Every big change needs a team behind it, and the fast-growing remote working sector is no exception. So who are the champions of remote work? The answers may surprise you. Remote working champions and cheerleaders include not only individual businesses or particular members of a given c-suite, but also entire major multinational companies and even particularly remote-friendly industries. So, who are these new champions of remote work, and how did they make their way to the top? Read on and find out:
Gartner: Encouraging and enabling your employees to work remotely, either completely or on a hybrid model, can be a big change. How can an employer manage the shift as smoothly as possible? Perhaps they decide to hire a consultancy to advise them. Gartner, a US-based firm specializing in technology consulting at the executive level, has commissioned research on remote-first and hybrid work models—and on what they describe as “human-centric” work models, which they have determined are key to maintaining a thriving, talented workforce.
Gartner isn’t the only consultancy championing a remote-first or hybrid work model that works for employers and employees alike. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has commissioned research from employer and employee perspectives on the future of remote work, and helps companies around the world transition to remote or hybrid work models.
Accounting and Finance Departments: When it comes to which employees in a large firm can or should be working remotely, information technology departments (IT) were some of the original remote workers. However, while remote IT positions are here to stay, the new trend for remote job openings has seen a rise in remote work for accountants, payroll departments, and other finance professionals. According to FlexJobs, Accounting and Finance saw a rise of 31% in remote opportunities over 2022, landing it in the Number 3 spot for top fields for remote work. It’s not hard to see why—a skilled and trusted accountant can easily work remotely, and the option to do so helps companies attract the most talented professionals.
Social Media and Technology Companies: Perhaps there were a few false starts and stops as the pandemic began to wane, but the social media and broader tech industry has come to embrace remote work with a passion. Leading companies including Meta and Microsoft, and even Twitter (where CEO Elon Musk was once a remote-work sceptic) attempted a return-to-the-office policy as the coronavirus began to pose less of a threat, but have since done a surprising reversal, embracing remote work options for their employees. Many remote workers are familiar with Microsoft Teams as a valuable tool, but Microsoft itself believes in their product so much that they (along with social media giant Meta) have begun cutting back on physical office space in order to embrace a remote-first model.
Health and Wellness Providers: Another trend to watch in the remote work sector is the rise of remote health and wellness services—and with them, the increase in remote job opportunities for health and wellness professionals. As telehealth and video appointments become a more popular (and convenient) first step for patients seeking care, the health and wellness field is not only interested in the patient experience, but has started embracing remote-first work opportunities for healthcare professionals. In fact, in 2021, according to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), not only did more than half of healthcare leaders surveyed report a workforce that was remote at least 50% of the time, 15% of those surveyed planned to increase their remote workforce in the coming year.
AirBnB, DoorDash, and Lyft: These three companies are “double threat” champions of remote work. In 2023, all three companies were new additions to FlexJobs’ annual list of the best companies to work remotely for, marking a shift in their corporate strategies towards remote work and flexible working policies.
However, these three were particularly notable among newcomers to the list because not only are they promoting remote work for their own employees, they also provide products and services that can be essential for remote workers and remote-forward employers across the sector! This is especially true for remote workers who want to embrace the digital nomad lifestyle and live and work in new places, who can use AirBnB to find short-term rentals, while DoorDash and Lyft help them get around or eat on the go in an unfamiliar new city.
These are only a few of the champions leading the way in the growing remote working sector, but they’re ones to watch out for, as early leaders, and potentially as trendsetters.
