One whole year has passed since the pandemic took the world by storm, splitting our lives into “before” and “after.” One year ago, most of us were only dreaming of spending more time out of the office. But today our offices have moved to our homes, making remote working and recruitment the new normal.
Will this ever change?
We believe not, and here’s why.
Remote Work Boosts Productivity
There are increasingly more companies hiring remote developers worldwide. Contrary to the overall expectations, working from home has skyrocketed people’s productivity. Almost all surveyed employers report the same (67%) or better (27%) productivity since their employees switched to remote working. 95% of employees say their productivity has been higher or the same compared to office work, while half of them report being even more productive.
People have learned to assume more responsibility for their time and manage it effectively, balancing between work and personal lives. Despite the initial challenges, even working parents report higher productivity since they started working from home.
Remote Work Makes People More Satisfied
Working from home has always been associated with more satisfaction. We prize the flexibility in setting working hours yourself and having more time for leisure. Some choose to work remotely and travel (though the time for long travels is yet to come). Others find time to do what they have always wanted to, like morning yoga or a baking course.
Working from home unites people. By spending more time with our family members, we understand them better and learn to build stronger connections. This results in higher happiness levels and less stress. Those who have flexible work options tend to have a higher Workforce Happiness Index and even better mental health. No wonder so many specialists are looking for work from home jobs.
Remote Work Saves Money, and the Environment
The times of coffee breaks near a vending machine and lunches in the nearest cafe are gone. Working from home allows us to cook and eat at home, which is cheaper and healthier. A decreased need for transportation is the next big thing that helps to save money. And it is a valuable contribution to a cleaner environment as well. With remote work and online shopping becoming widespread, we can reduce commuting miles by 70 to 140 billion every year. Remote work also leads to reduced deforestation rates and air pollution, along with better water quality worldwide.
Remote Work is Here to Stay After Vaccination
After all the positive changes we have seen during the year, will the vaccination make us move back to offices?
Remote work is likely here to stay. Many specialists have realized their potential of working off-site, particularly in industries like technology, marketing, and sales. Remote workers earn over $100,000 per year more than office workers and make 8.3% more with the same job and qualification. Companies that hire remote developers are ready to pay up to 39% more than non-remote ones.
The recent announcements of Facebook and Twitter that they expect more of their workers to work remotely in the next years proves the trend toward telecommuting. This trend affects the recruitment process as well. A typical tech recruitment agency offering businesses a limited choice of local options is not likely to survive. Instead, remote recruitment agencies like are searching for talents globally rather than being constrained to a single location.
Most Importantly: Your Employer Understands Your Need for Remote Working
80% of the US workforce wants to work from home, but they never had the opportunity to do so until the pandemic (yes, even COVID can have a silver lining). One of the bright holdbacks of working from home is trust — managers did not trust the team would do their work right untethered. But today, employers are far more confident about giving more remote work opportunities even after the pandemic is over.
Tech remote recruitment allows the employer to hire talents who can’t or don’t want to relocate. Surprisingly, remote workers can also reduce unnecessary costs on workplace distractions (up to $600 billion a year!); not to mention real estate savings that companies can consider with fewer employees in-house.
Conclusion
Though the shift to telework was a forced response to a crisis, we can’t ignore all the positive changes it has brought to our lives. With the overwhelming success of remote work, the office's role is set to change for good.
Previously published here.
