The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and how we communicate. ‘Work From Home’ is the only and best option for businesses to function during the crises. It has also validated the known benefits of homeworking – which many companies have taken seriously as a permanent option.
However, it is true to say that the ‘work from home’ option doesn’t fit every organisation, department and not for all employees as well.
Here are some very interesting announcements to learn and see where we are heading to:
- Both Twitter and Square have announced earlier that their employees will have the option to work from home forever.
- In June 2020, San Francisco-based Slack said most employees will have the option to work from home permanently.
- LinkedIn joins Facebook, Google, Amazon in July 2021 return to office, plans for long-term remote work.
- The UK government has told all workers in England they should work from home if possible until April 2021
More and more companies are adopting ‘remote working’ option by allowing their employees to work from home or may be to extend that, so they can work from anywhere. That’s the new trend likely to be the future of work.
What is Work From Anywhere (WFA)?
It’s a growing trend where businesses allow their employees to work where, when and how they want. This can be 100% working remotely or hybrid model with some days work from the office and rest from anywhere they wish.
Will Work From Home become Work From Anywhere?
Most companies now have a great understanding of the known benefits and economics of working remotely. Many big companies have already announced that remote working will be a permanent option for their employees even after corona ends. This will open opportunities for those looking to work from home and even beyond i.e work from anywhere in this world. Now, job seekers don’t need to relocate or stay away from their families to work.
For some positions, short trips may be required at some intervals – which should be okay looking at overall benefits. And, there are new technologies and apps available to streamline the processes, communication, collaboration, reporting and time management to make things happen. This can gain massive popularity especially among the young generation and will transform the future of the workplace.
Of course, this model may not fit for all types of jobs and for every industry.
Why Remote Work is a Growing Trend?
Yes, it’s a fact that remote working gained popularity in the last 2-3 years but accelerated exponentially during COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from this, it has become a part of many’s everyday routine. This working model has largely helped small businesses to run it effectively and survive during crisis time. And, this was made possible to greater extent by using modern technologies and tools that gives you freedom to work from anywhere, any device, any time. Of course, this has raised some concerns related to BYOD security and how to protect enterprise data in increasing popularity for remote and flexible working environments.
Is Remote Working the Future of Work?
Yes, it certainly looks like it is here to stay in the near-term along with some companies heading towards a remote-first & hybrid workforce approach.
As a remote-first company, they need their employees to work remotely for all positions with no requirement of having a physical workspace. All tasks, communications and processes will be carried out using remote working tools and pre-defined remote policy.
With a flexible or hybrid approach, employees will be given a choice to continue work remotely or work from the office after the end of COVID-19 crisis to strike a right balance. But, this can raise concerns among remote employees to be left out or feel isolated.
What are the Highest Paying Remote Jobs?
A research was conducted by Resume.io where they analysed 30 different professions and categorised them into 3 tiers namely top tier, mid tier and bottom tier.
The highest paying remote jobs in the top-tier are web developer, software developer, consultant, ecommerce, property lawyer, accountant, animator, clinical research, programmer and PR manager. An average UK salary of £47,500 annually is paid to Web Developer, Software Developer, Consultant, E-Commerce, and Property Lawyer.
The highest paying remote jobs in the mid-tier are interpreter, teacher, writer, auditing, instructor, conveyancer, registered nurse, marketer, content editor and computer support specialist. An average UK salary of £41,570 annually is paid to highest paid profession i.e. Interpreter in this tier.
The highest paying remote jobs in the bottom-tier are tutor, editor, baker, copywriting, proofreading, crafter, estate agent, PR executive, mortgage advisor, HR advisor & Journalist. An average UK salary between £30,000 – £35,000 annually is paid to all professions in this tier.
In Remote.io’s most recent study, they have come up with a list of top 25 companies for remote jobs in the UK. IQVIA – which is a Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology company ranks top in the list. The next 3 companies are Bit Zesty, Veeva Systems and Zaizi – which are from the Tech industry. Arup, an engineering company ranks 5th. Full list of companies can be seen in the infographic below.
Another research done by Adzuna, IT is the top hiring sector for remote workers, with 15,400 remote jobs on offer. Below is the complete table of the UK remote jobs by top 10 sectors.
Source: https://www.onrec.com/news/statistics/one-third-of-all-uk-remote-job-opportunities-are-in-it-sector
Happy remote working!