6 Ways Remote Work Will Evolve in 2022

The best parts of remote work are yet to come.Â

Just two years ago, remote work was a niche thing that you got to do if you worked for one of a very small number of companies or if you freelanced. Then, one year ago, everyone was working remotely, except they were on endless Zoom calls and Slack and often ended up working longer hours than they did back in the office. It was a band-aid.

Today, teams are quickly improving. They’re realizing that remote work is a superpower if used right. Because of this, I’m confident we’ll see plenty of changes to the way we work in 2022. Below are six of my predictions about the future of work.

1. Remote Work Is Here To Stay

Since 2020, opinions on how we should work have been fractured into a few distinct categories. Some leaders believe the office is the best place to get work done, others favor a more flexible, hybrid approach, and others believe that fully remote is the future.

Regardless of these opinions, though, there is one fact: remote work isn’t going anywhere. According to TalentLMSOpens a new window , people want remote work and flexibility, and employers will continue to find it easier to hire if they let their teamwork remote. So, while some organizations will head back to the office, remote work is a permanent fixture in the way we do things, and you can expect it to continue gaining ground.

2. Asynchronous Communication Is the Next Milestone

Lots of teams are already remote. But many of those teams are still communicating synchronously. They’re asking employees to be online from 9 to 5 (or something similar), scheduling lots of Zoom calls, and having lots of chats in real-time. In 2022, increasing numbers of these teams will realize that asynchronous communication is key to real remote work.

Why? Asynchronous communication gives your team more agency over their own lives. This means they can organize their days to maximize productivity, live anywhere in the world, and do deep work without being interrupted by messages. Expect to see the most successful remote teams transition to asynchronous communication in 2022.

See More: Communication and Flexibility as the Solution to Employee AppreciationOpens a new window

3. Great Talent Will Be Harder To Hire for Non-remote Teams

There’s already a hiring crisis in the United States (and many other places). Don’t expect it to get any better in 2022 for businesses that don’t want to hire remotely. When top talent can pick between a 9-to-5 in the office or a job that lets them work whenever and wherever it’s not hard to guess which they’ll pick.

Even now, remote teams are finding it easy to hire great talent. Expect this to be magnified in 2022, as increasing numbers of people realize that they have the option to work from anywhere in the world. And they’ll take that option.

4. The Best Teams Will Go Global

The expansion of global hiring will be a significant factor for the shape of remote work in 2022. Right now, lots of teams are going remote, but many are still located in the same country. They’re shooting themselves in the foot by ignoring the global talent pool. In the past, there’s been a good reason for this: Hiring globally requires a lot of heavy lifting with legal issues.

Today, hiring across borders is easier than ever. In 2022, many organizations will realize they could have a better team if they hire globally. They’ll realize that no matter where their HQ is, the majority of the world’s best talent doesn’t live in their country.

5. Global Teams Complement Corporate DEI Initiatives

If you want a diverse team, you’re hurting your chances by hiring in a single geography. By hiring globally in 2022, organizations will find it much easier to build a cross-cultural team that performs. Global hiring is a big piece of equity, too; if anyone in the world with an internet connection has an equal shot at the same jobs, historical barriers due to the location are gone.

See More: 3 Ways To Leverage Hiring Tech for DE&I Success

6. Technology Will Drive the Growth of Global Hiring

It’s very expensive to hire an international team. You must wrangle with government and compliance laws, which can take years, and hiring just one person abroad can cost you more than $80,000. That’s why, traditionally, most teams haven’t moved things out of the country. But now that there’s a demand for remote work and businesses are open to hiring globally, solutions are available that make it easy to hire anyone in a couple of clicks.

The remote work you’ve known might look different in 2022, and that’s an excellent thing. As companies start looking beyond borders and adapting better systems for work, the great things about remote will become even more evident.

How do you think remote work will evolve this year? Let us know on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .