As employers continue trying to get workers back in the office, many are deciding to provide remote work opportunities as an alternative. Remote work is healthy for employees and cost-effective for employers. It has many benefits, and increasing numbers of employees are searching for it.
With the IT infrastructure in place, including remote work software, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be a possibility for many organizations. Here are 10 remote work trends that can help better inform your view on work-from-home reality:
Trend #1: Remote work is becoming more popular.
Due to the increasing benefits of work-from-home, everyone from small business owners to corporate leaders is predicting the future of the workforce will be fully or partially remote. The advantages outnumber the potential disadvantages by a long shot.
Only 39% employees are not at least partially remote.
A recent survey analyzing remote work trends found that only 39% of workers work full-time either in an office or on-site. Meanwhile, 45% work in a hybrid model, splitting time between remote work and in the office or on-site. By comparison, only 5% of the workforce is currently strictly remote.
Trend #2: Remote work software is commonly used.
You can’t have remote work without the IT infrastructure to ensure team collaboration and communication. A digital workplace solution allows you to directly contact remote employees, assign them tasks, verify their work, and allow management to continue supervising, motivating, and monitoring their team from afar
Trend #3: Hybrid remote work models are working well.
Many businesses are running hybrid remote work models where some days, employees are at the office, and other days, they are at home. This provides the best of both worlds, allowing an employer to check in and have their employees attend important meetings and events while allowing for flexibility for work-from-home accommodations.
Trend #4: Remote work is strengthening hiring practices.
Workers want to work remotely. They see it preferable to working in an office. If you’re an employer hiring and you don’t have remote work included in your offer, many workers will refuse to apply and search for a job they can do from home. This gives remote work advantage and will likely generate more applications for such positions.
Trend #5: Remote work is improving employee retention
Several situations would normally result in an employee quitting. Having to take care of an ill family member. Having to take care of children. Moving away. Remote work allows you to keep your best employees when situations arise where they can’t regularly go into the office. This is a trend that’s being applied more and more.
Trend #6: The core of employee contracts aren’t changing.
Many organizations are retaining their core compensation and benefits packages with no changes. Some companies have tried unsuccessfully to offer tiered payment structures to negative results from the public.
Trend #7: Remote work is becoming more project-driven
The business landscape as a whole is discovering the merits of accomplishment-based work. Project-driven remote work is becoming the norm instead of having someone clock in for a shift. This has led to other trends and some negative ones, including quiet quitting. Businesses are continuing to learn how to work within the dynamics of work-from-home.
Trend #8: International talent pools in certain industries
In certain industries, employers are opening themselves up to international talent, hiring employees across the country and, in certain cases, all over the world. There are, however, laws and regulations and tax advantages to hiring within the area a business is based. That said, remote work is opening up the possibility of having a growing international employee base.
Trend #9: More flexible work hours for breaks and scheduling
Many employers allow their workers to take breaks outside of scheduled windows and account for some flexibility in a shift. Remote workers desire more flexibility, and companies that want to retain their workers must provide a more flexible work schedule. How to do that varies by the employee and is an ongoing discussion on how to best serve the needs of the employee and the employer.
Employees are not afraid to be unavailable during non-work hours. To maintain a work-life balance, they’re shutting off the computer, turning off phone notifications, and refusing to answer communications when they aren’t working. Employers who want 24/7 access to employees are unlikely to find it. ‘Business hours’ are being taken very seriously by workers.
Trend #10: Back pain is increasing from improper work setups
Some remote work is being done in areas that aren’t conducive to long periods at a laptop or computer, i.e. the kitchen table, the couch, and in bed. More people are seeing increased physical stress and back pain because of it. This is why it’s imperative to set up an ergonomic office work-from-home area that’s comfortable.
