If you want to work from home, you’re much more likely to find it at a company that was founded post-2000.
That’s according to a new report from Scoop, a remote work platform. The report finds that of the 4,000-plus companies it collects data on, 82% of companies founded post-2000 offered some form of remote work, compared to 53% of older firms.
And though hybrid or remote work is most closely associated with the tech sector, the majority (73%) of non-tech companies founded after 2010 offer workplace flexibility.
Hybrid work benefits Scoop’s bottom line. But data collected by more neutral organizations also points to remote work’s longevity. The U.S. is still early in its flexible work journey, Scoop’s report notes, and trends may change. But the company expects that a higher share of firms will offer remote and hybrid work policies each year.
Part of this can be attributed to the fact that newer businesses have grown in a much more international age than older firms, says Rob Sadow, Scoop’s CEO and cofounder. Flexible work is built into the culture, and even necessary when workers in different offices work at different times. Security, IT, and software capabilities have also made significant advancements, particularly in recent years, making it easier to work outside of the office.
And then of course, companies founded by younger people may have different values and work expectations than the generations before them.
There’s been plenty of debate over the future of working from home and what it means for productivity and career advancement. But Sadow says the data shows remote work isn’t going anywhere—in fact, if anything, it will become more common as new businesses are established each year.
Importantly, Scoop’s data shows that the uptick in companies embracing flexible work began before the COVID-19 pandemic, says Sadow. The trend didn’t start because companies were forced to do it, he says, though of course the pandemic accelerated it.
“This was not a forcing of hands,” he says. And “newer companies, they really give you a much better sense of where we’re headed” than older firms.
None of this is to say the firms are offering exclusively fully remote roles. But even some workplace flexibility can be viewed as a game-changer by employees, current and potential. That could lead more companies to embrace flexible policies over time, even those that are currently hesitant.
This is especially true because employees will start to come to expect some level of workplace flexibility, Sadow says. Particularly top performers and those in certain fields. Companies in some fields requiring workers to come in five days a week “will be outliers.”
“You’re going to have winners and losers based on how they approach their workplace flexibility,” Sadow says. “These companies might be using this as a way to recruit top talent away from peers.”
