Remote work has exploded over the last couple of years. Improvements in technology and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive increase in companies using distributed teams.
As vaccine efforts are now underway, questions have begun to be asked about whether remote work is around for the long haul or not and if the office will make a comeback.
There are, however, 3 good reasons to assume that work from home (WFH) jobs aren’t going anywhere and that they could even become the norm going forward. Let’s look through these in detail.
It’s easier to find remote jobs than ever
First of all, more companies are hiring for jobs on the proviso that they will be remote. Changing things back to a fully on-site team environment could prove tricky in terms of retaining those new hires.
And, of course, there are generally many more remote jobs on offer in general than there were available before the pandemic. Many of these will be more flexible about how they operate going forward.
This of course is great news if you’re currently office-bound and want to become part of the remote workforce. This is also especially good timing if you are joining the job market after completing your studies at university.
All you need to do is build yourself an online free resume that’s optimized for remote work. To do that, you should emphasise skills like your ability to work independently or adaptability.
It’s also a good idea to hype any online or out of office work you’ve done in the past to show you’re a solid candidate no matter where you work. Then all you need to do is take advantage of the many open positions, which offer WFH possibilities.
Companies are increasingly on board with hiring remote teams
One of the reasons there are so many more remote jobs available isn’t just because of the pandemic. Companies are also largely seeing benefits of shifting to a WFH setup too.
From the tech industry to finance more and more big companies are coming round to the benefits of having a remote workforce and this is because there are many advantages to doing so.
Some of the best gains companies have found from adopting a remote set-up include:
- Cheaper overheads
- Better productivity
- A wider selection of possible hires
- Less absenteeism
As a result, a lot of big names are giving remote teams their vote of confidence. Major players like Twitter, Shopify, Upwork now allow employees to work fully from home if they wish to, according to Forbes.
Naturally, this isn’t a universal trend yet. Many other companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon haven’t quite gone as far as this, preferring instead a hybrid model mixing WFH and office attendance.
That said, progress has clearly moved forward from the time when 5 days a week in the office was expected at all times. If the current trends hold, more fully remote positions could become available with these companies as things continue to shift.
Employees generally prefer having the option to work remotely
Lots of company surveys have shown a preference for their workforce to at least have a remote work option, even if it’s mixed with conventional on-site office work.
According to the latest surveys by Gallup, results have shown employees are far more engaged, make more progress in their workday if they work at least 40% of the time from home.
Another poll conducted by Blind also shows that 64% of workers would choose the opportunity to work from home over a pay rise.
Not only that, a similar study by FlexJobs noted that 58% of respondents would look for a new job if there’s no WFH option offered by their current employer once the pandemic ends.
It’s clear to see that there’s been an overall shift for employees, after having the opportunity to try out remote work. This at least guarantees a significant foothold for WFH jobs in the foreseeable future.
In conclusion
There are plenty of reasons why the unexpected jump towards remote jobs has been a success during the pandemic. The way forward isn’t yet 100% clear but a major shift has taken place all the same.
With the requirements of companies adapting to the new realities of today’s job market, it is likely that the new status quo isn’t going anywhere for a while.
