Work From Anywhere is the New Normal

New predictions from relocation experts suggest that a ‘work from anywhere’ policy will be the new normal.

WFA is the new WFH

2021 is set to be the start of one of the biggest migrations in working history, say relocation experts Perchpeek, with four in five companies likely to follow in the footsteps of industry leaders such as Salesforce, Spotify and Slack.

Last week music technology giant Spotify announced it was the latest company to allow its workforce to work remotely permanently beyond the pandemic, introducing a WFA – aka ‘work from anywhere’ – policy.

Migration of the Workforce

New research suggests that 80% of service-based companies will introduce a ‘work from anywhere’ policy this year.

Since launching in January 2020, Perchpeek has helped 1,427 people start their relocation journeys worldwide, across 46 countries. For Brits, 259 have relocated thanks to Perchpeek: 59% international moves and 41% domestic. In fact, there was a 1272% increase in the number of relocations in the first 6 months of launching, due to the pandemic.

The Future of Relocation

Paul Bennett, CEO of Perchpeek, the AI-powered relocation app which has already helped thousands of employees move for work, predicts a surge in WFA policies being introduced this spring as lockdowns come to an end and businesses look ahead to the future. The biggest months for new signups for Perchpeek were December 2020 and January 2021 showing that the trend for relocation is ongoing.

Bennett said, “Over the last year, thousands of companies have faced requests from employees to work somewhere different than their office location, whether that’s closer to family, closer to a beach or just somewhere with a lower cost of living. The crazy tax and compliance issues involved in these situations mean that to date, only a few tech giants have adopted clear WFA policies, but we’ll soon see these rules being replicated by small, medium and large companies across the globe.

Employer Support

Bennett stresses the need for employers to support this new era of flexibility. He suggests that by putting the employees front and centre, it will allow employers to attract and retain talent.

Bennett explained, “Businesses need to support their staff in working from anywhere: there needs to be a duty of care. Office spaces were the main connection for many people so many will miss the daily opportunity to build relationships and interact with colleagues socially. HR departments will need to provide as many virtual benefits, support and care as possible if they lose that physical connection with their employees on a permanent basis.”