Even after the end of the lockdown, there are business trends that have only continued to strengthen their positions. Today, we offer to talk about the practice of working from home. It has firmly established itself among the main formats of cooperation over the past three years. What to expect in the coming year, what to pay attention to, and how the remote work market will change — we will discuss the main remote work trends in 2024.

Comfort Is More Important than Money

Back in 2021, Ivanti conducted a survey. It shows that the majority of employees—71% of those surveyed—would rather work remotely than get a raise or promotion. The main reasons for this decision were different. Mainly, it was saving time on trips to the office, and more comfortable working conditions. Another popular motive is a better balance between work and personal life.

Although two years have passed, the majority of workers’ positions on this issue have not changed. Many will choose the latter between a vacancy with a higher salary and a vacancy with remote work. This is especially true for the highly qualified specialists market. In current realities, they prefer to avoid geographical references to a specific city or office.

Increase in the Number of Freelancers

Even before the start of the pandemic, many employers in the West were gradually abandoning permanent employees. Instead, they choose freelancers hired for a specific project or even to solve individual problems. This format allows you to receive the services of exactly those specialists who are needed now. You also save on wages, staff training, and, importantly, taxes.

Simplified registration of self-employed people has made freelancing much more accessible, so an increasing number of companies are turning to outside experts. This is especially true for a one-time project.

Focus on Data Leak Protection

According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach last year was $4.24 million. Since remote work creates favorable conditions for such leaks, it is not surprising that 85% of organizations worldwide list cybersecurity as one of their top priorities.

Encryption, multi-factor authentication, and other cybersecurity tools are the main technological means of protecting information. They provide little protection against the main threat factor: attackers within the company.

Home Offices

If your employees work remotely, your first concern will be a decrease in their productivity,  which is a real threat. Too many things at home distract from the work process. It is not always possible to concentrate on the task at hand.

In two and a half years of the rise of remote work, the world has come to the concept of a “home office.” It is a room or an area in the living room. For example, furnished and equipped in an office style, with a desktop, proper lighting, a lack of unnecessary accents, etc. Introduce your remote employees to this concept and perhaps help them implement it. This will pay off due to increased productivity, which can be tracked in specialized applications.

Globalization of Remote Work

The growth in the number of remote workers has automatically led to a proportional increase in people who prefer to take full advantage of the benefits of remote employment. They travel around the world, stopping in different countries. Many states show interest in attracting such specialists. New visas are being introduced for digital nomads, old visa restrictions are being lifted, and the world is becoming more open.

For businesses, this means offering more interesting programs to motivate employees. It is also important to look for new specialists worldwide, not limited by the geography of one country. So, the future of work is globalization.

Hybrid Solutions

Despite all the advantages of remote work, its specifics lead to a certain mistrust by employers. While the vast majority of workers are interested in fully remote employment, the vast majority of managers would not want to switch to 100% remote work.

Such a conflict of interest leads to a forced compromise, achieved when introducing hybrid employment of employees. If you also doubt that you can sufficiently control remote workers but know the advantages and possibilities of remote collaboration, offer your people a “hybrid.” For example, three days in the office and two days at home.

Focus on Corporate Culture

Among the significant disadvantages of remote work, many managers cite the low involvement of remote employees in corporate life. Remote workers feel less connected to the team and the company and are less productive in group projects.

There is no solution to this problem yet, but we see several steps in this direction. Demand for virtual platforms for internal corporate communication, services with “corporate achievements,” and other remote work tools is growing sharply. It makes sense to monitor this software segment closely, implementing and testing advanced solutions in your company.

Growing Demand for Employee Monitoring Software

The market for time tracking and employee monitoring systems continues to develop. Personal and direct observation of personnel is finally fading into the background as unproductive. It is much better to automate control processes, saving the manager’s time on strategic tasks.

Some of the key features that monitoring software should have include detailed productivity reports, recording of keystrokes and mouse clicks. It can provide screen video recording and the ability to connect to a live feed from an employee’s monitor.

Caring for Employee Health

The more home offices become available, the more people face “occupational remote worker illnesses.” The top 3 include:

• psychological discomfort associated with a lack of communication;
  
  
• problems caused by a sedentary lifestyle;
  
  
• disrupted sleep and rest schedule.

In this context, a responsible employer equals a practical employer. If you don’t help your employees take care of themselves, their productivity significantly reduces, negatively impacting the company’s overall results.

Conclusion

Despite the pandemic’s end, remote work will not leave our lives. On the contrary, both companies and employees realized the numerous benefits of this solution. Currently, there is increasing attention to information security and proper organization of the work process. You can also consider these trends to benefit from this solution. It ensures savings and increases the loyalty of the employees. And with proper organization, you don’t have to worry about employees’ productivity. So, remote or hybrid work is definitely worth implementing.




Author Bio:
Anastasia Britvenko is a talented, focused, and driven professional with over 15 years of experience in writing articles on various topics, employee management and client engagement. She creates engaging content that helps businesses connect with their audience and grow their revenue streams.