Six Andela executives on remote work trends in 2022

The work landscape is undergoing a giant shift as companies continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic. Ahead of the new year, we asked six Andela executives for their insights on how remote work will shape up in 2022. Here’s what they had to say.

1. “Meetings will change to serve new ways of collaboration”

Jeremy Johnson, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

According to a recent report from Reclaim.ai, remote workers were spending 21.5 hours per week in meetings in October of 2021, compared to 14.2 hours a week in February of 2020. That’s over half of a 40-hour work week spent on video meetings. As companies ill-equipped for remote work find themselves adapting to distributed collaboration, leaning on meetings as a crutch can be detrimental to the productivity, and more importantly, mental health of teammates. Heading into 2022, we’ll see new meeting structures, such as taking a call on a walk, that will hopefully lessen Zoom fatigue.

2. “Management styles will evolve to be even more transparent around goals”

Sachin Bhagwat, EVP and General Manager, Client Solutions

Offices around the world are taking the leap to hybrid or fully remote and that’s not stopping anytime soon. Managers will have to work even harder to set clear targets, deadlines, and milestones for their distributed teams. Running a team across multiple time zones will encourage managers to be more explicit about communication to ensure that all team members are aligned.

3. “The fight for talent will come down to more than compensation and benefits”

Patrick Hennessey, Head of Data and Analytics

Compensation and benefits are no longer enough to attract top talent. Companies must be willing to invest in the social interaction side of work, whether through offsite meetings or industry conferences that provide employees with an opportunity to learn, share knowledge, and connect with others on their teams.

4. “More of the workforce will go part-time, often with multiple people doing one job”

Courtney Machi, VP, Product

Employers are seeing more and more part-time contractors joining their teams. As a result, we may start to see a trend of “sharing” roles, or multiple people doing one job, both on a part-time basis. Employers will have to accept this given the shortage of talent.

5. “Coworking spaces will make a comeback”

Alvaro Oliveira, EVP and General Manager, Talent Solutions

Companies are just starting to figure out what hybrid work will look like for their teams, coworking spaces will see a rise. While office headquarters shuttered during the pandemic, a slow return to in-person activities has created the perfect opportunity for coworking spaces to serve employees who want flexibility but seek out in-person interactions.

6. “Requirements for university degrees will continue to decline”

Bruce Tizes, VP Strategy

ZipRecruiter reports that job listings requiring a bachelor’s degree fell to 7% this year compared to 11% in 2020. In the upcoming year, we’ll see this requirement continue to decline as companies place more value on real experience rather than institutional learning. In addition to the rise in alternative education communities and bootcamps, we’ll see early hiring with on-the-job, first-month proof that candidates can do the job.

2022 will come with its own surprises. Have your own take on what the new year will bring to remote work trends? Let us know on Twitter: @andela.