For about a year now, NotOnlyDesk, aware of the technological evolution and the dynamics of the labour market that have been created during the pandemic and post-Covid period, has emphasised the importance of "smart work". This concept, as we have been repeating for some time, embraces the idea of using resources efficiently, exploiting digital technologies to optimise processes and increase productivity. The ability to adapt to a constantly changing work environment has become crucial, as organisations seek to remain competitive in an increasingly interconnected world. Smart work is not only about technology, but also about flexibility, creativity and collaboration, and therefore lays the foundations for a more sustainable and adaptable approach to contemporary challenges.
Today, at the final stages of 2023, we want to focus on some significant data. Data that clearly highlight the evolution of smart working and the perception of it during the last period.
The growth of smart work
The adoption of smart working in Italy has in fact recently shown a decisive recovery after the peaks recorded during the pandemic and the gradual reduction of the last two years. In 2023 there are 3,585 million remote workers, a slight increase compared to 3,570 million in 2022. In addition, this year's data shows a significant increase of 541% compared to the pre-Covid period.
The prospects for 2024 indicate a likely further increase, up to about 3.65 million. Or at least this is what emerges from a study conducted by the Smart Working Observatory of the School of Management of the Polytechnic of Milan, presented during the conference "Refocusing smart working: necessity, convention or conscious choice?".
The analysis shows that during 2023 the practice of smart working recorded significant growth in large companies, involving more than half of the workers, equal to 1.88 million. Even in small and medium-sized enterprises (Smes) there was a slight increase, which involved 570 thousand workers, corresponding to 10% of the potential labour force. On the contrary, there has been a decrease in micro-enterprises (620 thousand workers, 9% of the total) and in Public Administrations (515,000 employees, 16%).
Smart work: benefits and some doubts are confirmed
Agile work, as we have always tried to underline, also contributes positively to the environment, contributing to a decrease in CO2 emissions of 480 kilograms per person each year thanks to reduced travel and limited use of offices (even just for two days of work each week). Regarding the impact on the real estate market, moreover, it has been shown that 14% of remote workers have changed or consider the idea of moving house, often opting for peripheral areas or small cities in search of a different lifestyle, thus generating a positive effect on various areas of the country.
Of course not the whole system works perfectly. First of all, remote work does not always translate into genuinely "smart" models. And only true agile workers, those who not only work remotely but also have a flexible schedule and work for goals, show higher levels of well-being and engagement than traditional workers.
Nor can one go over the fact that, within many realities, smart working is still viewed with suspicion. Mariano Corso, scientific manager of the Smart Working Observatory of the Polytechnic, in fact argues that "There is a certain schizophrenia because in several realities there is still a certain culture of suspicion for which people are forced to work in person on Mondays and Fridays". Reason why it is first necessary to unhind this "old" way of approaching smart to be able to make progress and follow the virtuous example of companies such as Assicurazioni Generali. That is, models in which work in the company is
