Remote Work Trends to Watch Out

Companies had to shut down their offices with the ongoing pandemic crisis. And remote work has suddenly come into the limelight. Looking at the ongoing situation, it seems like it is here to stay even after the pandemic ends. As more and more people prefer to work remotely rather than confine themselves in the offices. 

But what makes remote work successful? Modern communication technology and wide access to the internet make remote work viable; brands across the globe have joined this bandwagon and become 100% remote. Hiring managers and HR executives even claim that remote work among full-time employees has become popular. And is here to stay for a long time. 

Startups and well-established companies are going remote as it saves operational expenses and gets things done instantly. The biggest brands are operating 100% remote. And there is an ocean of startups and enterprises globally that are showing interest in remote hiring. According to FlexJobs, there has been a constant surge in the number of people working virtually in the USA. 

If your business is crafting a remote work strategy, you need to keep in mind specific trends, but before discussing the trend, let’s see why remote work is the future. 

Why Remote Work is the Future

Business owners may find that remote work is the future even after the pandemic; this is why it directly impacts employee productivity as employees have become more responsible for their work. 

According to Kaspersky, more than 48% of employees prefer video calls in comfortable attire, while 27% of employees prefer to send quotations from the garden on average. These figures clearly define that remote work in the future. 

Advancements in technology also made it possible that employees can work comfortably from their homes without any disruptions. In fact, more than 77% of employees believe that they have become more productive while working from home.

Therefore, remote work is the future, and here are some biggest reasons: 

1. Access to the Internet has become now commonplace
2. Employees want to work comfortably
3. It saves companies money

A survey from LiveCareer reveals that more than 29% of remote workers would leave their jobs if they were forced to join the office again. And according to Gartner, more than 80% of the businesses plan to continue to work remotely before 2021 ends.

This mentality makes work from home trends brighter day by day.

Remote Work Has Become Popular in Recent Years

With lightning speed internet, reliable communication tools like Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, and changing attitude towards work-life balance, remote work has become so much successful.

Let’s go through some eye-popping statistics,

• Remote work’s popularity has grown 91% over the last decade 
• More than 73% of teams will have remote workers in their ranks by 2025
• Only 38% of workers want to join office, rest of the employees prefer remote work
• A Regus Forecast estimated that by 2030, the U.S. economy could experience a major rise in remote work 

And most importantly, 40% of remote employees admitted that they are not feeling “stressed” during an average working day from home.

These remote work statistics show that working patterns and working styles have been changing as everyone wants “flexibility” in their career path. Some researchers even predict that the constant rise in remote work may replace traditional working patterns soon, and days are not far when managers and employees discuss projects at cafes instead of cabins.

Remote Work Trends

Big brands like Twitter, Shopify and Dropbox have already announced that they will be moving to a permanent work-from-home setup. CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, also announced that half of the employees could work remotely, it seems like the future of remote work is bright. Now let’s have a look at the top remote work trends that will dominate in 2021 and beyond.

Companies Switching to a Hybrid Model

Most employers who switched to remote work amid the pandemic have mentioned how they should stay working remotely or become a hybrid organization; it means calling employees for several days to offices. Most businesses are opting for hybrid models just to make sure employees are able to work with their peers and manage their work properly without feeling bored or burned out. 

A hybrid workplace model offers certain benefits to employers and employees by limiting the number of people at the office. It prevents virus spread and makes contact with their team members easy. 

Commuting daily is a major headache for some employees, so let them decide which days they come in or decide days in advance to make collaboration easy. As a result, many organizations have implemented the hybrid model as it will save operational costs and boost revenue altogether. 

Hiring for Remote Employees

Brands are constantly searching for talent that used to be restricted by geographical locations. By offering a remote work facility, a company located in Singapore can now have an employee who resides in London and vice versa. 

As more and more business owners are now showing interest in remote hiring because it is less expensive. We know how the restaurant industry has become digital, most restaurants hiring remote sales and development as they only need to pay them based on total working hours and features of food delivery app, which will save huge bucks and they can terminate them anytime once their needs get fulfilled. 

But there is one challenge: sometimes newbies feel awkward, so managers need to conduct online meetings so team members can chat and get to know each other well. This will build bonds and establish strong connections between peers. 

One way you can help new remote hires feel more comfortable and connected to their team is to have an effective onboarding plan that sets up virtual meetings and communication channels to help create a strong team dynamic.

Collaboration Will Be the Key

In 2021, we will face some challenges related to less budget and lack of talent. It is for this reason collaboration is much more important than ever for managers and technical team leads. Hence, you need to manage the workflow and responsibilities of the teams through advanced tech tools such as Skype, Slack or Zoom, as these tools will increase the level of engagement and eliminate miscommunication. 

It will also reduce workloads that allow them to spend those hours in some productive activities. More than 77% of employees perform better when their tasks are completed within the time frame and the equitable distribution of work. 

It will eventually boost employee performance, get started with smart, collaborative hiring tools that offer you results, and avoid conflicts between team members. 

Respect Non-Working Hours 

One of the major issues people were facing amid the pandemic was unable to manage work-life balance. According to the survey conducted by Kentik, more than 51% of employees are worried about their work-life balance. 

Employers need to think about these issues and set clear rules and guidelines about remote work policies. For instance, employees are not allowed to attend personal calls; they are bound to answer work calls requiring an immediate response. 

Hence, many employees have installed app blockers, and end-time emails as people settle into their work-from-home roles but are answerable to their team members. 

More Flexible Work Time 

Most companies are working remotely; it is impossible to stick to one working pattern and schedule, just like an office. This can be difficult for some employees as some have to fulfill household chores and take care of their parents or kids. To combat this, many companies have started offering flexibility in working hours; employees can choose working hours themselves and accomplish the work before the deadline. 

Previously, working remotely was a luxury, but now it has become a “trend” as 2020 was all about celebrating Zoom Happy Hours; if your organization plans to go 100% remote, consider the trends mentioned above while crafting the remote work policy. As more and more employees want to work remotely for the foreseeable future, we will continue exploring new trends and achieving a better digital workplace. 

About the author:

Brijesh Vadukiya is the tech activist, blogger, and internet marketing officer of Elluminati Inc for more than three years. My major concern is to educate people who are interested in technology. I am fond of writing useful and informative content that helps brands to grow business.