Has Remote Work Become the New Status Quo? A Recent GitLab Survey Says Yes.

A recent GitLab survey on remote work showcased its increasing popularity: One in three office workers would leave their jobs without the option to work remotely. One in every three companies that allow telecommuting will opt for a 100 percent remote policy. The report establishes remote work as the new status quo.

Highlights of GitLab’s Remote Work Report include:

Employers are enjoying increased productivity and efficiency

Employers enjoyed the many benefits of remote work. They reported increased productivity (42 percent) and efficiency (38 percent) after going remote. Remote work also helped boost workplace morale, according to 31 percent of respondents. Office bureaucracy and politics decreased while better documentation and processes increased. Remote work improved communication, reduced companies’ carbon footprint, and promoted diversity and inclusivity. 

Moreover, workers are content with the remote work policies employers are adopting. Eighty-two percent of employees complimented their leadership team for understanding remote team management and equipping them with the tools and processes to communicate efficiently. They also agreed that the future of work is remote. Meanwhile, 80 percent claimed they would recommend remote work to a friend. 

Talent demands remote work 

Fifty-two percent of remote workers would consider leaving a co-located company for a remote job. Without the option to work remotely, one in three remote workers would leave their jobs and either look for a new role or retire altogether. 

Seventy-eight percent of workers believe remote work gives employers a competitive advantage, proving that employers are making their teams’ remote work experience worthwhile. Most remote workers consider themselves clear on organizational and individual goals and believe their team is well-aligned with the rest of the company. Further, employees believe their companies promote accountability, encourage visibility, and keep most business processes well-defined and well-documented.

However, room for improvement remains. Employees felt that transparent leadership and increased visibility into their organization would help develop better connectedness. Incidentally, GitLab’s Head of Remote, Darren Murph echoed the same sentiment at Turing’s Boundaryless: #BuildFromAnywhere Conference, saying, “The more transparency and visibility the entire team has into each other’s work, the easier it is for people to feel like they belong.”

Remote work is going mainstream

Accelerated by their remote work successes, companies are making working from home the norm. Of all the companies that allow remote work, one in three will have a 100 percent remote policy where employees work in their native time zone. Twelve percent will go completely remote, with each employee working in a company-mandated time zone. Forty-two percent will use a hybrid approach, and only 14 percent will allow remote work without making it the norm or default.

Among employees, too, remote work eyes the mainstream. Of all respondents, 45 percent claimed to have less than a year of remote working experience, which means they began working from home during the pandemic. The remote workforce has quickly gained new talent over the past year, which pushes it even closer to becoming the status quo. 

Read GitLab’s full report. 

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