How the Combination of Message, Video, and Phone Will Reshape the Future of Work

Despite all the attention Mayer’s action received (other organisations such as IBM, Aetna, and Bank of America recalled their remote employees too)—it’s clear that, eight years later, remote work is not only still around, but it’s thriving. In fact, between 2015 and 2020, remote work grew by a whopping 44%. Eventually, even Yahoo reversed its decision, embracing remote work as one of its most valuable employee benefits.

According to FlexJobs, 3.4% of the working population were fully remote at the beginning of 2020, up from 2.5% in 2015. A Gallup poll also found that 43% of employees worked remotely at least one day a week. If those trends had continued, 5% of people would have been fully remote by the end of 2020, and 50% would work from home at least some of the time.

Of course, COVID-19 changed that trajectory. The pandemic completely upended “business as usual,” causing millions of organisations to implement emergency remote work. Almost overnight, working from home transformed from a generous employee perk into a business necessity. At the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns, 34% of employees who previously commuted to work were working from home full time.

Before COVID-19, organisations dabbled in remote and flexible work arrangements for many years without any particular urgency. After all, they didn’t have any reason to rush adoption. It was still very much experimental for many, and leaders wanted to take things slow.

In the wake of COVID-19, however, the slow-and-steady approach turned upside down. Businesses suddenly had to accelerate their remote work plans and get employees completely equipped to work from home. According to Gartner, only 12% of businesses felt completely prepared at the time.

The rush was on to identify the right solutions immediately, especially in the world of communications and collaboration.