The work environment for many organizations has undergone drastic shifts over the last few decades, particularly following the pandemic. The introduction of the hybrid and remote work models has had a huge impact on working life today.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that professional, scientific, and technical services had over 39% of their workforce working remotely in 2021, compared with less than 17% in 2019. Forbes also reports that the percentage of employers requiring full-time in-office attendance has decreased by four percentage points over the last year since Q1 2024, dropping from 35% to 31%.
So what is remote work? How does it impact job performance? And does it really increase employee satisfaction?
We’ll take a closer look at the remote and hybrid work model, the impact these work arrangements and collaboration tools have had on the business landscape, as well as the benefits and challenges of remote working.
What is remote work?
The Cambridge Dictionary provides a brief yet concise definition of “remote working” as follows:
The practice of an employee working at their home, or in some other place that is not an organization’s usual place of business
Remote working is a working arrangement that allows employees to work without commuting to a traditional office setting. Remote employees may choose to work from home, in a co-working space, or even in cafes or social hubs with good Wi-Fi!
Remote teams are comprised of remote employees who work together via virtual tools such as video conferencing and email, and remote workers may sporadically, if ever, go into an office space.
While remote work arrangements have become the new normal in a sense, remote employees will have vastly different work experiences from one another, as the expectations and management of remote workers varies from company to company.
How does remote work actually work?
Remote working is a flexible working model that relies on effective communication, trust, and certain job characteristics. We’ll be largely referencing industries and businesses that comprise office-based working, for example:
- Financial services
- Information Technology (IT) and software development
- Legal firms
- Consulting services
- Advertising, marketing, and design agencies
- Human Resources (HR) and recruitment
(There are, of course, businesses whose work is primarily field or site-based, but we are not referring to these industries when we consider remote work in this very article.)
Remote work is often used as a working model for corporate businesses and functions due to the digitalization of the workplace, which includes protecting sensitive data by replacing physical tools and in-person interactions with a robust technology infrastructure.
It’s essentially the same work, but the communication, collaboration, and management processes are adapted for a virtual environment.
Remote work comes in various forms, including fully remote (never reporting to an office) and hybrid (a blend of remote and in-office days). The functionality of remote work hinges on three core pillars: technology, processes, and people.
1. Technology
Technologically, remote teams rely heavily on a suite of digital tools. Communication tools (like Zoom) and instant messaging apps (like Slack) can be used for meetings and one-to-ones, and secure cloud-based file sharing and storage (like Dropbox) is used to share and store work.
Secure remote access, often through a Virtual Private Network (VPN), is also critical for employees to safely access corporate systems and maintain data security.
2. Processes
In addition to technology, successful remote work requires clear processes. Since managers can’t physically observe employees, companies need well-documented workflows, clear expectations, and structured routines for virtual meetings and project updates.
3. People
Culturally, trust between management and employees is paramount, as is maintaining a sense of team cohesion and engagement. For successful remote working, there has to be a sustained level of trust that employees can manage their own time and have the discipline to work from home.
What work models are available?
Several different working models are currently used in the workplace, and the choice of which one fits your organization best depends on the type of work produced and your workforce.
Office working
Office work still remains the most predominant working model for relevant industries. Employees commute to an office location, typically during 9-5 hours, for meetings and to use the resources provided.
Benefits include:
- Face-to-face interactions
- In-person collaboration
- Technical support
- Office equipment
- Aligned work schedules
Hybrid working
The hybrid working model refers to the blend of office and remote working. Hybrid working allows employees the option to work remotely for a set number of days, and work in the office for the rest of the week.
Benefits include:
- Employee satisfaction
- Balance of personal and professional life
- Reduced overhead costs
- Improved employee retention
- Higher job satisfaction
Remote working
Working from a remote location, such as your home, a cafe, or a co-working space, is referred to as remote working. Many remote workers make up the US workforce as more and more companies offer remote working or flexible working arrangements to improve work-life balance.
Benefits include:
- Broader talent pool
- Better work-life balance
- Reduced overhead costs
- Reduced job anxiety and stress
- Facilitation of a proactive work culture
Debunking remote working myths
Remote working was arguably popularized during COVID-19, a time of serious disruption where employers and employees alike were adjusting to new working patterns, new technology, as well as battling through an unprecedented global pandemic!
During such a time of chaos and stress, it’s natural that certain myths around remote working began to circulate. Many are still floating around the corporate landscape. Let’s clear up some of the confusion around remote work.
Remote workers are unproductive
This crops up time and time again in remote work discussions.
Although reports across the board tended to find some decrease in productivity with remote work, the results were incredibly subjective. One report found that remote workers believed productivity was higher when working from home, while managers believed it had fallen during remote working days.
Many organisation reported an increase in productivity as employee engagement spiked due to work from home initiatives—less commute and a better work life balance increased productivity.
Remote working is antisocial
Believing remote work to be antisocial is an understandable perspective, but the reality can be very different. Remote workers are rarely locked away in one room with little to no interaction. In fact, remote work often requires more meetings and more regular communication with peers because of limited face-to-face interactions.
Remote work is being phased out
The last few years have seen an increase in return-to-work (RTO) mandates and an increase in the rumor mill that the remote working model is being put to bed entirely.
The reality is a little different.
Return-to-office mandates are policies that set out the required amount of time an employee must spend in the office, restricting the amount of time employees work remotely.
