Top companies vowed to implement remote work exponentially and swore by remote work’s potential in overarching spheres. As 2021 draws to a close, these companies have made big announcements regarding their adaptability to remote work and their future plans for remote work implementation. 

If remote work beyond 2021 has not fully convinced you, check out these top companies’ statements and plans for implementing remote work! 

Here Comes a List of Big Companies that are Big on Remote Work! 

1. Facebook 

Social media giant, Facebook told BBC that it thinks remote work is “the future.” Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg predicted that 50% of Facebook employees could be working remotely for the next five to ten years. For Facebook, remote work is also a way to embrace diversity and inclusion as physical presenteeism is torn down. 

2. Dropbox 

According to Dropbox’s blog, titled Dropbox goes Virtual First, the sudden remote work transition worked well for them. The tech company revealed that workers’ knowledge has grown to be more focused when working from home and just as engaged as they were before working remotely. Nearly 90% of Dropbox’s employees said that remote work has increased their productivity, which makes them want to continue working remotely. 

3. Spotify  

Spotify is all about choices and work-life balance in lieu of remote work. In February 2021, Spotify announced on its blog that it will permanently immerse its staff in working remotely. They also provide options for their employees  – whether to work remotely or at the office. These policies are a part of the company’s Dynamic Workplace effort to increase sustainability, flexibility, and well-being across their global offices. 

4. Upwork 

For the world’s largest freelance market, Upwork, remote work means enhanced productivity. Upwork’s CEO and president, Hayden Brown’s tweet thread said that after 20 years of experience as a remote work company, Upwork is now permanently embracing a “remote-first” policy. She also announced that going forward, working remotely will be the default for everyone in Upwork. Brown further stated that once the pandemic is over, the team will gather for conscious collaboration and socialization. Her tweet thread ended with the hashtag #futureofwork. The company’s employees applauded the decision – the Twitter thread was filled with Upwork’s employees’ eagerness to engage in remote work in a more encompassing way. 

5. Shopify  

Canadian ecommerce company, Shopify is banking on higher talent pool and a wider pool of choices when it comes to implementing remote work. Tobi Lutke, the founder and CEO of Shopify’s reality check tweet in May 2020 is a revelation. The tweet termed Shopify as a “digital by default company.” Lutke said most of Shopify’s employees will permanently work remotely, putting an end to “office centricity”. He stated that even after 2021 draws to a close, his employees’ remote work stints will carry on. Lutke is most excited about hiring people from diverse locations, now that relocation and commuting are things of the past. 

Remote Work Works for Smaller Companies Too! 

6. Genashtim 

Genashtim has been supporting an entire staff that has been working remotely for 14 years – since its inception in 2008. The company has never had a physical office. Founder and CEO of Genashtim, Thomas Ng likes to quip that Genashtim’s office floats somewhere in the clouds. 

Founded to employ blind students from a computer school for the blind in Manila, Philippines, Genashtim’s remote work model is designed to accommodate “the forgotten workforce” – the marginalised, disenfranchised, and disempowered people who want to work and can work.  

As a B Corp certified for-profit social enterprise, Genashtim provides sustainable remote employment for People with Disabilities (PWDs), refugees, seniors, LGBT community, women in oppressed environments, and other side-lined people. 

Commuting to and from work is incredibly exhausting, difficult, and even dangerous for PWDs. And there are people who can’t work in conventional workplaces due to age, non-established locations, and cultural norms. Genashtim’s implementation of remote work breaks all these barriers and connects the marginalised to the global economy by leveraging technology. 

When the pandemic hit, making many small businesses suffer huge losses, Genashtim cruised along nonchalantly. The doubters and naysayers of Genashtim’s remote work model were presented with the fact that remote work really works.  

As of 2021, Genashtim has more than a hundred remote workers on its payroll from the expanse of 6 continents and 10 countries. 

Beyond 2021, Genashtim will continue to upgrade and update its remote work processes and hire more remote workers.  

The Key Takeaways Regarding Remote Work after 2021? 

Change is the only constant. New problems require new solutions. Innovation keeps the world running. You get the idea? Remote work offers different ways of working. It solves unprecedented problems that threaten lives and livelihoods. It overcomes unfamiliar challenges and increase efficacy by technological developments, creativity, and inventiveness. It also provides sustainable employment for people who otherwise have a very low probability of being hired and encourage diversity and inclusion.