One of the oft-cited complaints about the internet and smartphones is how they’ve obscured the line between the public and private spheres. A generation ago, the home was considered a refuge from the working world—at least for many men. While the boundary between our home and work lives has blurred, our ability to work from anywhere also has empowered us to be where we’d like.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us are now working from home and transitioning to remote work. For some, this may include figuring out how to adapt a work routine for home, creating the perfect home office, and setting up boundaries between work and home life. Others, especially those living in areas where K-12 schools have gone online or closed altogether, may wonder how to balance working from home with childcare needs or other responsibilities.
In all cases, this pandemic provides an opportunity for companies and nonprofits to test working from home on a larger scale, as well as potentially change some long-held assumptions about remote work.
Many organizations have already implemented telecommuting, including options like weekly work-from-home days or partially remote work options.
Global Workplace Analytics (GWA 2024), a prominent research organization, reports that 75 percent of non-self-employed Americans, of 56 percent of the workforce, would work from home. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, 36 percent of working Americans would choose remote work for a pay raise. Furthermore, multiple global corporations show that telecommuters get more work done than in-office workers, ranging from 15-60 percent more productivity and $600 billion saved by eliminating workplace distractions.
The frequency of remote work is likely to change after Covid-19. GWA (2023) reports that over 35 percent of the workforce is likely to telecommute at least one or more days a week by 2023 and beyond.
So what are the benefits of working remotely that employers and their employees may see in a post-Covid-19 world? In addition to reducing a worker’s carbon footprint and traffic jams, GWA (2023) reports that telecommuting can:
Whether it’s Zoom, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or another useful technology, finding the right software is key. Luckily, Busted Cubicle has a guide to the best tools and apps for working remotely.
First off, make sure your computer has a working camera and microphone. Practice scheduling and hosting video conferencing calls a few times to get the hang of the technology. If you’ve never worked in a cubicle or open office, now may be the time to get a good pair of headphones, especially if you have roommates or loud neighbors.
Second, your home office set-up should be comfortable and ergonomic. While a kitchen table is a great place for your impromptu desk, a hard chair may hurt your back after 40 hours of work. Find some comfy pillows, alternate spots to work within the house, or invest in an ergonomic chair for a comfortable experience. Your back will thank you!
This may be easier said than done for those with young children, but try to establish a place in the house as your workspace. This allows your mind to mentally transition into work and lets others know that you are working and need quiet.
Just like you and your work friends typically head to happy hour at 4:00 PM on Fridays or hold casual team huddles, schedule times to regularly chat with your team and check-in. This includes daily team meetings, morning coffee video conferences with coworkers, or even digital happy hours. Make it fun and use this as an opportunity to team build.
Working from home is different than working in an office. Think about all the time you spend in an office moving around: taking a break to chat with a friend at the coffee pot, walking over to your coworker to ask a question, eating lunch, or just taking a moment to go on a walk around the block. Take breaks, get lots of natural light, and create space for yourself throughout your day.
It may also help to dress professionally, even though you aren’t leaving your house. This may help create stronger boundaries between when you are at work versus hanging out at home. While some can do this in their pajamas, others may benefit from building a routine with clear boundaries.
Lastly, employers and employees should take care to communicate with empathy. New technology, working from home with no childcare, or simply managing life in the mindset of a global pandemic all require patience and compassion. It will take time to figure out a routine, especially one that involves furry or toddler-aged coworkers.
Above all, working from home also does not mean that work should take place 24/7. Once you’ve done everything you need to do, close that laptop and enjoy yourself.
In addition to our industry-specific work-from-home (WFH) career guides and other resources below, you can find helpful tips at:
Earning a master’s degree has become popular for students who want to set themselves apart. According to the US Census, in 2021, 23.5 percent of people over 25 in the US held a bachelor’s degree, while only 14.4 held an advanced degree such as a master’s or doctorate.
While finding full-time remote work straight out of undergraduate studies can be difficult, it is possible and can be very rewarding. Remote work offers many benefits, such as more flexibility and autonomy regarding job responsibilities and a better work/life balance overall. It also eliminates the need for a daily commute, saving money on transportation costs and increasing the number of free daily hours.
The Great Resignation, also known as the Great Reshuffle or the Great Quit, is an ongoing workplace trend that has many economists, public policy experts, and management professionals puzzled.
According to LinkedIn, there are over 110,000 current work-from-home job postings in Florida. So the question isn’t whether there are remote work opportunities in Florida, it’s which one to pursue.
Careers in writing and editing have historically been ones you could do from home, but with the need for social media marketing, proofreading, and copywriting constantly growing in our tech-centric world, the demand for capable self-starters with writing and editing experience is on the rise.
Telecommuters can save more than just time and money. They can have a positive impact on the Earth, too. Read on to discover three ways remote workers can reduce their carbon footprint as well as ten remote jobs that can help protect the environment.
Telecommuters looking to cash in on everything that Texas has to offer will find that there are many industries in which to find employment. Learn about the industries and examples of companies offering remote working opportunities in the Lone Star State.