By the end of 2025, only 27% of companies in the U.S. will have returned to a fully in-person working model, while 67% of companies will continue to offer some level of flexibility.
The large pushback received when return-to-office mandates were rolled out highly suggests that remote working is sticking around for a while longer.
Key benefits of remote working
There are several key benefits to remote working, explaining why this working model has shifted from a trend to a staple for a vast number of workplaces.
Larger talent pool
Remote working provides employers with the opportunity to expand their talent pool. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, this is one of the most impactful business practices companies can consider.
Without the constraint of office space, organizations can shift their talent search from local to national, or even global, candidates. This increases not only the quality
of employee talent but also business agility. Your teams become more diversified, and knowledge-sharing increases.
Improved work-life balance
Hours of commuting can massively decrease employee satisfaction. Allowing employees to work remotely increases the time they spend outside of work and is a big attraction for millennial and Gen Z employees. An improved work-life balance also has a substantial effect on an employee’s quality of work, which in turn positively impacts the wider organization.
Reduced overhead costs
One of the key benefits for organizations with a remote workforce is the reduced overhead costs. Companies can downsize or eliminate the need for office space, reducing rent or mortgage costs and redirecting the money saved back into the business.
To illustrate, market leader in cloud storage, Dropbox, announced their plans to become a “Virtual First” company, with remote work as the primary arrangement for the majority of their employees. Their following financial findings showed massive, multi-million dollar savings as a result of reducing their real estate obligations.
Similarly, companies with hybrid workers will see a significantly lower utility bill for electricity, heating, and water, as well as reduced costs on cleaning or maintenance services.
Better employee well-being
For some employees, commuting to work is a significant financial burden, which can increase stress and anxiety. For others, working in a loud or bright office environment may impact their health and productivity, especially if they have neurodiverse conditions or physical impairments that make sitting at a desk for eight hours a challenge.
Allowing employees the flexibility to work from home can improve their overall stress levels. Less stressed employees produce higher-quality, more impactful work, and are often more committed to their employers as a result.
A more productive workforce
Working from home requires a strong level of trust between employers and employees, but once this trust is established and maintained, employee productivity can increase alongside business agility. This is because team members must manage their workload effectively to eliminate the need for office work.
As a result, business agility, flexibility, and resilience all improve as employees find creative solutions to challenges to maintain productivity .
Remote work best practices
Remote working has proven to increase productivity and improve employee engagement. That said, it is an entirely different approach from office working, and it’s a good idea for employees to engage in remote working best practices, including the use of communication platforms, to keep on top of their game when working from home.
Utilize tools for communication and collaboration
Effective communication between remote workers is vital for consistency across teams. If messages and updates are scattered across different channels, you can only expect miscommunication and confusion—nobody would be on the same page.
This is why teams, on-site, hybrid, remote, or a mix of, should establish and agree on not only how but also where communication should take place.
Teams that use a single, centralized platform, such as a modern intranet like Axero, can benefit from less friction, shared understanding of priorities, and improved alignment across all projects, to name a few.
Prioritize clear, proactive communication
Whether senior leaders, managers, individual contributors, or interns, it’s ideal for everyone to engage in clear, proactive communication so all can stay on top of workloads and anticipate blockers, if any. Especially in a remote working setting where there’s arguably a chance for teams to lose track of each other’s progress, regular communication among and across teams can significantly keep tasks on track.
Share regular updates and progress
Not only do regular progress updates offer employees the opportunity to take pride in their work and celebrate accomplishments, but they also give teams a shared overview of what is progressing as well as what is at risk of slipping off track.
Modern intranet platforms like Axero come with a task management tool out of the box that enables teams to keep track of what’s due, when it’s due, and who’s responsible for getting it done. This allows for action planning and creates agility in which problems can be identified quickly and addressed there and then.
Stay organized
Remote work notoriously means juggling multiple tools, channels, and information sources throughout the day. Without a clear organizational system, teams can waste valuable time searching for documents, clarifying processes, or simply figuring out where to find what they need. In fact, McKinsey found that an average worker spends 20% of the workweek tracking down information and people to find answers.
Consider establishing clear organizational structures and training team members on core systems to reduce friction in day-to-day operations.
Centralize resources
Again, a centralized hub for company information and resources means everyone can access what they need quickly. When employees know where to find, say, policies, documents, and updates in one unified location, they spend less time searching and more time focused on their work. This is especially paramount given that 47% of digital workers struggle to find the information or data they need.
For remote teams, a cloud-based digital solution is the essential foundation for success because it eliminates physical barriers. Unlike on-premise systems, cloud intranet is accessible, anywhere, anytime, on any device, ensuring all remote employees—whether in local home offices or completely different time zones—have immediate, secure access to a central knowledge base, up-to-date company resources, and essential business applications.
Give remote workers exactly what they need to thrive
Remote work does not have to be a challenge. With a robust and engaging company intranet, employees have the support they need to fulfill their tasks as easily as they would from in office work.
Axero’s fully customizable intranet solution supports your employees no matter where they are located. From company culture to knowledge management, our award-winning platform helps you build a unified, centralized digital hub for your employees, near and far.
Book a demo with us today and find out how Axero can improve overall performance and bring remote workers closer than ever!
info@axerosolutions.com
1-855-AXERO-55
