The pandemic caused a rapid transition to remote working. Earlier, working from home was thought to be an excellent option for skipping the morning routine, spending more time with your family, and working comfortably in your pajamas. Last year, work from home became the only possible solution in a critical situation. And companies all over the world realized that remote workers weren’t the lazy, Netflix addicts they thought they would be.
Now that the tension is slightly reduced, many companies are figuring out whether permanent hybrid work is the future of work. In this article, we will explore the reasons why remote work may prevail from now on and study the examples of the 15 work from home companies with remote job opportunities.
Why are Companies Switching to Remote Work?
The pandemic has triggered seismic shifts in how we work, causing many companies to transition from an office-centric culture to more flexible ways of working. For many companies, this transition is still in the experimental phase. However, business leaders started to experiment with the work-from-home benefits.
According to a Gallup poll, three in five U.S. workers who have been doing their jobs from home during the coronavirus pandemic would prefer to continue to work remotely as much as possible.
Furthermore, Moody’s Analytics predicts that the office vacancy rate in the United States will climb to 19.4%, compared to 16.8% at the end of 2019, and rise to 20.2% by the end of 2022. A survey found that one-third plan to reduce office space in the coming years as leases expire.
Thus, both employees and employers found some positive aspects for themselves. Undoubtedly, there is no one size fits all solution in this case.
15 Companies That are Now Offering Work-from-Home Setup
While some companies are going fully remote, others are opting for different visions of hybrid work environments. What works for one company may not work for another, as business needs vary depending on sector, size, and structure.
Some leading world companies representing various spheres and industries came up with solutions to keep their employees safe and make their businesses function well.
1. Amazon
Amazon is well-known as the world’s biggest online retailer. With nearly 92,000 employees all over the globe, the company decided to take good care of these people and make decisions on the work mode according to the individual’s needs and scope of responsibilities.
CEO Andy Jassy said Amazon is now offering its office employees more flexibility when returning to their worksites. Employees whose positions allow them to work from home can do so two days a week.
2. Adobe
This software company providing customer-focused solutions for web-based applications and content development employs more than 21,000 employees worldwide. Adobe’s people-centric culture has been the hallmark of our success since the company’s founding in 1982. Thus the company is committed to creating an excellent place to work.
Recently Adobe stated that flexibility will be the default for their employees, as they will have an option to work from home approximately 50%of the time.
3. Twitter
Being one of the most extensive social media networks in the world, Twitter employs nearly 5000 people. Since May 12, 2020, the company’s employees have been allowed to work from home permanently. Twitter CEO announced that remote work will be optional for employees even after the coronavirus pandemic passes.
According to Twitter’s vice president of people, Jennifer Christie, if employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and want to continue doing so forever, the company will support them.
4. Facebook (Now Meta)
Founded in 2014, Facebook has 2.6 billion monthly active users. Over 60 000 employees ensure the proper operation of this social media network daily. Under current circumstances, the company strives to be the most forward-leaning company on remote work.
Thus, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 50% of the company’s employees could be working remotely within the next five to 10 years. Furthermore, the company will take a measured approach to open up permanent remote work positions for existing employees.
5. Shopify
Shopify is an e-commerce company that provides a multichannel, cloud-based commerce platform for small and midsized companies that has become a digital-by-default company since May 2020.
Apart from taking care of its employees, this decision to allow remote work also contributes to Shopify`s public commitment to being carbon neutral.
6. Upwork
Upwork is the world’s largest freelance marketplace with 10 million registered freelancers and 4 million registered client companies. The company operates in 3 offices and has almost 600 employees.
At the moment, Upwork is permanently adopting a remote-first model, with remote work being the default for all employees. Building on the 20 years of experience as a remote work company, Upwork knows firsthand the incredible outcomes that distributed teams can deliver.
7. Slack
Slack is real-time messaging, archiving, and search tool designed to facilitate team communication. It has over 2500 employees across 17 locations making over $900 M in annual revenue.
In June 2020, as the pandemic rapidly evolved, Slack announced its decision to become an even more distributed company, by both going remote and supporting the work from home policy further on and by hiring more employees for permanently remote positions. Thus, most employees will have the option to work remotely permanently if they choose.
Slack offers remote-friendly and flexible opportunities for qualified specialists from various locations.
8. Quora
Founded in 2009, Quora proved to be the world`s most actively used Q&A platform. First operating as a physical company located in Mountain View, the company shifted towards a fully remote work model.
Quora adopted a remote-first policy, allowing nearly all employees to work remotely from anywhere the company can legally employ them. The company will convert its existing office into a coworking space for its employees.. As Quora sees its mission in the democratization of knowledge and facilitation of its sharing, hiring people from various backgrounds and locations is one of the key company priorities.
9. HubSpot
HubSpot has emerged as the industry-leading inbound marketing and sales platform. It employs almost 4,000 people and provides software, support, and services to clients in more than 90 countries with offices worldwide.
Many HubSpotters have worked entirely remotely for years now, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in August 2020, HubSpot management announced a shift to a hybrid remote-office model where career growth is equitable for everyone, being more remote-friendly than ever before.
HubSpot`s goal is to make teammates around the world feel included and empowered.
And don’t worry if you feel unprepared. It’s never late to learn new skills and tools for working remotely.
10. Microsoft
COVID-19 challenged Microsoft like numerous other businesses globally and made the company management think of life and safe work in a new way.
Thus, on October 9, 2020, the company announced letting more employees work from home permanently. Offering as much flexibility as possible, the company supports individual work styles allowing employees to work from home freely for less than 50 percent of their working week.
11. Pinterest
Social media company Pinterest, famous for allowing users to create boards pinning recipes, home inspiration, and more, is one of the brightest examples of shifting towards a remote-first workforce. The company canceled its large San Francisco office lease, paying a whopping $89.5 million cancellation fee.
According to the company’s chief financial officer Todd Morgenfeld, the company is now moving towards a more distributed workforce, hiring people from a broader range of backgrounds and experiences.
12. Reddit
Reddit also joined the list of work from home companies when the pandemic hit. This online platform is used by millions of communities all over the world to connect and communicate.
Reddit employees can now choose permanent remote work, with options for in-office work in a casual environment. There are no more fixed desks for those willing to work from home or a coffee shop.
Reddit is now hiring remote staff eager to build something that encourages people around the world to think, do, and learn more.
13. Salesforce
Salesforce, a cloud software company with over 9,000 San Francisco workers, declared the 9-to-5 workday dead. The company now offers three categories of flexible work for its employees:
- Flex
- Fully-remote
- Office-based.
The individual needs of all employees are taken into account. The company strives to empower its people to get the job done during the best schedule for teams by providing flexibility.
14. Indeed
Having over 10,000 global employees, under conditions of COVID-19 restrictions, Indeed is now grouping its jobs into three major categories: remote, hybrid, and full-time in the office.
The company’s management has approved a decision to allow employees to work remotely permanently even after COVID-19.
15. Deloitte
The multinational consulting giant Deloitte responded to the COVID-19 crisis by approving remote strategies during the pandemic. The company has now closed four office buildings in the U.K. and kept all staff on work-from-home contracts.
Once the restrictions are eased, Deloitte employees will be free to decide whether they want to go back to the office or work from home as a new company policy puts an end to the traditional nine-to-five workday.
Bottom Line
The pandemic has accelerated the idea of work from home companies commonplace. Considering the success of remote working during the last year and the employees willing to stay at home further on, the number of companies switching to remote will continue to grow exponentially.
With employees wanting more remote work options in the future, companies are considering the long-term benefits of a reimagined workforce with a thoughtful remote work program.
