Work from Home 2021: Current & Future Trends In Remote Work
It’s been about a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, giving us ample data to analyze trends in remote work and what the future holds for those working from home.
By forcing many all of the world into lockdown, the pandemic brought traditional office work to a halt. Everyone was forced to consider alternate work options, such as working remotely. Nearly a year later, we now live in a world where the idea of remote work is not a temporary compromise, but a thriving approach.
It’s clear that remote work has a bright future. Here are some current and potential trends of this work style disrupting the status quo.
Increasing Demand for Work from Home Options
Not surprisingly, remote work has become an average employee's go-to option. According to a survey, about 82 percent of employees expressed their desire to work from home, and about 57 percent would want at least three out of five days a week to be scheduled for remote work.
The reason employees are opting for this set up is because they get to save more on everything when they work from. Be it money, time, or energy. They need not invest time and resources in putting gas in their vehicle or paying Uber fares. They need not invest in newer clothes, fancy lunches, or night’s out with fellow employees. Instead, they can save all of those monetary resources and spend it where they truly want to, such as a vacation trip with friends or a bigger house for their family.
Additionally, working from home gives employees more time to spend on themselves and with friends and family.
Encouraging Work from Home
Similarly, the companies themselves seem to be happy with reduced office maintenance costs as well. With fewer employees working in-house, they need to spend less on furniture, stationery materials, and other office-associated essentials. For this very reason, companies are also encouraging their employees to work from home. They are doing so by shifting working mechanisms on virtual platforms.
It is important to note that not all professions can adapt to remote work. However, companies are combating this with arrangements such as allowing on-site workers to complete more of their work in limited visits to the office.
Rise of Coworking Space
The concept of coworking spaces has existed since the early 2010s, however, it wasn’t a widespread concept. Enter in 2021, and now working adults rush to these places to get their remote work done. Silent and serene coworking spaces allow one to work without interruptions from children and potential home chores. Further, with the rise of remote work, people developed a firmer understanding of how these co-working spaces enabled them to stimulate the office environment and get work done efficiently.
Ever since then the coworking industry has seen an incline in growth. Today, more and more businessmen are investing in unique co-working spaces to facilitate rising demands. It’s estimated that the co-working space industry will reach $11.52-billion by 2023.
Increase in Work from Home and Indoor Activities Apps
In December 2019, Zoom had about 10 million daily meeting participants. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the figure grew dramatically, and in March 2020, about 200 million people connected via Zoom for work purposes. These statistics exhibit the growth of video-conferencing and team chat apps, such as Slack . Estimates are that this growth will not take a steady form and may witness a greater rise in 2021 as remote work becomes an official mode of work.
Similarly, remote work has also led to immense growth in indoor activity apps, such as those of meditation, cooking, time-management, and so on and so forth. With less social interaction, working individuals are relying more on these apps for entertainment.
Mental Health Issues among Remote Workers
The rise in work from the home policy has uncovered many mental health-related problems that remote workers suffer. Some of the commonly experienced problems include:
Anxiety
Depression
Isolation
Irritation
Fatigue
Work insecurity
People working from home do not get confined by office rules and policies. However, the flexibility and freedom of remote work comes with one major drawback—compromise on mental health.
Fortunately, a majority of people have experienced these problems, and now, change is on its way. Several organizations, employers, and companies have introduced laws that promote mental health betterment. These revised work policies prevent burnout and stress in all employees. Hence, improving productivity and efficiency.
Less Environmental Impact
Remote work has limited people to their home office and coworking spaces. And, with the rise in remote workers during the pandemic, the practice of home confinement increased drastically. Undeniably, the pandemic did cause a declining economy and world growth. However, nature has reaped many benefits. With remote work, people reduced their daily commute, causing dropping levels of air, noise, and even land pollution.
Did you know that the nitrogen levels reduced by 54% in Paris? Well, this is merely one example of the busiest of cities in the world experiencing pollution reduction.
Another way through which remote work is benefiting the environment is the increased usage of digital means. A majority of workers have switched to computers and tablets to get their work done. Hence, decreasing the use of papers and other materials. Consequently, while companies have suffered a loss, nature has experienced conservation!
In a nutshell, the pandemic has made us realize how advantageous remote work can be for the world in the long-run. And this realization likely means a significant growth of this practice in the years to come!
Xavier James is a telecom engineer and a certified marketing trainer with a passion for writing, designing, and anything tech-related.