The Future of Remote Work: What’s Next for Workplaces

Are you happy that you can now work in pyjamas while swaddled in your blanket? Or are you sad because you are struggling to find the motivation to meet deadlines or even stay awake?

 

Well, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a lot of us into a tizzy and pushed us to take another look at time management, work-life balance and employee productivity. So now a lot of people are considering new ways to work remotely. Some of these are:

• In today’s times, coworking spaces only seem to be growing. Industry giants such as WeWork and Ucommune have recognised the increasing demand for flexible work timings and work environments that support evolving models of work. These spaces go beyond providing an area to work, and are tailored for employee comfort. They offer everything from amenities like soundproof rooms to food and beverages.
• Travel working is particularly being embraced by Gen-Z (those born between mid to late 1990s till the 2010s) employees. Combining elements of vacation and work, travel working allows individuals to experience the lifestyle of a “digital nomad”; where you can work from anywhere, anytime.

• Gigging is prominent among younger workers and gives them the freedom to take up multiple jobs without being restricted by traditional or fixed working hours. For instance, if a graphic designer who is formally employed by one company decides to work remotely, he or she can schedule some time for a freelance or side project. Hence, gigging opens up avenues to explore different roles and job profiles. Shorter work weeks are gradually getting integrated into remote work schedules. After several successful trials among European companies, many employees are trying the condensed week model. The idea behind this is to work four days a week for eight hours in an environment that allows for optimum productivity and can yield the same output as a full, traditional work-week.

 

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Edited by Anjali Hans

Cover image by Pratyush Thaker

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Some resources and links to help you understand more about workspaces:

 

All Things Remote Work

 

What’s next for remote work: An analysis of 2,000 tasks, 800 jobs, and nine countries

 

Here’s How Life Will Dramatically Improve Once Remote Work Becomes The New Standard