Why Remote Work is the Real Future of Work
Back in 2016, our team got together with 80 freelancers, entrepreneurs, and startup founders in Lemnos for what we called a “Workation camp.” It was 10-days of coworking, coliving, and holidays. Kayaking, bike excursions, and trips to archeological sites, interspersed with work sessions, think tanks, and fuck up sessions. It was supposed to be an escape from the office, but the real idea behind it was to create a remote community. One that enabled people to get out of their routine and into a completely new headspace (in case you’re wondering, it was just as good as it sounds).
Up until recently, this was what most people thought of when they thought of “remote work”. It was digital nomads. Working from a beach or poolside. A kind of escape reserved for the young, the childless, the unmarried, or otherwise untethered. And hey, we totally get behind that definition of remote work, too. But it’s a bit limiting. Because in reality, remote work is the future of all kinds of work.
But first… what is remote work?
By definition, remote work is “a work arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel to a central place of work, such as an office building, warehouse, or store.”
It’s become increasingly possible for many employees to do their jobs independently of where they are. So remote work gives them autonomy, flexibility, and the freedom to work from wherever. Keep in mind, that can be anywhere, from a home office, to a coffee shop across town, to a coworking space across the world.
Why is remote work the future of work?
The benefits of remote work are pretty clear from an employee perspective. It means increased flexibility, more time, and the opportunity to live where they want to, regardless of where their employer is based.
But there’s an employer benefit, too. Early studies by employers who have already been trialing a dispersed workforce are showing increased productivity, better prospects for recruitment and retention, and cost savings. This transition has been long underway, but COVID-19 certainly lit the fire under this movement.
So once the pandemic is under control, will people head back to the office in droves? We don’t think so.
Remote work — or at least some version of it — is here to stay. Here’s why.
It’s been a trend.
Coworking is a fast-growing industry. Before the pandemic, DeskMag’s State of Coworking estimated 26,300 spaces and 2.7 million members worldwide by the end of 2020.
While COVID-19 may have impacted those projections, the trend towards remote work has been accelerated in a way no one could have predicted. Experts are expecting that once restrictions lift, more teams will be looking for flexible office solutions or getting rid of their leases entirely to create a partially dispersed workforce. There’s been a flight from cities to hometowns and rural areas meaning that more employees will need work that they can do from anywhere. And with high unemployment and ongoing uncertainty, it’s likely that many people will undertake a massive shift in their career.
Remote work is catching on with major companies.
Before the lockdown, there was a major shift towards a dispersed workforce. But in response to COVID-19, even more companies (including Google and Facebook) have announced that most employees can work from home through at least the end of 2020. Twitter and Square have taken things a step farther, announcing that virtually all their employees will be entitled to work remotely. Permanently.
The implications of companies taking this step are that remote work becomes normalized. Rather than it being a fringe benefit, the flexibility to work remotely — at least part of the time — could become a standard part of compensation packages.
The benefits to companies are also proving to be significant. Imagine the cost-savings without startup campuses. The talent pool without geographic limitations. And the loyalty and retention benefits that have already emerged.
And at least for now, productivity is up.
Employers have long argued that remote work would have negative consequences on their team’s productivity. But according to one survey, initial working from home has led to a 47% increase in worker productivity. And a longer term study carried out by Stanford showed similarly positive productivity results.
As this unintended pilot study continues, employers have the opportunity to track employee productivity over time. And if it keeps up, that’s another obstacle removed from the continuation of their remote work policies.
Employees really like it.
Even before COVID, the freedom to work remotely was a benefit that employees wanted.
Part of that is flexibility. Big things like the option to work from an office across the country (or across the world) a few weeks a year, but also smaller things like sleeping in once a week or picking up their kids from school.
The other part is pretty practical. It’s often cheaper to work remotely since commuting costs, clothing costs, childcare, and food expenses add up. It’s less time commuting, meaning more time for family or interests outside of work. And even more significant, it gives employees the option to choose where they live and build their life outside of work in a way they were less empowered to do before.
There’s finally infrastructure to support it.
But there’s been a real shift in “working from home” that allows people to work from spaces or environments that wouldn’t have previously been possible.
The major change has been the infrastructure. And the infrastructure for remote work is better than it’s ever been. WiFi is ubiquitous. There are coworking spaces in cities around the world and apps like One Coworking give members a home base while letting them roam to partner spaces flexibly. Teams are used to communicating via email and Slack and video conference tools in a way they didn’t used to be.
As many teams noticed, the shift to remote work in response to COVID-19 wasn’t nearly as drastic as expected. Which just goes to show anything is possible for this next phase of remote work.
Here’s what we think.
Remote work is here to stay. Our challenge as a society is to make the shift a positive one.
To employers. For many of you, the transition to remote work was a necessary response to a global health crisis. It was done quickly rather than sustainably. You might be starting to imagine the benefits of having a more remote workforce, or already experiencing some of them firsthand. But the responsibility stays on you to put people first.
- Remember to make this transition to remote work comfortable for your employees. Consider passing some of your cost-savings on by providing home office stipends or coworking budgets to people who don’t have an ideal setup.
- Consider the expanding talent pool as an opportunity to make your team better (rather than just cheaper).
- Create a culture that can exist outside of an office. Give employees an opportunity to meet each other and consider organizing annual retreats or parties to help keep the team connected.
- Set realistic goals and expectations for your team. Understand that working from home can mean longer hours and unclear communication boundaries. Lead by example in establishing these norms.
To the employees. Time! Flexibility! After restrictions ease up, use the work you’ve been able to accomplish as an example for why remote work is a viable option in the long term. But with new power, you’ll have a new responsibility.
- Create a clear boundary with how and when you’ll use your home for work and leisure.
- Don’t overuse the freedoms of working from home. If you’re being flexible with your lunch or start time, use clear communication so everyone is on the same page.
- Stay connected. With your team and with others. Working from home can be isolating, and if it’s part of your long term plan, you need to build in regular walks or social outings to stay sane.
- Take care of yourself. Anyone who’s worked from home long enough has found themselves in a routine of sweatpants and frozen pizza lunch. So get ready in the morning. Go for walks. Make healthy lunches. And do your best to create a sustainable work environment for yourself.
- Try something new. If the remote work setup is new for you, why not try out something completely different? It could be a coworking space in your town or a work retreat in your timezone. You’ll never know how you work best until you give it a shot.
betahaus is a coworking space and community made up of entrepreneurs, startups, corporate teams, freelancers, and creatives around the world. You can find our coworking spaces in Berlin, Hamburg, Sofia, Barcelona, Tirana*, or Milan* with partner locations around the world.
One Coworking is an app that allows betahaus members to flexibly roam to locations worldwide up to 5 days a month.
