Everything your eyes can see is subject to change. Well, how do we know if this is true. We can by simply looking at how human civilization has changed things and invented new ways of living. 

Nothing we have today was there in the beginning. Change brought what we have today, every man made things came as a result of discomfort in our old ways of living.

When I was young I used to see some palm trees that had existed for more than 100 years.

A particular one which has been around for quite some time, fell during a stormy rain.

That’s how I came to realize that everything is subject to change, as such what is seen is truly temporal.

This has been proven to humankind and organisations more than several times now. Businesses have seen innovations displacing another product in the market thereby changing the taste of consumers. Through competition in the marketplace, great changes had brought innovation.

More to that is the changing effect of the coronavirus. This has changed the way organizations conduct their businesses. It is making us know that disruption can occur even to innovative business models like Airbnb and Uber.

It has made us adjust the ways teamwork from physical to a virtual world. It has made the world run on digital infrastructures and business to run on digital waves.Even the government has accepted that those that can save a country in times of crisis are entrepreneurs.

More to all this is the pivoting of the way we work into a remote working model that places emphasis on working from home. This is a change in working culture being caused by Covid19 that may become the new normal in the corporate world because it has become important to stay in business while cutting down some cost.

The purpose of this article is to let you see the beautiful sides of remote working and how startups can explore it in this economic wave.

What are the Good Sides of Remote Working to Businesses

What can we see with the rise in remote working. Here is how this concept can help businesses to solve some important managerial problems.

The Office Space Reduction Effect

Since this pandemic started many businesses have been working remotely and it has made us to see that enormous office space may not be needed in the post covid 19 workplace, because all employees should not be in the same place at the same time. 

As some employees will start to work remotely, it’ll make it possible for businesses to reduce their office space size. The new office space will be for staff that can not work remotely and must be in the office to carry out their functions.

This is one of the ways to cut costs for businesses in this period of the coronavirus pandemic. A good manager must learn to optimize cost for his business at this time…While we innovate and market the innovation, we must learn to keep costs low according to Peter Drucker.

Risk of Mobility Effect

One of the risks that employees face as they commute to work daily is the risk of life, being on the road on a daily basis. There are many questions of probability to ask in the transiting of workers  from home to work and from work to home everyday.

What if in the process he has an accident?

What if there is an attack or kidnapping on his way to work?

What if something happened and he died on the way to work?

But, remote working is here to solve some of the above questions. When you work from home, you don’t face the above risk associated with travelling everyday.

Productivity Effect

Remote working can be more productive than working from the office. This is because the time  taken to commute from home to work will no longer be needed as there won’t be commuting any longer.

So, when a team member wakes in the morning, he prepares to work without having to commute to work. So, that time can be used by him to complete more tasks.

Though, there are some distractions at home too but when you learn to work in a disciplined way you could achieve more.

Employee Cost Reduction Effect

This is key to start-up employees and businesses. Most employees who don’t have personal cars spend a lot on transportation. Some workers that use Uber for their mobility spend more than those that use public transport.

So, working remotely will help the employees to save this expenditure which will increase their disposable income at the end of every month. Every employee’s cost will be reduced and income will increase at the end of every month.

The same is applicable to businesses, businesses will spend less when people work from home than when people come to the office to work. While knowing this is important but knowing how to achieve productivity while working from home is more important. This we shall consider in my next article on remote working.

As Nigeria grapples to cope with the exigencies of COVID-19, help keeps coming from the private and public sectors to alleviate the strains of the pandemic.

The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and Global Citizen have announced the establishment of a new fund program termed ‘Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund,’ to assist the country in providing long and short term palliatives to the most vulnerable.

At the virtual inauguration which had the vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed and members of the NSIA and Global Citizen in attendance, the essence of the initiative was emphasized by leaders of both organizations.

According to the vice chairman, Global Citizen, Aigboje AIg-Imoukhuede, the initiative is aimed at critical areas that have been affected by the pandemic. It will help to mitigate the effects and put the economy on a recovery path.

“We have set up a road map which we have started, to establish one primary healthcare center in each of the 774 government areas,” he said.

He said the fund will be directed at four areas that are considered critical to recovery from the pandemic. Apart from the healthcare services and providing help for the vulnerable, there will be support for those who have been mentally affected by the pandemic’s events, including those who have suffered domestic or sexual violence.

He said the healthcare service will assist the government with additional health facilities that will increase the testing capacity of the country, and increase the chances of life returning to normal in Nigeria.

For Global Citizen, the Chief Policy Maker, Michael Sheldrick said the establishment of the fund aligns with their international policy and will help to provide healthcare to the poor and vulnerable.

“Our involvement in establishing the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund alongside the NSIA directly aligns with our Nigeria policy direction for 2020 which seeks to mobilize funds and commitment to Nigeria’s most marginalized people.

“These investments will be aimed at implementation of universal healthcare coverage and improving the health of the poorest women, children and adolescents in Nigeria which the solidarity funds core response areas directly support the overarching goals for our Nigeria policy direction. I am pleased that our vision as an organization is being realized through establishment of this fund and we will continue to support the country office and the Nigerian board to make sure the fund achieves its mandate,” Sheldrick said.

He said that the shift in geo-political power towards emerging markets and the recognition that developing countries want and need to have agency over their own development have been the two key factors that motivated the idea of the solidarity support fund.

He added that Nigeria is favorably disposed for the opportunity given its rich culture in music, arts and sports. It is also noted as an important hub for the Global Citizens’ programs as it serves as a gateway to other African countries.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo commended the initiative; he said that setting up agencies like that is paramount to the country’s recovery from its economic strains, especially as it pertains to the welfare of the vulnerable.

The managing director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority said the fund will be judiciously used in support of other funds created for this purpose.

“The Presidential Task Force is there to ensure that the functions of the various funds do not overlap as each would be targeted at certain areas in tackling the pandemic but the same goal,” he said.

In her remark, the Finance Minister Mrs. Zainab Ahmed said Nigeria’s situation includes demand and supply shocks that require such funds. She added that the government’s efforts need to be complemented to cushion the effects of the economic woes stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. She added that the government is prioritizing health care to ensure that the underprivileged receive adequate care when they need it.

In conclusion, Aig-Imoukhuede said there will be millions of dollars and billions of naira, but assured Nigerians that the fund will be transparent and accountable. He said any fund derived by the agency for the purpose of alleviating the pains of COVID-19 will be free from government’s influence, and there is an auditing and strong legal system in place to ensure that it is judiciously used.

There have been serious questions on how the government is using funds donated for the COVID-19 crisis, with many calling on donors to privately implement their social welfare plans. The Nigerian government has announced its intention to use part of the COVID-19 donations to fund the 2020 budget, a development that appears like betrayal to individuals and organizations that made the donations.

In the wake of the development, it seems many are heeding the call to distribute their palliatives and implement the social programs by themselves. PwC on Thursday outlined how it intends to implement its N100 million pledge and others are advertently, following suit.