It’s also spurred on relocation, with many people moving to quieter towns with lower costs of living and increased quality of life. But do employees and businesses agree that remote work is the best option? And does this style of working enhance productivity, reduce stress, and encourage a positive work-life balance?
- This works out to $29.41 an hour, over four times the current average minimum wage.
- While remote work may not inherently alter these job characteristics, their presence remains important in shaping remote workers’ attitudes and work outcomes.
- On the other hand, loosely coupled work has fewer dependencies or is more routine.
- Okay, so it seems like companies are starting to get serious about the security aspect of remote work.
- Organize virtual team-building activities and encourage informal conversations to strengthen relationships.
Remote work during COVID-19
This indicates a strong preference for remote work among certain professionals.. While 36% of remote workers feel that career advancement is easier thanks to remote work, up from 22% in the previous year, some still struggle with visibility and promotion. Concerns about missing out on projects and promotions are voiced by 42% of remote workers, with many fearing that managers view in-office employees as more trustworthy. Most remote workers believe that their career advancement depends more on their output and impact than their physical presence in a physical office.
Remote work may sometimes be viewed cautiously by management due to concerns about reduced managerial control. Individual responses to the characteristics of remote work may vary. Employees with higher growth need strength may respond more positively to increased autonomy and more negatively to reduced feedback in remote work environments than those with lower growth need strength. Workplace relationships also play a role in employee commitment. A 2018 study by Sigal G. Barsade found that employees experiencing greater loneliness reported feeling less committed to their employers and coworkers. Remote work, by reducing opportunities for informal interaction, can hinder the development of workplace friendships.
A separate study conducted in 2021 and 2022, surveying workers from remote work stats 2024 26 countries, found that women valued the option to work from home more highly than men in nearly all countries surveyed. Additionally, among both men and women, those with children generally placed a higher value on remote work options compared to those without children. Remote work introduces a social structure that both enables and constrains communication compared to traditional office environments. For example, whereas in-person norms typically encourage face-to-face interaction, remote settings require alternative forms of interpersonal exchange. Over time, remote work may shift the established norms of communication and collaboration within organizations. A study of workers in 27 countries surveyed in mid-2021 and early 2022 found they would on average be willing to sacrifice 5% of their pay to be able to work from home two to three days per week.
The age group most likely to work remotely are those aged 24 to 35 . Within this demographic, 39% work remotely full time and 25% do so part time. This suggests that the younger workforce values the flexibility and autonomy offered by remote work, which could have implications for businesses looking to attract and retain this talent group. Accounting managers, overseeing financial operations and teams, smoothly transitioned to managing these responsibilities remotely. Product designers, engaged in creative and design processes, use digital tools to collaborate and design from any location. Writers, accustomed to the flexibility of location, continued to produce content effectively in remote settings.
November 2025 Employer Partner Remote Job Openings
Remote work improves efficiency by reducing travel time, and reduces commuting time and time stuck in traffic congestion, improving quality of life. The increase in remote work had also led to people moving out of cities and into larger homes which catered for home office space. Certain employee expenses, such as office expenses, can be shifted to the remote worker, although this is the subject of lawsuits.
What Is Wage Compression & How to Avoid It to Retain Top Talent
- Fewer cited one, four, and five days, each making 8–11% of responses.
- There are a few causal studies on the effects of remote work on productivity and well-being in the workplace, including some in which I participated.
- Hiring a virtual assistant or outsourcing operations means you spend less time on admin and more time scaling your core offering.
- These findings speak to the increasing importance of work-life balance and self-determination in shaping career decisions.
- According to a FlexJobs survey, 60% of women say they’ll look for a new job if they cannot continue to work remotely, and 52% of men say they’d quit.
The JobsReach 2024 Report offers a detailed, numerical analysis of the wide-reaching effects of remote work on various key areas. These include job and hiring trends, employee wellbeing and productivity, multi-generational workforces, and the future of work, among others. Considering the average remote worker saves 72 minutes of commuting time every day, this flexibility is a major plus.
Skills and Education for Remote Workers
In early 2024, 22.9% of U.S. workers teleworked at least part-time, about 35.5 million people. As remote work opportunities have grown over the past few years, employees have identified a multitude of benefits that working from home has had on their mental, physical, and financial health. But how do employees feel about remote work when it comes to the everyday aspects of working such as training, collaborating, or being promoted? Embracing remote work comes with its own set of benefits and challenges, impacting both employees and employers in various ways. Understanding these aspects can help in creating effective strategies for managing remote work. As remote work becomes more prevalent, it’s important to understand workers’ sentiments towards this evolving model.
Challenges to team building
Alternatively, 60% of professionals have left or have considered leaving a job due to the lack of flexibility. 44% of remote workers reported that they worked more in 2023 compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, 32% reported working the same amount, and 24% reported working less. Xerox, a company with a global workforce, calculated that it saved 92 million miles of driving by allowing its remote workers to avoid commuting. 42% of businesses with return-to-office mandates are having a harder time with employee retention than expected. 76% of employees would actively seek a new job if their current employer got rid of flexible work options.
Financial considerations also play a significant role in shaping attitudes towards remote work. Surprisingly, 42% of office workers stated their willingness to accept a 10% pay cut in exchange for the flexibility to work remotely. This emphasizes the value individuals place on achieving a better work-life balance.
This viewpoint is mirrored by the 57% of organizations that have elevated their expenditure on remote collaboration software. It’s predicted that 60% of the US workforce will be working remotely by 2024. Despite all the benefits of remote, remote work isn’t without its downside, with 22% of respondents struggling with not being able to unplug while working remotely and 15% struggling with loneliness.
According to JobsReach Remote Work & RTO Pulse Report, 63% of professionals are willing to accept a salary decrease to work remotely, with 17% willing to take a 20% pay cut. However, pay reductions might not be necessary, as WFH Research has found that remote workers earn an average of $19,000 more than their in-office counterparts. New data highlights the extensive impact of remote work on professionals, employers, and the broader workforce.
According to Fortune, startups that go fully remote save an average of $10,000–$15,000 per employee per year on real estate, utilities, and facilities costs. Platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed consistently report growth in remote job listings. Between 2020 and 2023, the percentage of remote job postings on LinkedIn grew by over 350%. Startups are fueling this demand, offering remote flexibility to attract better talent without geographical limitations. Despite the benefits, participants emphasize the importance of human oversight to ensure fairness and data security.
A 2017 study found that physical separation from the office environment may also reduce opportunities for informal encouragement, which can contribute to an employee’s ability to perform at their highest potential. Remote work can also impact workplace relationships, particularly when some employees work remotely and others do not. This dynamic may sometimes lead to feelings of resentment or perceptions of unfairness among those who are required to be on-site. Remote workers may also experience reduced access to in-person companionship and on-site benefits. According to a Gallup poll in September 2021, 45% of full-time U.S. employees worked from home, including 25% who worked from home all of the time and 20% who worked from home part of the time. 91% of those who work remotely (fully or partially) hoped to continue to do so after the pandemic.
This information is designed to help jobseekers discover promising career paths and enable employers to attract top talent in an increasingly competitive market. To access past year-end reports, select any of the years listed here. Throughout 2024, the Virtual Vocations team, in collaboration with our Employer Partners, added over 247,000 remote job postings to our fully remote job board—a 16% increase compared to 2023.