Author: Carol Farrish

Since the pandemic, many formerly in-office meetings have been conducted using software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Bosses, who want to encourage communication and team building, want cameras on during the meetings. An increasingly loud chorus of workers offers exit reasons for turning the cameras off. For Zoom meetings, most employers expect that meeting participants will turn on their cameras. The thinking is that seeing everyone will make the experience as personal as an in-person one. After several years of group meetings, many staffers do not want to show up on screen, and many employers are rethinking the need for…

As companies demand workers come back to a physical site with return-to-office mandates, the result is worker dissatisfaction and workplace attrition. The negative reaction is more due to the take-back of a privilege than returning to work. To prevent a loss of workers, companies must develop reasonable hybrid solutions. Pick up a newspaper or magazine these days, and you’re likely to read that many workers are reacting negatively to employer mandates that they come back to the office. They may protest in the streets, loud quit or quiet quit and put in minimum work, or look for another job. Not…

Are certain personalities a better fit for remote work? Studies find some common personality traits in remote workers who are successful. Personality tests can confirm the traits, but anyone who is self-motivated, tech-savvy, communicative, and adaptable can do well working from home or other remote locations. Back in 2020, when COVID hit, employers sent workers home en masse and expected them to do their jobs. Some people liked working remotely so much that they are reluctant to return to work now that the crisis is over and employers want them back. Others, however, found they much preferred to work away…

As many companies call employees back to work in hopes of we started in the workplace to its pre-pandemic state, workers continue to seek jobs with the potential for remote work. Here are five interesting insights about the demand for remote work today. Remote work continues to be popular among workers. Not everyone wants to work from home every day, but many workers like the idea of splitting their weight between home and the office. While some employers expect employees back at work, many are agreeing to hybrid arrangements or even fully remote positions as the demand for remote work…

Hybrid workers earn more on average than onsite or remote workers. Many who work in hybrid positions do jobs that support remote performance, but, most importantly, are mid-career professionals with better power to negotiate salary. Salaries of remote workers are deflated by outsourcing, while onsite worker salaries include many lower-wage workers. A recent article on CNBC.com noted that workers who spend one to four days in the office earn more than those who are either fully in-person or fully remote. Their findings, based on surveys, raise questions any student of remote work wants to know. Why do hybrid workers make…

Canada’s recently announced digital nomad visa aims to attract talent to the national labor pool. Any freelancer who can support themselves is welcome, but workers with expertise in tech jobs are especially welcome. The Canadian digital nomad visa even promises a path to permanent residency. Canada, America’s neighbor to the north, is the latest country to announce the creation of a digital nomad visa. Made popular during the pandemic, these visas allow remote workers traveling to foreign countries to live and work there for a longer time legally than they usually can on tourist visas. While all the details of the…

Remote work that increased during the pandemic is here to stay. HR departments must now assess whether the way they deal with remote workers complies with state and federal employment and tax laws. It is time to evaluate if HR compliance for remote workers is on point and make necessary changes. Many companies that started offering remote work for the first time in response to the pandemic are now going into the 4th year of working with some employees and contractors still working offsite. Now that remote and hybrid work are considered part of the permanent employment landscape, firms that sent…

Artificial intelligence or AI is helping to redefine work as it uses data to perform certain tasks more efficiently. Many workers find it goes too far as it steals what humans have done to produce a synthesis of knowledge without crediting the source. As the entertainment industry in America has come to a halt with writers, actors, and filmmakers on strike, the star of the show is AI or artificial intelligence. Like many industries worldwide, AI has become a factor in many jobs for both bosses and workers. While workers are concerned that it will take their job or pirate…

As companies turn to part-time and gig work, finding health coverage is major issue for many remote workers. Contractors, freelancers, gig workers, and part-times are not usually eligible for benefits at this time. However, obtaining health insurance for remote workers may be more affordable than they thought. Part-timers and remote workers who consider themselves freelancers, independent contractors, or gig workers who love the flexibility of their jobs may lack what full-time employees take for granted: health insurance. While health care is available to anyone who can pay for it (or have it paid for if they qualify for programs that…

During the pandemic, employment rates among the disabled rose along with the widespread adoption of remote work. Currently, employment among people with disabilities continues to rise. Changing attitudes toward remote work continue to benefit this demographic, who has long fought for reasonable accommodation to their needs. People with disabilities may have the education and skills to do many jobs yet may lack the ability to commute to work, maintain a 9-to-5 schedule, or conform to the employer’s picture of the ideal employee. For them, remote work is a professional dream come true as they can maintain flexible schedules in their…