The past eighteen months have seen a major change towards remote working possibilities as working from home seems to be the new normal, and as offices start to re-open around the world many employers are finding issues with staffing when it comes to forcing a return to the normal day to day – many who have been asked to get back to the office are instead leaving for greener pastures where remote working is a possibility for them. So just what is it about workplace flexibility that has led so many to seek change, and what further changes will be seen yet?

Cutting out the commute has been the biggest change – The average commute to work is 26 minutes long, but the number has been increasing particularly for commutes longer than 45 minutes – travelling over an hour round trip just for work has certainly become frustrating for many and the option to cut that trip out has freed up so much time that returning to that daily push isn’t appealing, as such those who are being asked to return to that are reluctant to do so. This is the primary change leading many to want to continue working from home, and why so many are willing to seek out new job opportunities for the ability to keep the privilege.

Choosing your own work hours and time – Another big change to come from remote working is the ability to pick the hours that best suit your own schedule – many have adopted the policy that as long as the work is done for the day, the time you choose to work isn’t important. Some workplaces will have mandatory hours where you have to be available but being able to schedule your workday around your life rather than the other way around has been a very important change, and one not many will be looking to losing either.

Keeping up with the free time – Both of these changes along with many others have led to one thing more importantly – more free time. The ability to explore passions and hobbies like gaming from this list here has been just as important, many individuals had realised just how much time had been lost for the day to day working schedule and keeping up with this newfound free time is another benefit that has come not to be lost, and with the suggestion that a four-day work week could become more normalized too, this additional free time is something much sought after.

There’s a lot of change on the way, and the working way of life is seeing some big change too – with more flexibility than ever before, it’s important to start looking for what you want whilst the benefits are still showing, as a change back to something more traditional may become inevitable too.