These jobs aren’t just for filling the employment gap during the pandemic. They can also be used as work-from-home starter jobs, where one can gain experience working from home while also building skills for higher-paying gigs down the road.
Entertainment jobs are already heavily computer-based and employers are becoming more flexible in transforming these roles into work from home positions. Talented professionals in video, writing, design, marketing, and sales can support the entertainment industry through content creation, sales, and strategy without ever having to set foot in an office. Working from home saves both employers and employees money and can contribute to a better sense of work life balance.
These days, many pursuing work-from-home (WFH) careers choose affiliate marketing, an online business model whose popularity has skyrocketed since Amazon invented the world’s first affiliate program in 1996. What’s driven affiliate marketing (AM) to such prominence in only 23 years has been the opportunity to earn passive income: regular earnings requiring little or no effort.
Companies are getting used to the idea that the new normal means working comfortably from home. In this WFH revolution, job candidates everywhere are expressing an interest in greater control over their personal schedules, code of dress, and work hours. Careers in government and politics have historically been ones which required being face-to-face, but that’s changing.
Industries that were once office-locked boast a growing number of remote work opportunities in a wide array of occupations. The work from home revolution is changing what it means to work for yourself, at your own pace, and according to your skills.
Whether at home in pajamas or basking in the sun beachside, professionals around the world are leveraging the power of the internet and communication technology to complete work outside of the office. According to Global Workplace Analytics (GWA), open-collar work—work where the person telecommuting is not self-employed—has more than doubled since 2005.
How can you take advantage of the telecommuting trend, yet still have a real and meaningful impact on the world? Here are five careers in philanthropy ripe for home-based workers.
According to the Mayo Clinic, workers who telecommute generally experience higher morale, decreased stress, fewer absences from work, increased autonomy, and more happiness.
Scientific evidence suggests that working from home increases our productivity; reduces worker attrition; and makes us happier, healthier people. Studies even link meaningful environmental benefits with telecommuting.
In the past five years, remote work has experienced unprecedented growth, significantly reshaping the workforce landscape. According to a report by FlexJobs, remote work has increased by 159 percent since 2009, with a notable acceleration following the Covid-19 pandemic as organizations adapted to new operational realities. This shift has not only expanded the scope of job opportunities for remote workers but also led companies to reevaluate their policies around flexible working arrangements, indicating that remote work is likely here to stay.
Being able to work remotely comes with many perks. While many employees may seek out remote work for the flexibility, lack of commute, or work-life balance, there is another significant benefit to working remotely: higher wages.
CBT Nuggets, a Eugene, Oregon-based IT company, has weathered the transition to hybrid work just like many other technology and software companies across the country. Along the way, they have learned what does and doesn’t work with work from home and listened to their employees' needs and wants. Keep reading to learn from their chief people officer and director of philanthropy, Shelly Galvin, on how they have used the hybrid work model to grow their company and improve staff satisfaction.
Those in the virtual or telecommuting industry have the ability to work on the go, which also means being creative with and breaking free from their home office, the overcrowded café, and silent libraries.
The reasons for pursuing a part-time WFH job are varied, but generally fall into three categories: gig work, entrepreneurship, and volunteering. No matter which category is right for you, it’s never been easier to get started.
Working remotely from abroad is an enlivening and mind-widening experience. It can often be a financially beneficial one, too. But it’s not easy. You will find your biases challenged, your patience tested, and your ego reduced. The first move is the most difficult: how do you pick a foreign city to work from, and how do you prepare yourself?
The companies listed here are adapting to the desire for digital flexibility by hiring remote workers. Notably, they’re also trying to build a just, meaningful, and ecologically regenerative world that works for everyone. For those coming out of the pandemic wishing to work for ethical companies, the following list of 50 companies is hiring distance-based workers.
In 440 BC, the Greeks wrote about the delight they experienced when cannabis flowers were thrown on hot stones; today, more and more Americans are able to experience the same. Now legal for either medicinal or recreational use in a majority of states, cannabis has graduated from the dorm room and moved into the suburban kitchen.
In the evolving nature of work, remote work tribes can be seen as a necessary disruption: a loose collectivization of workers who are connected by the context in which they perform their duties, as opposed to by what duties they perform.
While other people might debate that third pair of shoes or a hardcover book, digital nomads are more likely to spend those final moments before takeoff optimizing their tech suite—calibrating it for the most power, least clutter, and lightest load.
Americans are increasingly interested in sustainability. The Arctic ice shelf is melting faster than expected—with some scientists predicting it could be gone by 2040—and unusual rain, heat, and temperature patterns are clear and present signs of the changing environment. Many of us can lessen our carbon footprint by working from home.
Your ikigai is your motivation, your aspiration, your production, and your passion all in one. It is the reason you get out of bed in the morning and the reason you keep going year after year. To find your ikigai, you have to shift between looking abroad and looking within. Consider these four fundamental questions: What do I love? What am I good at? What can I get paid for? What does the world need?
In 2016, more than 43 percent of employees spent at least some time working from home. Thirty-one percent of those employees work from home four to five days per week. Compared to previous years, more bosses are allowing their employees the flexibility to spend at least some of their work time outside of the office.