The evolution of hybrid and remote work persists. At Vodia, we anticipate 2024 will mark the full maturation of working from home, working from anywhere, and working from everywhere.

Every business and organization, including small-to-medium businesses, has had to pivot since the global COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, and the changes the pandemic has wrought have created an entirely different working landscape and forced us to redraw our maps. Fortunately, technology available at the pandemic's outset facilitated work from home, with ongoing advancements enabling some small businesses to operate seamlessly from a smartphone.

As we commence a new year, what does the hybrid and remote work landscape look like? Here are some interesting statistics that give us the lay of the land as it’s taken shape over the last half-year:

• According to the Pew Research Center, as of March 2023, approximately one-third of American workers who could work from home were doing so full-time, and this number has most likely increased. In the first quarter of last year, 41 percent of individuals with jobs that can be done remotely were working a hybrid schedule, an increase from 35 percent in the first quarter of 2022. 59 percent of these hybrid workers were at home three or more days per week. 
• Only 38 percent of companies require full-time in-office work, down from 39 percent earlier in 2023 and 49 percent at the start of the year, according to software firm Scoop Technologies. 
• “Return-to-office died in ‘23’,” said Nick Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University and work-from-home expert, in USA Today in December 2023. While work-from-home numbers held steady throughout most of 2023, remote-work experts predict they will rebound in the years to come as companies adjust to work-from-home trends. ‍
• Bloom also believes many companies will transition to hybrid/remote models to reduce costs. He expects the number of employees working from home to increase after 2024, envisioning a chart illustrating future work-from-home data to resemble “the Nike swoosh.” 
• ‍Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, says hybrid will be the new normal, which will likely lead to investments in technologies, enhancing remote and hybrid work efficiency and productivity.      

Regardless of your chosen communication model, whether it's hybrid, on-site, or entirely work from home, your telephony remains the cornerstone of your communications system. While email, SMS, and social media play crucial roles in stakeholder and team communication, your telephone system - with features such as call queues and voicemail - remains a core component of your business.

No matter how often your staff is onsite, the Vodia Phone System stands as the primary and pivotal step in digitally transforming your organization. We provide mission-critical, robust, secure telephony that enables true hybrid/remote work environments. Installation is simple and painless, and the transition of your phone system from a legacy “landline” system to a cloud PBX makes it so your team can collaborate no matter where its members may be. You’ll also give your customers a seamless and simple-to-navigate call journey.

We’d love to help your business evolve and give you what you need for hybrid/remote work in 2024 and beyond. Contact us at sales@vodia.com or call +1 (617) 861-3490.