The promise of a remote working future brought lots of excitement to those who were looking to gain a better work-life balance and expand their own horizons in working opportunities too, the change has gone hand in hand with a large number of other industries turning to online alternatives with more sites like these becoming available as brick-and-mortar locations close and other industries making change quickly too. As many are now suggesting the return to office is deemed a thing of the past and remote continues to grow, what other changes look to be coming to the job market?
(Image from bbc.com)
A four day work week has been suggested as the next big shift – when Henry Ford first pushed for the five day work week back in the 1920’s it was a revolutionary change but many now believe this is still a remnant of the past and that further change is needed, businesses in countries like Iceland had been amongst the first to have a limited trial for the four day work week and reported increased productivity and employee satisfaction as the limited trials were deemed a success. Other countries would quickly follow after a period of downtime as businesses in the likes of the UK are now also looking to offer this as a potential solution – but for those hoping to see this become a mainstream choice, a longer period of time may be needed to see widespread adjustment.
For those currently enjoying the benefits and flexibility of remote working, it doesn’t look like this change will go anywhere soon and options are only expanding as international companies are seeking out services from the most qualified in the remote working space, it’s opening opportunities for professionals to expand their horizons either in their current field of work or in a new field of work that may not have previously been possible with limited local opportunities, and comes without the large cost associated with relocating or setting up somewhere new.
It’s a very exciting period of time in the working landscape, there’s still a lot of change on the horizon and flexibility may only improve over time – a better work life balance is seemingly just around the corner and with countries also making changes to communication that only allow employers to contact employees during work hours, the fortunate few who work in the digital space may find many of the typical day to day frustrations slowly becoming a thing of the past.