Yes, remote work is the new viable reality

If you’ve been following Palmtree, we’ve made it clear that remote work is the future of work — the linchpin to a more balanced, productive, and fulfilling life where work complements rather than dictates the way we live.

Remote work is a broad term, though. It applies to anyone who’s earning a living away from a central office or job site, namely employees on distributed teams, and digital nomad freelancers.

Each group has something the other wants: the employee wants more autonomy and freedom, and the freelancer wants good, steady pay.

Employees are currently speaking out en masse across LinkedIn, demanding the freedom to work from anywhere while pushing back against the corporations eager to reel them back to traditional office settings.

Nomad freelancers — who tend to gather in Facebook communities rather than LinkedIn, seem stuck in a never-ending struggle to find any kind of legitimate online job, despite being capable in a spectrum of skills.

In search of the sweet spot

At some point we will reach the sweet spot, where corporate employees and digital nomads enjoy autonomy, great pay, and work that’s interesting and meaningful.

We’re already starting to see this sweet spot with companies like Atlassian, a SaaS unicorn based in Australia that’s trailblazing distributed work models.

According to its recent report, Atlassian’s “Team Anywhere” initiative has not only boosted employee productivity (a common gripe of CEOs), but it has also expanded their talent pool, among other upsides.

This corporate shift in perspective hints at a future where careers are in harmony with personal well-being, rather than a relentless pursuit of one-sided achievement.

For those who prefer to work as independently, without a full time role, there are now “fractional talent” marketplaces like Huddle that match companies and startups with qualified contractors.

Huddle stands out by empowering contractors with greater autonomy, allowing them to work — usually from anywhere — on projects that directly align with their skills and interests and at market rate. Huddle takes care of the pre-screening and matching process, which spares contractors the lengthy and often draining process of traditional job hunting.

All in all

The future of work is unmistakably remote — a vision that Palmtree will continue to champion.

We have a way to go, of course, but remote work may actually provide the balance, autonomy, and fulfillment that all workers deserve.