Skype is a great tool which makes lives more convenient and efficient. People from different parts of the world can communicate real time. Time and distance is no longer a problem. Skype, alongside other apps, make the world even smaller.

Such apps also serve as a great business ally. It enables business owners to communicate with partners and employees. Skype’s capabilities assist businesses in ensuring efficient business operations. Business is still possible even when employees are not physically present in the office.

Working From Home sees great future of business and employment.

It such work set-up has its pros and cons. Skype is a tool which makes remote offices work seamlessly.

Skype and its history

Skype’s initial release was on August 29, 2003. Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis are the creators of Skype. In September 2005, Skype was acquired by eBay for $1.9 billion. Six years later in 2011, Microsoft then bought it for $8.5 billion. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing American about Skype. Its headquarters is in Luxembourg and about 44% of the employees are in Tallinn, Estonia.

Can Skype replace physical offices?

To a certain degree, it can. However, it may not entirely work without any problems. Convenience is the thorough consideration. Employees can work from the comfort of their homes, but maximization of time is critical.

Traffic jams, weather disturbances, car breakdowns, and more are reasons why people are choosing to Work From Home.

However, it does come with setbacks. Having some employees working office based and others remotely can separate cultures. Slack, Skype, and Zoom foster divisiveness. Communication may become problematic as per Todd Horton, owner of a software company, KangoGift.

He has four staffs in Boston, and the rest are in India and Europe. The remote employees feel distant that they somehow forget to let everyone know about what’s happening.

Kean Graham, CEO of MonetizeMore has about 80 remote staffs on five continents. He suggests that remote workers need to change up their environment from time to time.

Changing scenery on a regular basis eliminates getting bored and burned out.

Employees’ morale should be one of the priorities. Business owners have to resourceful enough to find ways in motivating staff even without physical contact.

Should work from home stop?

It should not. According to Global Workplace Analytics, between 80 and 90% of the U.S. workforce expressed intentions of Working Remotely even as part-time. Another study says employees are not on their desk about 50 percent of the time. These figures are encouraging. The data is only for U.S. It is important to note that working from home is steadily increasing in other parts of the world.

Skype, together with other tools such as Slack and Zoom sure will develop even more in the years to come. It will become more capable of work from home setup. It is important for business owners to innovate continuously to take advantage of such arrangement fully.
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