I’ve been preaching for a while now that small companies can leverage remote work as a competitive advantage. There’s data to say now that it’s coming true. Quoting Vox:
Smaller tech companies have since picked up the mantle of remote work. They are much more likely than their larger peers to allow people to work entirely remotely, with 81 percent of those with fewer than 5,000 employees either allowing remote work or only having remote options, according to new data from Scoop Technologies, a software firm that builds tech to help hybrid teams coordinate and also tracks the office policies at major companies. Meanwhile, just 26 percent of companies with more than 25,000 employees are fully flexible.
Tech has more variation in fully remote policy by company size than in any other industry. This suggests that remote work is entirely possible in the tech industry. Still, different-sized companies have settled on different policies based on how they think it benefits them or not. And their reasons for doing so might depend, in part, on how they want to portray themselves to the outside world.
And if you wonder why – the article highlights that it’s all about hiring talent.
I was listening to a discussion on remote work over the weekend, and the focus remained on how workers needed to continue to adapt. I was left with the question – why don’t managers? Why isn’t the focus on improving business operations to embrace what is possible?
Why? It’s hard – and smaller companies can be more nimble to take advantage of that. And it’s playing out. Smaller companies will have the most variation. Here’s the wrinkle – tech companies have the most variation, meaning there remains an opportunity to help other industries be more effective with the technology.. as a service. So, continue doing it for your organization while helping your customers.