In May 2020, a survey by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) found that 55% of US workers want a mixture of home and office working.
In China, Microsoft has predicted that in 10 years’ time, there will be a 60/40 split of onsite/remote work.
In the UK, the CIPD expects the proportion of regular home workers to double, from 18% pre-pandemic to 37% post-pandemic.
Some countries are now even offering visas for digital nomads – trying to attract mobile, remote workers who are travelling the world while they build their career.
So there we have it, solely office work is dead, long live hybrid working.
As a result, companies have a decision to make. Do they struggle against the tide, trying to drag people in on the trains and tube?
Of course, the obvious answer is no. They will instead embrace this new work from home culture, as many large UK companies have already done – until the end of the year at least.
Some new tech companies have even taken this to the extreme, with EVERYONE working from home.
And if companies can now hire employees who work from home, why should that employee be restricted to a commutable distance from one particular city?
That would mean companies could now focus 100% on getting the right person for the job, without having to factor in where they live or where the office is based.
How could that change the landscape of technology marketing? Like anything, the more diversity we have, the better – so it can only be a good thing.
It also should increase revenue for the majority of tech companies as new remote workforces taking shape across the UK need tech to make it happen – so for many companies it could be a double win: better marketing, more customers.
What do you think? One thing’s for sure, the definition of business as usual will definitely change.
