We witness unprecedented times affecting the overall employment market. Teams are working remotely, hiring is frozen, and employers have learned a new word – furlough, some of the most affected companies had to shut their businesses.
But are things in the digital space as bad as we read? Had crisis affected digital jobs and if so, how? PitchMe asked 2.000 respondents working across Europe to pass a Covid-19 survey and here are the results.
Has quarantine affected your job?
44% of respondents have not been affected by the quarantine. They said that their employers have provided them with all necessary tools for remote work. Some employers helped to organize remote workspace and delivered computers, screens and even office chairs to employee’s homes.
Quarantine did not affect professionals from following sectors:
The less affected jobs are within IT, Design and Marketing space. We have interviewed a number of IT and Design professionals to identify why they have been affected less.
Developers in remote teams
Majority of the respondents had been working in the remote teams on the part-time of full-time basis before the quarantine. Employers say, the talent pool that opens up with remote work is just amazing, which offers great possibilities for creating diverse teams and awesome products – and that especially goes for developers.
Developers and product owners say that remote environment is great for the team, who gets to benefit from a harmonious life/work relationship (and save time and money on commuting… and work pants!) and great for the company, where they benefit from a wider hiring pool and not having to worry about maintaining a physical office.
Designers and marketing specialists
Independent designers on contract or freelance designers collaborate remotely as a part of their daily routine.
“Because I now live in a place where I can actually enjoy my personal life and be closer to nature, I’m producing better work and my overall stress has decreased immensely. I feel good about waking up every morning and getting work done.”
says Rachel, SMM specialist from London.
Remote work seems to be a more enjoyable for creative professionals such as graphic designers:
“Personally, the agency life doesn’t appeal to me. I do my best work alone. I’m an introvert and as a result, if given time to brainstorm ideas I tend to come up with a much better result than some sort of group work generated a concept. That said, I think critiques from peers are crucial to growing as a designer. Does this need to happen in person? Not necessarily. Screen sharing or annotations tend to capture the same message. Agencies can save so much more money by offering remote options as well. As a designer, I just want to do cool work and be creative. I don’t need access to foosball tables or any beverage under the sun. I’m simple.”
While a new work conditions seem to be inconvenient for many, digital sector seems to be affected less. However, it puts additional pressure on managers and executives who need to adjust to new communication methods and project management principles. If processes are managed well and team has all necessary tools for remote work, companies can see much better results in overall performance and cut unnecessary costs on office maintenance, commute and burnout-preventive measures.