When COVID makes us need social distancing to reduce the chance of spreading and infection. And one of the spacing strategies is working at home Also known as Work from Home. But do you know that working from home is not new in any way. But it happened many thousand years ago Since the stone age humans. Or even back to the Middle Ages in the 15th century, where most people work at home, whether art, crafts, or general employment in which the home and work are the same. Until the industrial revolution caused the work to change to a factory instead. But in this article, we will go back in the early stages. That telecommunications technology has started to play a role Making work more flexible Able to work anywhere with the same efficiency

The 1960s is a time when mass production is growing. Most people still work in factories. But there are others who work creatively, such as writers or artists, especially in big cities like New York London or Paris Most of these artists still work at home, not unlike those in the Middle Ages.

1970s era with anti-oil use and turned to focus on the fresh air Encourage the use of communication technology as a leader There is an important event that occurs.

• The Clean Air Act was established in 1970 and the OPEC was banned in 1973.
  
  
• Traveling to and from the city for work causes traffic congestion and is considered to have a bad impact on the environment.
  
  
• In 1979, after the OPEC was banned for 6 years, The Washington Post newspaper published an article "Working at Home Can save Gasoline". Which gave the suggestion that telecommunication technology Able to solve the oil crisis. One part of the article writes, "If only 10% of people who drive to work every day turn to work at home only 2 days a week, then it can reduce traffic density by 4%". The article goes on to say that the recession of production systems in large industrial plants and the growth of the information business Can make more people go back to work from home, just like before the industrial practice

The 1980s , many companies are starting to experiment with the use of long-distance communication technology.

The aftermath of the 1970s, whether it is rare and expensive oil. Traffic congestion and the increase in data businesses that replace industrial factories. Causing many companies to turn to experiment with work-from-home projects using communication technology. During this decade, many companies in the United States have started remote work projects, such as JCPenney, American Express, The Hartford, General Electric, IBM, Levi Strauss & Co., etc. And many of these companies are still working this way today. IBM says it can reduce costs by up to $ 100 million each year. In the 1980s, IBM experimented with the " Remote Terminals" a project with many employees. And continues with over 40% of IBM employees working from home. In 1987, there were more than 1.5 million Americans working from home and over 300 companies have the Work from Home program. At that time, most of those working from home were women who had to work while looking after their children at home. In 2017, American Express and The Hartford were still one of the 100 companies with the most work from home positions.

1990s The US government encourages remote work.

The US government is experimenting with Work from Home, a large project called the Federal Flexible Workplace Pilot Project. To study the advantages and disadvantages of allowing employees to work outside the office.
by calling this method "Flexiplaces" With 550 employees participating in the project and found that flexplates have the following advantages:1. Increase work efficiency 2. Reduce the need to increase workspace 3. Reduce organization costs. After that, Congress approved a budget for the flexiplace project to procure equipment and tools. That will allow government employees to work from home. Later, in 1994, during the reign of President Clinton. Has issued a policy to increase flexible family-friendly work arrangements by using communication technology to help play a greater role and 1995 is a permanent project.

Later in 1997, The Government Accountability Office (GAO) of the United States made a report on the advantages of Work from Home which are as follows: 1. Reduce travel time between home and work. 2. Reduce personal expenses such as travel expenses, parking fees. Cost of clothing and food. 3. Improve the quality of life, both physical and mental health. 4. A balance between work and family life.

2000s work from home in the United States increased There is research on Work from Home with the results of the study as follows

• Work at home rates increased during the period 2000-2010. More than 4 million people who work at home from one day a week increased by 35% or 35%. And the number of people working from home increased from 9.2 million to 13.4 million over a 10-year period.
  
  
• Most people who work from home are full-time employees rather than freelance or independent workers. Employees became the largest group to work from home. In 2010, 59% of company employees worked from home.
  
  
• Most home-based employees have a better education, with graduates up to 50%. While only 29.7% of those who still work at work has a bachelor's degree.

During the year the 2000s there was an increase in the number of companies announcing long-distance job applications, known as Remote-friendly By using more technology to help Giving job seekers more opportunities to find work that can be done from home

The 2010s Working from home becomes a business strategy

In 2010, President Obama signed The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, which not only supports home-based work but forces government agencies to Must have a policy that allows employees to work remotely. In the fiscal year 2014-2015, government employees participating in Work from Home increased from 39% to 46%.

Working from home in the United States doesn't just increase government employees. A 2017 study, found that office workers at least half of the working hours are work from home increased by 115%.In addition to the United States, there are many other countries that have worked seriously from Home for 20 years. And one of them is Finland Which is reputed to be the world leader in Flexible Work. Which fits the culture of trust & equality. In addition, flexible work is also used as a strategy for finding talent to work with the company. "Not everyone who wants to come to work in a big city that is busy. We lose a lot of opportunities if we don't use technology and attract talented people. That is far away to work with us They may work by the lake or in the forest, but they can still work more efficiently. Said Jenni Fredriksson, Human Resources Manager at Bass Tech Company in Finland. And a study by Grant Thornton in 2011 found 92% of companies in Finland had Flexible Working, while England and America were 76%, Russia 50%, and Japan 18%.

Perhaps the COVID crisis may have created a new normal in our work culture. Work from Home or Flexible Working may be a new way of working, not just to solve problems in times of crisis. But may become a work culture in response to the Work-Life Balance & Freedom that the new generation needs.
Including the modern working world that is not measured at work hours but looks at the effectiveness and efficiency of work. All things will happen, depending on mutual trust and discipline. Responsible Which is necessary to make this New Normal permanently

Reference

https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/complete-history-of-working-from-home/
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190807-why-finland-leads-the-world-in-flexible-work

https://www.fastcompany.com/90330393/the-surprising-history-of-working-from-home