The concept of remote working isn’t new. However, the COVID-19 pandemic expedited a seismic shift to remote working for many organizations and individuals. Multinational companies previously operating traditional office-centric approaches had to swiftly change their ways of working to continue operating during extenuating circumstances.
The world’s working styles and patterns are ever-changing, as are views about remote work. How will the concept of work continue to evolve due to people’s shift in mind-set following the pandemic? While some corporations have actioned a phased return or adopted a hybrid approach, many organizations and individuals have decided to continue adopting the remote working model.
As the global economic outlook turns gloomy, remote working skeptics claim the “trend” could now be in reversal. However, with many people saying they’d take a pay cut in order to continue remote working and with surveys confirming flexibility is one of people’s key requirements for job satisfaction, a complete return to the corporate office for many looks highly unlikely. Companies’ attempts to lure workers back to the office have largely failed. Employers have touted incentives including free meals and barista coffee, the latest exercise classes and dog-friendly days… all - largely to little avail.
In January 2022, a Cabinet Office Minister called for UK Government departments to accelerate the return to office-based working to “boost collaboration”. However, the demand caused outrage amongst civil servants with many claiming “work is no longer a place” (according to the Daily Telegraph). Since the directive, many leaders working across government departments backed motions to continue flexible working.
"Work is no longer a place."
Workers at the American telecoms firm AT&T, claimed that they were being forced to return to the office early and even launched a Change.org petition to make the company’s pandemic-related remote working policies permanent. Apple employees also started a petition declaring that the company’s return to the office policy (for at least three days per week) affected staff wellbeing.
In summer 2022, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan caused further controversy when claiming that a return to the workplace would help to improve diversity. However, Meta Platforms (owner of Facebook and Instagram) has a different viewpoint. Maxine Williams, Meta’s Chief Diversity Officer, highlighted that candidates who accepted job offers for remote positions were “substantially more likely” to come from diverse communities. Sandra Altiné, Meta’s VP of workforce diversity and inclusion, added “embracing remote work has allowed Meta to become a more diverse company”.
Many people have become accustomed to working remotely and have greatly enjoyed the significant benefits that this can bring. When confronted with demands to return to a physical office location, many people are now actively seeking new employment opportunities elsewhere.
Meetings expert and international consultant Corbin Ball helps clients worldwide use technology to save time and improve productivity levels. Corbin shares his thoughts about the future of remote work following the pandemic:
“Web conferencing and virtual meeting technologies have advanced far more in the past three years than they have in the previous decade. The innovations and best practices learned, plus the proliferation of many low-cost online collaboration tools forever changed how people work and communicate."
The hybrid working model sees employees work partly in their physical workplace and partly remotely (either from home or from another location - often of their choosing).
John Lewis and Prudential are just two of the major organizations that have chosen to continue operating their hybrid models (which were adopted at the start of the pandemic).
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A spokesman for Hargreaves Lansdown, the investment platform recently referenced their hybrid-working model stating:
“Giving individuals and teams flexibility is important to our colleagues and we’ve seen through the pandemic that we can operate very successfully as a business in this way.”
Dispersed teams have become a huge focus for companies wanting to access a greater talent pool and attract both a skilled and, often diverse workforce. Securing remote talent at competitive rates was especially beneficial to organizations during the pandemic when many employees were forced to work remotely.
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Related: Practical collaboration tips for remote working
Digital nomads are remote workers who travel to different (often global) locations on a regular basis often for long periods of time. Often armed simply with just their laptop, smartphone and WiFi access, these entrepreneurial types work from locations including coffee shops, libraries, hotels and co-working spaces.
Job flexibility has also accelerated people’s desires to blend the boundaries between work and travel and often in some highly-sought after and exotic locations.
People have even been using home swaps as a means to trial the digital nomadic lifestyle. Home swaps allow people to attain the kind of globe trotting lifestyle they dream of - albeit at a significantly reduced cost.
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Related: What makes a city popular for digital nomads?
The pandemic proved the catalyst for many individuals to make the leap from full-time employment to consulting. Many consultants operate on a remote basis, with just key business and client meetings taking place in physical spaces.
For example, take the rise of law “consultancy” firms in the UK. Many innovative law firms are now appearing in the “Lawyer’s” prestigious “Top 200 Law Firm” lists. In recent years, this forward-thinking approach was often dismissed by many traditional legal practices. However, these consultancy firms are actually challenging many of the large traditional firms - both for market share and talent acquisition.
Setfords is a UK-based law consultancy firm that attracts talented and experienced solicitors with the lure of remote working and improved work/life balance.
“As a consultant solicitor with Setfords, you could rebalance your life, with fulfilling work, appreciative clients, and time to enjoy the rewards you earn."
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In 2021, major accountancy firm Deloitte told its consultants that they could decide “when, where and how they work”. The company currently has no plans to renege on this offer.
A virtual office gives businesses a physical address and office-related services without the overhead of a long lease and administrative staff. With a virtual office, employees can work from anywhere, but still have access to a mailing address, call answering services, meeting rooms, and videoconferencing when needed.
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In recent years, many freelancers have thrived in the “gig economy”, especially since the pandemic accelerated the need for readily available workers. No standardized definition of what constitutes being a “gig worker” exists. However, the general consensus is that gig workers are members of the labor force with contingent or alternate work arrangements. The gig economy is sometimes referred to as the “flex economy”.
PWC is an example of a company that supports this type of work. PWC’s “Talent Exchange” is an online platform that links freelancers with PwC projects.
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Read more on UP’s thoughts about the gig economy here.
Freelancers are self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments or on an "as needed” basis. Freelancers also aren't committed to a single client - they have the freedom to choose the projects they'd like to work on and the clients they'd like to work for.
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UP pioneered the e-ployment® model, and remote workers and digital nomads alike are embracing it.
In this video, Julian Stubbs co-founder of UP THERE, EVERYWHERE talks about UP’s e-ployment model which defines a new way of living and working in the cloud. As Julian highlights:
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Julian often used to spend three hours a day commuting to work and the tireless traffic led him to thinking “there has to be another way”...
“It's not employment. It's not freelancing. It's something else.”
Read more about UP's e-ployment® model >
There will always be a proportion of employers demanding an office presence — take Goldman Sachs for example. The bank’s Chief Executive reportedly described working from home as an “aberration we are going to correct as quickly as possible.” There will also be people that need a standardized routine and those that enjoy the hybrid approach. However, if recession fears prove correct, companies cannot expect to rely on presentee-ism alone – productivity and employee engagement will be key.
A huge proportion of the global workforce has now experienced remote working and have adapted both physically and mentally as a result. People have become accustomed to their new ways of working and greatly enjoyed the positive impacts that this had on their lives.
“The COVID-19 lockdown forced many people to work remotely. In doing so, many realized that they liked the flexibility and did not miss the hassle of commuting. Employers also often saw increases in productivity and job satisfaction. Other workers found new jobs working remotely. These changes will likely be permanent, with a substantially larger segment of the workforce using these options for more efficient and effective ways to work.”
- Corbin Ball, Meetings Expert and International Speaker
Remote working is undoubtedly here to stay, and the options for doing so are only set to increase.
For more inspiration about the benefits of living and working in the cloud, read a FREE chapter of e-ployment® by UP's cofounder Julian Stubbs.
Please contact UP with any questions about the benefits of e-ployment®.