More Wine Industry Employees Work Remotely Than Ever Before
When COVID-19 first hit and we realized it would be more than “two weeks to flatten the curve,” most wine businesses were faced with two options: close the doors or adapt. For many businesses around the world, the answer was working from home. But now that we’ve had two years to try it out, should working from home in the wine industry stick around?
Pros for the Employee
- Less expenses (food, gas, miles…)
- Independence to work from anywhere
- Skill-building opportunity
- Fewer interruptions from coworkers
- Easier to manage children, school, schedules, etc.
- Work-life balance is more equitable
- No commute = increased time for family, exercise, Netflix, etc., lower carbon footprint, and no car accidents
- Comfort (no pants!? Better T.P…)
Pros for the employer:
- Increased employee satisfaction
- Decrease in workplace distractions
- Larger hiring pool = opportunity to build a dream team
- Collaboration without travel
- Opportunity for employees to work at most productive hours
- Reduces business expenses
While someone needs to be in the tasting room to pour wine, some jobs that wine employees can easily do from home include phone sales, virtual experiences, marketing, website design and support; even some general management.
Cons for the employee:
- More isolation and less change of scenery
- Lack of in-office perks (doughnuts?)
- Challenges separating work from home
- Risk of overworking
- Easy to misread cues via electronic communication
- Less sick days
- Home office costs
- Back and neck pain
Cons for the employer:
- Distractions at home
- Difficult to oversee employees
- Decreased promotional prospects
- Workplace culture changes
- Dependency on technology for security and communication
- Decrease in communication
Working from home isn’t for everyone, but it seems to be more common in our industry than ever before and many people enjoy it. If our employees are asking for this opportunity, we may all benefit from exploring ways to get them involved in other DtC channels outside of the tasting room.
