New survey shows increased appetite for remote careers in younger generations
Photo by Vlada Karpovich
The trend for working remotely shows no signs of disappearing, as a new study reveals an increased appetite for flexible careers in younger generations. A poll by FlexJobs suggests that 84% of millennials and 74% of Gen Z workers want more remote opportunities. Employees want more flexibility, but what does this mean for businesses and how can they cater to evolving preferences?
Providing remote opportunities
The pandemic triggered a surge in home working, with millions of employees based at home rather than in offices or communal workplaces. Many have returned to work, but studies show that a significant proportion of UK businesses continue to provide remote working opportunities. According to the British Chambers of Commerce, up to 75% of companies have either remote or hybrid models in place.
Offering remote work is beneficial for businesses for multiple reasons, including lowering running costs, catering to employee preferences to boost retention and attract top talent and enhancing flexibility. Failing to compete with other companies within the same sector could result in losing employees and struggling to attract the best candidates.
Expanding roles
Advanced technology and communications tools and platforms enable many employees to work efficiently and productively outside of a traditional working environment. One way businesses can provide more flexibility for employees is to expand roles and adjust the way they work. Take the example of a medical practice. Remote services such as a medical virtual assistant enable those who wish to pursue a career in healthcare to explore a more diverse range of positions while providing fast, efficient and cost-effective services for businesses. From IT support and marketing to personal training and accountancy, firms can adapt job descriptions and requirements and job-seekers can explore a wider range of vacancies to embrace remote working.
Adopting more flexible working arrangements
Flexibility doesn’t just mean offering workers the option to work from home or a remote location either part or full-time. It also relates to working schedules. One of the main reasons why employees want more flexibility is to enjoy a healthier work-life balance. A Hubstaff report revealed that 91% of employees wanted to work from home more frequently to improve their work-life balance.
As employees, particularly those from younger generations, prioritise flexibility, work-life balance and well-being, employers can take steps to adopt more flexible working arrangements. Examples include offering remote or hybrid options and establishing core work hours rather than a standard 9-5 schedule. If employees have core hours between 10am and 3pm, for example, they can choose when to complete the required hours outside of these times. Some people may prefer to start early while for others, a late finish will work better.
In addition, measures such as condensed hours and shorter working weeks have become more popular. In January 2025, two hundred UK businesses committed to a permanent four-day week, meaning that over 5,000 employees will benefit from shorter working hours while retaining their full salaries. The argument in favour of this model is improving work-life balance and productivity while enabling businesses to attract the best candidates.
Embracing cutting-edge technology
Technology is a driving force behind the mass shift towards remote work. Without innovative software, devices, machines, tools and systems, we wouldn’t be able to operate effectively outside of the conventional workspace. For businesses that want to embrace remote work and provide more flexibility for employees, keeping up to date with advances is crucial. Updating equipment and software, harnessing the power of technologies such as AI and offering access to effective tools help operations run smoothly and enable leaders to build strong, cohesive remote teams.
Recruiting remote employees
Photo by Anna Shvets
Companies can offer remote opportunities to existing employees, but they can also adapt working and staffing models by actively recruiting remote workers. Using recruitment agencies and websites that specialise in remote jobs and targeting those looking for remote work can help business owners and HR departments find candidates who want flexible jobs. Reaching out to job-seekers who prefer remote roles can help companies that want to develop new strategies and switch to hybrid or remote models reshape, expand and streamline teams.
Implementing new policies and guidelines
Remote work, hybrid and work from home policies help to promote smooth transitions, integrate employees and ensure everyone understands rules, guidelines and company expectations. It’s beneficial to review and update policies and procedures regularly to ensure they’re relevant. If you have a large remote workforce but your guidelines still focus on office-based employees, this could cause confusion.
A new survey shows an increased appetite for remote work, particularly among millennials and Gen Z employees. Changing employee preferences and expectations have implications for employers. Switching to or embracing new ways of working can offer benefits for businesses, but they must be proactive in adapting and implementing recruitment strategies, understanding what employees want to create opportunities to improve operations while encouraging top talent to apply for jobs and boosting employee retention rates.