REBRAND Remote work now and then: 8 Ways Remote Work Has Changed Since the Pandemic

8 Ways Remote Work Has Changed Since the Pandemic

When it comes to remote work, there is undoubtedly a clear "before" and "after the pandemic." Companies and employees' needs have changed as well. What were once common workplace practices in 2019 are outdated today. Learn about the trends and best practices to take your remote team to the top.

Remote work now and then:

Fixed schedules were the norm before and at the beginning of the pandemic. However, the 9-5 workday is slowly disappearing. In fact, 80 percent of workers say they would turn down a job with a fixed schedule.

Ninety-five percent of employees prefer flexible working hours. They want to adapt their schedule to their needs, and enjoy an improved work-life balance. Also, 81 percent of employees said they would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options.

2019 - 2020

2022

1. Flexibility

2. Work Arrangements

Less than 8 percent of the world's workforce (260 million workers) worked from home prior to the pandemic. However, during the pandemic, travel restrictions prevented employees from leaving their hometowns to work from other locations.

Globally, 16 percent of companies are fully remote and have work-from-anywhere policies. With fewer travel restrictions, employees are increasingly choosing to work from other locations or even travel while they work.

4. Employee Mobility

During the pandemic, 47.4 million workers quit their jobs. Two of the top reasons for this massive resignation was job dissatisfaction and poor employee experience.

Globally, 74 percent of workers claim to be satisfied with their jobs in 2022. A positive employee experience is fundamental to attracting and retaining top talent. In fact, companies can achieve 59 percent less turnover.

3. Job Satisfaction

Companies incentivized employees with office perks such as free in-office coffee, snacks, and games. Employees highly valued these perks when they would work in the office every day.

In today's remote work era, these perks are outdated with 57 percent of employees agreeing they no longer value workplace-related benefits like they used to. Employees now seek benefits like wellness programs, learning development opportunities, a home office budget, and extended paid time off to accommodate their evolving individual needs.

8. Employee Benefits

Employees attended approximately 5.9 meetings a week prior to the pandemic, with an average weekly meeting time of 2.7 hours.

The number of weekly meetings increased to 6.9 in 2022, but the average weekly meeting total decreased slightly to 2.5 hours.

5. Team Meetings

Synchronous communication was the traditional form of communication. This method involves interactions that are scheduled and happen in real-time, requiring immediate responses.

Asynchronous communication is beneficial for distributed teams across time zones. This type of communication is preferred by 52 percent of employees, as it happens in the employees' own time, and saves around 2-3.5 hours a day.

6. Communication

Forty-two percent of professionals were micromanaged more while working from home, compared to when they worked in the office. Micromanagement has a negative impact on communication and collaboration and can disrupt team connectivity, morale, and accountability.

About 27 percent of employees say one of the main causes of frustration with their jobs in 2022 is micromanagement – a significant decrease since 2020. Many companies are increasingly prioritizing worker autonomy, as it is key for building successful remote teams and improving employee productivity, work quality, job satisfaction, and engagement.

7. Worker Autonomy

In 2022, 48 percent of employees work remotely. However, nearly 50 percent were required to go back to the office at the beginning of 2022 and another 48 percent prefer a hybrid work model over remote work.

At G-P, we understand that the remote work era has had major impacts across the business world. With these changes come significant opportunities, including the ability to hire anyone, anywhere. Our mission is to help companies like yours unlock the power of the everywhere workforce, breaking down barriers to global business and enabling opportunities for everyone, regardless of geography. Contact us today to learn more about how can help you succeed faster as your partner in global expansion.

Only 30 percent of employees worked remotely before the pandemic. This number increased to 64 percent during the lockdowns because offices were closed.