👏 The many jobs going remote by 2030

Good Morning,

Hope you’re feeling refreshed after the MLK Holiday.

Last week, Internet Brands (the parent company of WebMD, Lawyers.com, and more) announced they are requiring fully remote employees to return to the office.

But they did so in the most cringeworthy way possible: a corporate video featuring their executives reading from scripts, some in front of a fake office background — obviously working from home.

Inexplicably, the company made the video public on their Vimeo page.

After watching the video, I decided to list out some helpful tips for any leaders looking to announce a return to office policy to their employees:

• Consider including even just one reason the RTO policy is better for the employees

• If you say “we’re better in person,” at least try to provide supporting evidence

• Don’t have your executives pretend to film the announcement in an office when they’re actually at home

• Don’t end the video by emphasizing the ominous phrase “don’t mess with us”

This belongs in the internet hall of shame, but for now it’s the latest remote work slander to make it into the Clown Show.

Remote Source Job Board

Featured companies:

Sword Health: 40 remote jobs
Homebound: 6 remote jobs
Hopper: 33 remote jobs

🤝 Find Remote Jobs Here

Need to Know

💸 Study shows RTO doesn’t increase stock price
A Pitt study found that forcing employees back into company offices had no bearing on the companies’ financial performance or stock market prices.

Upon seeing these results, the research team looked into other causes for RTO policy enforcements. They found what they refer to as an “agency problem” — managers making decisions that give themselves a false sense of control, instead of making decisions that are best for shareholders.

Further, Ma hypothesized — and then proved — that companies with worse financial performance during the pandemic were more likely to use WFH as a scapegoat for their results and mandate a return to office.

As we know now, the cause for poor company performance is far more likely to be something other than a lack of remote worker productivity. But executives don’t want their investors to know that! (Business Insider)

🏝 2024 State of Digital Nomads, by Nomad List
You might recognize Nomad List; they’ve been helping remote workers plan international travel for many years now.

This year, they surveyed their paid community members and shared tons of information about remote workers and their preferences. Some notable findings below:

• Most liked countries: Malaysia, Poland, Italy, Colombia, Japan

• Least liked countries: Iran, Honduras, Lithuania, Barbados, Cameroon

• Most common job roles for nomad men: Software developer, Web developer, Startup founder, Marketing, SaaS

• Most common job roles for nomad women: Marketing, Creative, Startup founder, Software developer, UI/UX design

The full report is fascinating and worth checking out - there’s much more detail included about preferred travel destinations and general digital nomad demographics. (Nomad List’s 2024 State of Digital Nomads)

💼 Gen Z is "most likely to “polywork”
Remote work allows more people to develop side projects in a time where cost of living continues to increase and promotions aren’t happening as quickly. According to a Paychex survey, 40% of American workers have at least two jobs, and 46% of Gen Zers have two or more, ranking higher than any other generation.

Those who described themselves as freelancers or remote workers were most likely to have multiple jobs. And surprisingly, about half of those engaging in “polywork” expect to do so indefinitely. (Fortune)

👎 Over 80% of full-time office employees are not there by choice
Cue Marshawn Lynch’s “I’m here so I won’t get fined” video.

According to Cara Allamano, Chief People Officer at Lattice, 83% of full-time office employees are only there full-time because it’s a “company requirement,” whereas 14% say it is their choice to be in-office every day.

Lattice also found that 48% of employees would consider quitting over their organization’s WFH policy. (Flex Index)

🍎 NYC is seeing less office building construction
As you know, remote work has throttled office growth, but construction costs are also impacting the slowdown. The WFH shift and rising interest rates were referred to as a “one-two punch” that’s left developers in a difficult spot.

One interesting comment from another CBRE executive is that they expect there to be a spike in demand for top-quality office space in the near future. But if that’s true, who will take on office space that isn’t of the highest quality, given that there are drastically lower office needs today? It’s an interesting demand problem that could be solved with new co-working or residential development plans.

But let’s also take this prediction with lots of skepticism; if these last few years have taught us anything, it’s that commercial real estate executives are very willing to spread very optimistic non-data-driven theses (and sometimes flat-out lies) simply to advocate for their own interests. (New York Times)

🌎 World Economic Forum projects 25% global digital job growth by 2030
The WEF defines “Global Digital Jobs” as those in which the primary functions can be done from anywhere in the world; this does not appear to include many of the remote jobs in North America today, which require residence on this continent for the sake of live team communication.

Remote definitions aside, below are the categories where the WEF expects the most remote job growth to occur:

Higher-wage (above $75,000)

• Medical and health services managers

• Computer science teachers, post-secondary

• Emergency management directors

Mid-level wage (between $42,500 and $75,000)

• Music directors and composers

• Self-enrichment teachers

And of the job types they see shifting from office-bound to “global digital jobs,” 40% are in accounting, legal, and finance professions, while marketing, advertising, and communication professions represent about 10% of those shifting to globally digital. The visual breakdown of these shifting jobs is below. (World Economic Forum)

Stuff We Like

• Weekly Workforce Newsletter
  Eryn Peters has extensive experience building organizations that benefit job seekers, and she now writes a weekly newsletter on all things workforce. It’s “the talent industry, in your inbox.”

• How to fire people with grace (Click here for YouTube version)
  Layoffs have been a trending topic in the US workforce for the last few years now; botching the process can hurt your reputation, your company, and your former employees. CEO coach Matt Mochary sits down with writer Lenny Rachitsky and discusses his best tips for parting ways with employees.

• Ergonomic tips for your home office setup
  This PDF from the American Occupational Therapy Association provides a condensed set of bullet points to keep in mind when piecing together your home office.

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