Over the past few years, working remotely has been gaining in popularity. Now it is increasingly possible to find remote positions in various market sectors. Many modern people are used to using ZOOM, Skype and other free tools for personal purposes and to perform their direct job duties. It is enough to have an internet connection to work, and it is no longer necessary to be tied to a certain workplace. You can work directly from home or any other comfortable place.
It’s worth noting that over the past few years, the world of work has seen a real remote job revolution. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, statistics showed that only 2.9% of workers worked from home all the time. Since the introduction of national restrictions, this figure has risen to 88% – an impressive figure. But this trend in the global labour market began even before the quarantine. Over the past few decades, remote jobs have grown in popularity, showing steady, albeit slow, growth. Here’s a simple statistic: in 2012, only 39% of workers in the U.S. performed their duties remotely; in 2016, the figure was already 43%.
If you are interested in the development of modern remote jobs and want to know the current trends in this sphere and the most popular types of remote work, then you should pay attention to this article. We will look closely at what work remotely is, the difference between working from home and remote work, and what is remarkable about hybrid models.
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A remote worker is a worker who does not work in an office but performs their duties directly at a co-working space or any other place with Internet and computer access. Employees whose only office is their own home are also remote workers. Remote employees, who have a flexible schedule to visit their direct workplace, also perform most of their duties remotely. Working remotely is when an employee can perform a task from any location.
Remote jobs have many positive qualities: increased productivity, a fairly flexible schedule, with the ability to work full-time. In addition, this type of activity also has certain disadvantages: remote workers often suffer from a violation of the balance between work and personal life. Studies have shown that 55% of employees work at home much more than in the office. It is great news in terms of productivity, but it can also harm the personal life of staff, which increases the likelihood of professional burnout. In addition, in some situations, remote workers may feel isolated and experience certain negative mental well-being effects. Such factors have led many employers to focus on their employees’ well-being, encouraging them to find a balance between their personal and work lives.
As strange as it may sound, working remotely and working from home are completely 2 different concepts with a rather thin line between them. For example, working from home often implies that the company needs to have its own office. The same is true for freelancers. It is worth noting that the need to appear at businesses, headquarters and other official places periodically is most often associated with the remote work format.
It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that for the last couple of years, freelancing has become more and more popular. It is because many workers have faced layoffs and other career interruptions due to the pandemic. Nearly half of the world’s workforce is now self-employed. Freelancing platforms are becoming more and more popular in 2023. Many employees appreciate the advantages of freelancing: the freedom and flexibility, and they can accept customer queries from almost anywhere in the world. In addition, the popularity of freelance sites is also due to the expansion of outsourcing around the world. Many industries have planned to ramp up their outsourcing efforts and areas to minimize costs and improve efficiency. For example, outsourcing costs are projected to reach $519,000,000 in 2023.
As strange as it may sound, the economic uncertainty is opening up many more opportunities for freelancing. Many companies are looking to save their financial costs as the recession gets closer. Therefore, they may be interested in working with freelancers to outsource certain projects, choosing freelancers over in-house staff who need to be paid regularly.
It has become quite common for colleagues to not see each other in real life with their own eyes, and only the Internet is used for communication. Recently remote working is becoming more and more popular. Employees use remote locations to answer phone calls, conduct financial transactions, prepare press releases, set sales goals, work on blog content and perform other direct work duties depending on the specific position.
The concept of job sharing is now actively used by many. It reached its maximum development after the coronavirus pandemic. The concept presented is that people who work together live in different parts of the world. They can work full-time, but their schedules are significantly different because of the specific time zones where they live. For example, while it’s the beginning of the workday in Australia, Canadians are still sound asleep in the middle of the night. However, establishing an optimal workflow enables companies to hire the best employees from around the world, no matter where they live. It’s worth noting that managing such groups of employees is a fairly complex process that requires specific actions. But as a result, it is possible to solve the problem of the need for more qualified personnel.
The very concept of remote work implies the organization of the work process, in which workers do not travel to where they perform their duties and do not come to the central place of work. It can be a physical office, business, warehouse, store and other place. It is worth noting that certain types of work cannot be performed remotely and cannot do without travelling to the place of work. Scientists found out that remote work applies to only 44% of jobs. It means that more than half of all possible places of employment require personal presence. To a greater extent, this applies to employees in the service sector: catering, cleaning, transportation, retail, and others.
The pandemic has led to the emergence of many remote workers who provide their services in a digital remote format. It is worth noting that for most, remote work was only a temporary measure, not a permanent work format. In addition, some jobs are specifically created for remote work. In particular, the best remote jobs are:
However, remote working is only available to some. For example, you definitely can’t lay bricks with Slack. The hairdresser must instruct the client on properly cutting his hair via Zoom. Many jobs require precisely face-to-face contact. A 2019 study found that only 1 percent of all workers in the service industry have access to work remotely. Among all possible occupations, this is the lowest rate.
Often employees may hear 2 different terms: remote job and flex working. These phenomena have certain differences. Flex working is a working model that has generated a lot of interest. The concept presented is a special concept with a unique approach to allocating working time and the workplace. The bottom line is that employees have a certain list of work tasks, but they can plan their time however they want. Companies that use a flexible work strategy are more resilient and can quickly adapt to today’s marketplace. Giving flexibility to staff will increase productivity levels and inspire employees to develop new and creative ways to solve problems.
Next in line is the concept of telecommuting. The presented format of work is the forerunner of telecommuting. In this situation, it implies that the employee is not physically on the premises of the office or company but uses the computer and other means of communication with colleagues and supervisors to keep in touch at work. Telecommuting is well-known to the marketing department and customer support branch. Some time ago, a variety of salespeople used their phones to lead their teams. Now the practice has changed somewhat. But the point is the same. Now even some doctors work remotely, using special tools to interact remotely.
Employee preferences greatly influence hiring trends. Working outside the office has been quite a trend in the last few years. Several companies are considering using hybrid work models. Of course, this requires enough time to fully appreciate the likelihood that virtual communication can be an excellent substitute for face-to-face presence. Most workers, regardless of gender, experience or marital status, want as much flexibility as possible. In other words, to choose how and when he should work.
The hybrid work model involves the fact that the home and office have their own roles to play. Hybridization achieves maximum flexibility by allowing staff to tailor work exactly to their lives rather than adapting their lives to the work hours that need to be spent in the office. Hybrid models allow you to combine the best of 2 worlds – the flexibility of working remotely and the sociability of the office.
Hybrid work requires that the office and home environments be optimized in the best way possible for staff convenience. The office must be optimized for activities that cannot be done from home. The employee may spend some time in both of these places. That said, the home and office space need to be personalized to the needs of a particular employee.
In conclusion, remote work was created in response to the crisis. The main problem with this work format is not that it is remote but that it has become remote without choice for the majority of non-disabled people around the world. When remote work becomes the only way out during a pandemic, it immediately becomes a stifling occupation rather than a process that promotes maximum productivity. Of course, there is no denying the fact that remote work is becoming increasingly popular around the world. It affects quite a variety of areas of employment. Remote job seekers can easily find a position in a suitable field.
Remote work has contributed to companies’ rethought, adjusting, testing and improving the formulas already in place to get the best results. In the future, only businesses that have been able to organize their workforce will be able to succeed. Many employees are interested in doing their jobs remotely, with only a computer and an Internet connection. At the same time, companies should make sure that the staff feels as involved in the process and life of the company as possible rather than feeling isolated.
