The 2020 global pandemic has been nothing but a horrid nightmare for humanity. While people are confined to the boundaries of their houses and need to comply with the social distancing norms, one thing that happened for the betterment of us all is remote work.
Today, many people all around the world are viewing the massive transition to remote work or telecommuting as the good side of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Earlier, many of us perceive remote work as either a privilege or a work arrangement that demands specialized skills, but now most of us are pretty confident in giving our best even when not working from the traditional cubicles.
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Remote work trends that have become apparent
Remote working has become the new reality of the world and none of us can face away from it. However, if we get back in time and take a look at the condition of remote work a decade ago, we won’t believe how obscure it used to be for most people.
Well, the time has changed and the continuous development of technology over the years has made it possible to implement remote work on a large scale.
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According to a study conducted by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics, the US alone witnessed a steep growth of remote work between 2007 and 2017 which stands at 91%.
Moreover, the survey led by AND CO and Remote Year revealed that 55% of participants were full-time remote workers while 43% were partially remote.
Now, whether you are a business owner or a working individual, it is crucial to know the latest trends that will let you take a look into the future of remote work.
So, without further ado, let’s closely examine the remote work trends:
1. Better employee engagement
For any employee to give their best, it’s essential that they engage with their work. Today, employee engagement is a major concern for all organizations, and it’s no more a secret that engaged employees perform their job duties with more passion.
Moreover, as a committed employee, you tend to invest yourself emotionally in the work and do your best to stay motivated.
Remote work acts as a great way to improve employee engagement and productivity.
Working remotely means that employees need to use various tools like project management software, video conferencing apps, cloud storage apps, etc. These tools help them to stay on top of their work and also boost productivity.
A workplace of own choice, online tools to stay productive, and more time to spend with family are some of the high points of remote work that keep employees’ spirits up. As a result, they will be more committed to their job responsibilities and accomplish tasks more efficiently.
As per the Workplace survey, flexible work arrangements can boost the morale of 90% of employees. And when employees’ morale is high, they are more confident about their work.
Thus, more and more organizations are allowing their employees to work remotely either on a regular basis or for limited hours per week.
2. Employers becoming more confident
Earlier many employers were skeptical about the performance of employees if they work from remote locations
However, after the global pandemic, many employers are seeing remote work as a great way for their businesses to operate. Also, employers are focusing on various advantages that they get by employing distributed teams such as cost savings, improved employee retention rates, access to the global workforce, etc.
Many organizations are planning to employ remote teams and some have even made the decision to allow most of their employees to work from home on a regular basis.
While remote working is the next big thing among businesses all over the globe, it isn’t surprising that some employers are going to stick with the old ways.
3. Freelancers getting more attention from businesses
Working with freelancers and managing them is an onerous task for most managers and team leaders. However, managers who have experience handling remote teams can easily coordinate and get work done from freelancers.
The rise of remote work is proving beneficial for freelancers because business organizations are now much more optimistic about working with them.
Also, you will find it quite astonishing that in the US, 1 out of every 3 workers is a freelancer as per the Betterment’s 2018 Report.
It’s completely true that freelancers are their own bosses but believe me, the chances are quite high that you’ll be working with a freelancer in the near future to achieve the objectives of your organization.
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4. Remote work largely means working from home
In general, remote working means that you can work from anywhere outside your traditional office environment. It is completely your choice whether you want to work from your home office or a cafe or a coworking space.
However, there is nothing wrong if I say that remote work and working from home are pretty much the same thing.
Why? Because there are statistics that back up this claim.
According to a report by Buffer that focuses on the state of remote work, out of 2500 remote workers, 84% prefer working from home while only 8% and 4% of respondents primarily work from coworking spaces and coffee shops respectively.
5. Post-pandemic scenario is going to be in the favor of remote work
It’s hard to predict when the 2020 pandemic will cease to exist and things will go back to normal. But one thing that most entrepreneurs, like me, are quite confident about is that remote work has already become an inseparable part of the business world.
As employees have played a crucial role in making the remote work model successful for organizations during the pandemic, many of them want to continue working remotely even after the pandemic ends.
Consequently, many organizations have already taken steps to make remote working an essential part of their business structure, and many others are likely to do the same very soon. It may be a little surprising, but yes, organizations are drafting remote work policies to continue working with remote workers.
Bonus trend – Positive impact on the environment
Many cities and industrial areas across the globe that used to stay covered with foggy skies due to the excessive pollution witnessed the open blue sky after such a long time all thanks to the lockdown phases during the pandemic.
Well, transportation is a prime contributor to the excessive amount of pollution, especially in big cities where thousands of people commute daily to their offices.
Remote work can help to put a curb on greenhouse gas emissions by limiting the vehicles used for commuting and also slowing down the reckless usage of natural resources.
The ability to put a positive impact on the environment makes remote working a practical solution to make the world a better place to live.
Reasons behind the ever-growing popularity of remote work
Till now, you might have got a good understanding of what is remote working and what are the latest trends in remote work. Now, it’s time to steer ourselves toward the key reasons that make this work arrangement the first choice for many individuals:
1. Maintain a good work-life balance
Apart from higher productivity, people working remotely manage their stress levels better and enjoy a better work-life balance. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Owl Labs, 91% of the total participants agreed that having a better work-life balance is one of the main reasons for them to work remotely.
2. Flexibility in work
Many businesses offer their remote workers flexible schedules and let them work outside the regular time slot of 9 to 5.
3. More savings
Saving more money is another thing that motivates individuals to step out of the conventional office setting and work from home. As a remote worker, you can save a considerable amount of money that otherwise would be spent on commuting, clothing, and food.
4. Better job opportunities
Just like employers can hire employees from any part of the world, a remote worker also has the flexibility to work for any organization irrespective of its physical location. Thus, the wide job opportunities act as a driving factor for individuals to telecommute.
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Conclusion
It is quite evident that remote work is no longer the future of work, rather it has become the present. Today, businesses in nearly all the major verticals have employed distributed teams. Moreover, the outcomes of businesses yielded by remote teams are either the same or in some cases, even higher than their in-house counterparts. Thus, it’s quite important for you to keep a close eye on the remote work trends so that you can prepare yourself to embrace this new work style.
