Remote work has been an active dynamic for years. Although this workstyle was reserved for specific industries or activities, its popularity and demand grew dramatically after the pandemic. Today, companies and workers understand the relevance of remote work to continue economic growth.

However, COVID-19 was only the beginning of the impact of remote work worldwide. If you still don’t know the true influence of remote work, look at the four key facts below.

High Demand for Remote Work

Thousands of companies closed their doors due to the coronavirus. Others had to suspend their activities and work with a contagion-proof system temporarily. Remote work was the most suitable alternative to continue with the tasks and protect the employees’ health.

An investigation by Glassdoor reported a 360 percent increase in the search for remote opportunities between 2019 and 2021. This demand was also beneficial for freelancing platforms such as UpWork, Workana, or Fiverr. Some of the preferred fields of job seekers were information technology, financial services, healthcare, and marketing.

Hybrid Schedules

In this era, we see the growth of social movements like the Great Resignation. Thousands of employees in America quit their jobs for many reasons. COVID-19 and salaries are the most frequent arguments for this trend. However, an interesting percentage of workers leave work environments looking for hybrid schedules. 100 percent in-person work is no longer the preferred alternative.

This phenomenon has forced companies to adapt to remote work platforms to retain their workforce. The hybrid schedule is also beneficial for companies to reduce the capacity inside offices and avoid contagion.

Job Tracker Systems

Some people doubt the performance of remote work and the responsibilities of employees. However, the current platforms manage advanced systems to monitor working hours personalized. Companies like Upwork track each user’s tasks, taking screenshots and counting the number of clicks per hour.

With these modern systems, it is easy for companies to monitor the performance of their workers. The most famous job trackers on the market increase the productivity of each working day. Each program is vital for remote work to be worthwhile. In fact, a CoSo Cloud report shows that 77 percent of employees are more productive working from home.

Cheaper Conditions

Saving and investing money correctly is the objective of any worker, especially in this period of inflation in the United States. Remote work will remain thanks to cheaper conditions for companies and employees in the coming years.

A TECLA study shows that remote employers can save about $7,000 per year on transportation, childcare, food, and other expenses. In this case, the costs necessary cover internet services and computers. 

Depending on the type of employment and contract conditions, employees must use paid platforms or programs, buy cameras, microphones, lights, among other equipment. For this reason, you must know what you need to do your job before having remote job interviews.

Pros and Cons of Remote Work

As an employer or worker, remote work can be a powerful solution to grow a project. However, remote work has pros and cons that you must know to master each circumstance. Take a look at the points below.

Pros

More flexible and comfortable working conditions: Thanks to remote work, you can work from your home, hotel, restaurant, or any area with internet access.

Reduce costs for everyone: Digital companies save millions of dollars in the construction of buildings and offices. Employees reduce expenses for transportation, food, and childcare.

More job offers: The digital world promotes the growth of companies around the world, leading to more job offers. Therefore, companies can hire employees from any country, eliminating obstacles such as talent shortage in their location.

Cons:

Stiff competition: The growth of remote work can be a disadvantage for freelancers, who must pass more filters to get job offers due to the high number of employees.

More demanding schedules: Most companies require more working hours for these conditions. Productivity increases, and so does the number of hours per week due to personalized supervision.

Sporadic or no raises: Remote work for freelancers can be difficult regarding salary increases. The high supply of employees in marketing, web development, or graphic design hinders the opportunities to earn more than the general average.

Conclusion

Remote work is an essential part of the “New Normal” post-pandemic era. Although this system continues to evolve, the near future looks promising. The best advice is to research and adapt to these tools in order to be a key worker in the workforce of this decade.