to remote work didn’t cause any significant problems, so we’ve continued it to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Recent news indicates that many companies are transitioning back to in-person work from remote work due to concerns about productivity, and many employees are not happy about it. There may be various reasons, but productivity can vary depending on job nature and personal preferences.

I think the main concern for companies is whether employees can solely focus on company tasks while working remotely.

Lately, considering the rising cost of living, many people believe that having a side job is essential. There are well-established platforms for freelancers. Among those who have side jobs, some may allocate more time to side jobs than their primary work.

In our company, employees who also do other jobs clearly show a difference in performance compared to those who solely focus on our work. Especially in design work, there’s a specific amount of time required for certain tasks. In other words, if you neglect your work, it’s clearly visible to the manager. So, that’s one of the reasons why we continue remote work.

Anyway, for employees who consistently fail to deliver results, it’s difficult to keep them on board in the long run. Ultimately, employees often view the job as a temporary boat on their career journey.