Working from home is not new. For example, many small business owners live in or above their business premises, and throughout history, women have done piecework alongside raising their children.
In recent years, the idea of home working has been discussed more widely due to the restrictions of the global pandemic. In this article, we will look at how these restrictions affected the home working environment and what is happening now that the pandemic is over.
Working from home increased due to the global pandemic
Prior to the global pandemic that began in 2020, 17% of Americans worked from home for at least five days per week. This figure increased to 44% once COVID-19 restrictions took hold, as workers couldn’t travel to their normal workplaces.
Using technology to connect people remotely became the norm. For example, businesses used Zoom and Microsoft Teams to allow employees to communicate with each other and tools like Basecamp, Monday, and Trello to manage workflow remotely.
Having embraced home working through necessity, many organizations still have working-from-home roles in place. However, there is also some pushback against remote work, with many employees being encouraged to return to the office. So, what does the future of home working look like?
The future of working from home
The pandemic showed that many companies remained productive despite an increase in people working from home. It also showed that employees enjoyed the flexibility that home working provides and still work remotely when possible.
According to the Pew Research Center, around 35% of Americans with jobs that can be done remotely work from home. While this number has reduced from pandemic levels, it remains significant.
People who work from home at least part of the time identify the top three benefits as a lack of commute, savings on lunch costs, and flexibility over when they can work. There are also health benefits to working from home, with 93% of people noting benefits to their mental health and 90% saying their physical health has improved.
Despite the obvious popularity of home working for many employees, several companies are encouraging people to return to the office to work. Business leaders are concerned about promoting company culture. Two-thirds of executives questioned as part of PwC’s Remote Work Survey said employees should be in the office for at least three days per week to maintain a distinct culture.
There is also concern that offices and related businesses may close if large numbers of people work from home full-time. Despite these concerns, roles in certain industries still present excellent home working opportunities.
Sectors like igaming, IT, finance, and marketing are prevalent in enabling employees to work from home. We will look at each one in more detail.
iGaming
In 2022, the iGaming industry was worth $63.53 billion globally. By 2030, this value is expected to reach $153.57 billion, including revenue from online sports betting, online casinos, and social gaming, which has undergone a significant rise in popularity recently, according to TheXboxHub.
As the iGaming industry flourishes, it’s embracing working from home. More than half of operators offer fully remote working opportunities, while around one-third have adopted hybrid working. This means that many iGaming job roles, including iGaming content writer, online casino dealer, and online game developer, allow working from home.
Information Technology (IT)
The nature of IT means that many roles can be undertaken remotely. In fact, many companies prefer to use remote workers to reduce operating costs. IT roles that this applies to include database administration, app development, and software engineering.
Accounting and Finance
Accountants and bookkeepers do most of their work using IT. So they do not have to be based in a traditional office. Working from home, they can complete tasks and communicate with clients using online tools or a smartphone.
Marketing
This is another sector that has been revolutionized by technological advancements. There used to be a time when discussing a product line or planning a promotional campaign required attendance at the office. Now, this is not the case. Marketing personnel, including graphic designers, content writers, and social media managers, can work and collaborate efficiently from home.
Working from home will continue to be a focus of roles in these industries as employees seek flexibility and companies seek to attract top professionals with beneficial working conditions.