For years, we predicted that the future of work would be remote. We cited the rapidness of technological change and the dynamic economy as the main reasons remote work would eventually rule. And yet, even as we made a case for remote teams back in January, no one predicted how much more different the world today would be, four months on.

No one expected an invisible enemy to wreak havoc on the world in such a violent manner. That a virus would so quickly disrupt our lives, our habits, and our daily rituals.

Increased popularity

Switching to a remote-work setup is not easy. And many companies and employees are still struggling with adapting to remote work. While remote work is in high demand during this trying period, it does not mean that in-office working will be a thing of the past once the crisis passes. However, more and more people are getting used to remote working and enjoying it. As newly-remote workers get used to feeling connected with intelligent tooling and staying informed while working in remote teams, it will be difficult for many of them to revert to default settings post-coronavirus.

Less-male dominated leadership

Remote.co reported that remote companies have a greater percentage of female leaders: some 29% of remote companies have female founders, presidents, or CEOs, as opposed to approximately 5.2% for brick-and-mortar companies. The study attributes this trend to factors including greater work flexibility and decreasing bias (working remotely in many cases removes preconceived notions of what a leader should look like.

More integration

Companies like Hubspot and WordPress run mostly on remote teams. (WordPress has a 100% remote workforce.) Jasper Malcolmson built Skylight in a distributed manner right from the get-go. The tech startups scene has pushed the outdated notion that in-office connectivity > remote connectivity. According to Malcomson, “By being distributed, we’re actually even more connected.”

Flexibility in hiring talents

The most obvious advantage of managing remote teams is the flexibility to hire the best talents not limited by location. A product manager in San Francisco could hire a frontend developer based in Lagos without being compelled to move. Managing remote teams allow organizations to leverage the best-in-class regardless of geography.

Lower turnover and lower operating costs

Remote teams can be 20 to 25 percent more productive than their onsite counterparts. Also, before the coronavirus, in companies that allowed remote work, employee turnover was 25 percent lower than in companies that didn’t offer the option to work remotely. And lastly, 77 percent of employees say that working remotely will help companies lower operating costs.

The coronavirus pandemic will go away someday, hopefully soon. Remote teams will only become more popular as companies and employees adapt better to the model.

Enye’s software engineers are equipped with a distributed-first approach, reinforcing a culture focused on communication and accountability. Our alumni have gone on to work remotely with brands at home and abroad.

To tap into our immensely talented software engineering talent pool, download our partnership value proposition and reach out to us.