Nearly three quarters (74%) of business owners and CEOs now say all employees at their company are working remotely, compared with just 7% before the pandemic, with many anticipating staff will want to continue this trends after the pandemic.
In the past year, the world has become reliant on technology to stay connected, which has had a huge impact on the nature of the workforce. It is predicted that 42% of the US labour force is currently working from home full-time.
The team at Expert Market were interested in how companies have found the switch, and what their plans for the uncertain future are. They surveyed 100 businesses based in North America and Europe from a range of industries and found:
- 74% of business owners and CEOs said all employees at their company are working remotely
- Before the pandemic, only 7% of participants said the majority of employees were working remotely
- 72% anticipated employees will want to remain working from home, even once the organization returns to the office.
The overwhelming majority of businesses (90%) see positive benefits in working from home including increased employee engagement and happiness, yet at the same time, 71% said they have witnessed negative impacts, such as a reduction in productivity, difficulty maintain work-life balance, and difficulty assessing accountability. 63% of businesses are unsure when their employees will return to the office, but the most anticipated times for returning were January 2021, Spring 2021, or introducing staggered return times. 67% reported using Zoom and Email to keep in touch with colleagues, followed closely by Slack. Skype, which has seen a fall in popularity over recent years, was only reported by 12.7% of respondents.
The team put together the research along with remote working stats, case studies, and tips which you can view here. They also created an infographic to display the stats, which you can view below and download here.
