Over the past decade more and more companies have been adopting work from home policies as well as offering remote work. In the past year, remote work has taken a giant leap. According to a recent Upwork survey, about 1 in 4 Americans (26.7%) will be working remotely in 2021. This is a major change from 2018, when only 7% of employees in the U.S. had an option to work from home. Are the remote work trends an indication of the future of the workplace?
Remote Work Trends
We are going to review some remote work trends that are believed to impact the future of the workplace.
- Hybrid Offerings: Because employees and organizations are all different, some people and places find benefit in working in an actual workplace while others find more comfort and value in working remotely. To allow for this, a combination of remote work and onsite work has started to become the new normal. This allows people to work in a physical office space and/or remote on varying schedules.
- Video Conferencing in Place of Meetings: Companies are spending 20% of their meeting room budgets on collaborative conference call technologies to expand their remote work capabilities. Video conferencing allows for people to connect across the globe from either an in-office setting or remotely.
- Increase in Cloud-Based Technology: With more people remote, it is harder for organizations to house files on their servers which are usually onsite. Organizations are turning to cloud-based technology to allow employees in an office and/or remote to access files they need, when they need them.
- More Understanding of Out of Work Hours: Work-life balance can be an issue for people who are working from home, because of the convenience of their “at-home” office. A recent survey by Kentik found that 51% of employees are concerned about their work-life balance. As the remote work trend continues, and more people are working from home, clear rules and guidance needs to be provided by employers to ensure remote workers still have their valuable out of work hours.
- Comfort Adds Value: As people get used to working remotely, trends change. More and more people are embracing working in their pajamas in the comfort of their home; 37% of employees currently do this. Also, long-term work from home possibilities have made people start to make a more permanent home office than they had before.
What People Have to Say about Remote Work
monday.com, conducted a survey of over 1,000 full-time workers and released The State of Remote Work, which explores the response of Americans around the transition to working from home. Here are some key things they found:
- 54% of people say they are more productive at home than in the office
- 50% miss work-life separation
- 52% wake up later because they don’t have to commute
- 49% spend more time at their computer while at home than in the office
This data shows that most people are still on the fence as to if they prefer to work remotely or in an office setting. While we can’t predict the future, can we see that the future of the workplace is changing.
Office Furniture Warehouse is here to help you navigate these remote work trends. The OFW has a huge selection of new and used furniture to choose from. Whether you are looking for furniture for a large workspace or a home office, we have got you covered.
You won’t have to go it alone either, with our team of experts, you’ll have the advice you need every step of the way. Our designers can help you select the right furniture for your office needs. From looking at your current workspace and layout, we can create a plan and design to help you find the exact look you want.
Visit one of our showrooms in Cleveland or Akron, today!