We know the number of freelancers is on the rise, but more than half (55%) of hiring managers agree that remote work among full-time permanent employees is becoming more common, too. Many of the 1,000 hiring managers surveyed said that they expect up to 38% of their full-time staff will be working remotely in the … Continue reading “Remote work is “the new normal””
Source: Remote work is “the new normal”
It’s interesting to read this, because I’m wondering who these companies are and what kind of positions they have for permanent employees that are remote! In the tech comm field, I’m starting to realize that part of the problem is that there are very few permanent positions anymore–or it seems, from my years of job searching, very rare. The majority of tech comm positions are some sort of temporary or contract position, and while some are remote (it’s improving just a tiny bit), most are on site. There still seems to be an expectation of contract workers going to great lengths to either move to a location or do long commutes just to be able to work. If remote is the new normal, and remote working is rather conducive for many types of tech comm work, how come we aren’t seeing more of it? It still doesn’t feel like the “new normal” described in this article, although the article is encouraging.
What do you think? Include your comments below.
–TechCommGeekMom
TechCommGeekMom 
You’re right when you say that a great deal of tech comm work is on a contract, not permanent, basis. I’ve seen two scenarios: one, the company brings in contractors for general, ad hoc work. They typically want those contractors to be onsite, where a company staffer oversees their work. Two, the company turns over a whole project, soup to nuts, to a contract house. The contract house assembles the team and designs and builds a product to the company’s specifications. In scenario two, the hiring company doesn’t oversee the employees’ work directly, and it’s common for the employees to work remotely. The employees are often located all over the place, frequently overseas.
So maybe you’re seeing more of scenario one than scenario two. Or you’re competing with people from all over the world for a place on a scenario two project. Remote work might be the new normal, but so is worldwide competition for the available slots.
Hi Larry,
Actually, sometimes it’s option #3, which is somewhere in the middle. I see ad hoc work done remotely as well, and I think I fall into that category most of the time. (Or else it’s long-term ad-hoc work that I can do remotely.) I don’t belong to an outside team, yet I’m part of an internal team, just not onsite. It’s a very confusing time, but I think it still boils down to the point of tech comm becoming more of a contract-based profession than a permanent employee-type position, which is unnerving if you are just trying to make a constant living and not jumping around constantly. Stability is a nice thing to have now and then! I am very fortunate to understand and have the security that my husband is the one with the stable job. But me–once I re-entered the work world after being a stay-at-home mom for a few years, I have yet to nail down a permanent position, and I’ve been trying for at least 10 years. I’m a person who is aware at my age that unexpected things can happen, and being in a contract position is not stable if something were to happen to my husband (heaven forbid). It’s an uneasy way to make a living when you have solid, viable skills, y’know?