IEX #234 Part 1: The Future of Remote Work

While thinking about the Iceberg Organisation, this thought came to me. Remote work became the default option during the pandemic. We (naively) thought then that this is how live would be forever. We moved out of the city and bought dogs.

Post the pandemic many companies bravely tried to keep it going, looking at the plus side of attracting wider pools of talent and having better working conditions, as well as reducing infrastructure and office costs. But clearly it was too much too soon. Organisational culture wasn't ready for it, many people misused it. People tried doing multiple jobs. The disillusionment with remote work was swift and universal.

Even a year down, as many organisations struggle with the aftershocks of the pandemic as well as global disruptions, climate events, wars, technology changes, performance is still hard, so getting people back into the office has become an imperative. (And no, despite the meme, Zoom didn't force employees back to office, apparently). That's where we are now.

But as more work becomes technology based, both culturally and for good business reasons we'll see a gradual evolution of remote work - based on roles, trust, company culture, leadership styles, and many more parameters. But it will creep up, as technology enables us to. The path to remote working maturity is actually just starting.