Remote Work Predictions for 2022

Let’s go back to 1987 and the “Black Monday” stock market crash. My grandfather pounded his fist on the table and screamed at the TV. In 2021 I was watching the CEO of an artificial intelligence company say that all of his company’s staff would come back into the office and remote work wasn’t the future. Just like my grandpa, I screamed at the TV and wondered how could he get it so wrong?

This led me to record this episode because I realized that I disagree with a lot of people about a lot of things related to remote work. 

I wanted to record my original thoughts and ideas and then see how these predictions unfold throughout the year. 

These predictions can help you plan for your remote work future—whther that’s working for somebody or yourself.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The top 7 predictions for remote work in 2022
• How I envision remote work in the future
• Tips and ideas for how you can prepare yourself

Here’s what you can find in this episode:

[5:10] The big theme of 2022 is that everyone is still trying to figure out remote work. What will their policies be and how will they transition. This will lead to more innovation. 

[6:57] Prediction #1 the job market remains strong for employees, job seekers, and people starting businesses. Employees have the power now. Take advantage of new incentives like hiring bonuses, referral bonuses, etc. Now is a good time to make a change, don’t wait because you will miss these opportunities. 

[10:30] Prediction #2 the hybrid-remote work model will start to fail. It’s not a sustainable model, it’s expensive, and the employer calling the shots when right now it’s the employees who have the leverage. Companies will start to experiment with other models. Be patient and try to work with companies and employers and be their partner, not their adversary.

[13:30] Predictions #3 the remote work “mash-up” model will increase and people will have more than one job or more than one employment income stream. Maybe that’s working for someone else and yourself on the side, etc. This is becoming more mainstream. This is especially important for people heading into retirement so they can stretch their income.

[16:16] Precision #4 people returning to the workforce, especially retirees who were maybe forced into retirement. Many people may have to come out of retirement because their retirement income will not outlast their living years. Also, some businesses will fail and those people may return to the workforce. So be ready now! It’s important to not bridge bridges right now.

[20:51] Prediction #5 the expansion of learning access and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Better technology and better learning experiences will help more people get better results learning online. Some people cannot learn just by watching boring videos. If you are hearing or sight impaired you may have struggled with remote work. More companies and businesses will improve their learning quality.  In Remote Work School, my online program that teaches people how to ger remote work, I created effective learning for different learning styles. So there are short video lessons, audio lessons, transcriptions, coaching, and accountability to fit every learning style. 

[25:40] Precision #6 The applicant tracking systems or “bots” will need to get overhauled to prevent discriminatory hiring practices, especially related to ageism. If you apply to jobs online it’s likely that your resume is being rejected in the system for a variety of reasons and this is a problem, especially in a labor shortage. The documentary film Coded Bias shows how bias happens in facial recognition systems. Hiring bias is often unconscious and unfortunately can transfer into technology. One thing you can do is broaden your job search and tap into your own network.

[32:31] Precision #7 is the growth of people working from everywhere, not just at home. People want to get out and work while traveling or work their own hours, generally, be more empowered. Saw a huge spike in work and Rv travel in 2020. 

[34:00] Additional predictions beyond 2022. Social media expands and everyone connects there, paper resumes go away, pick one platform and learn it, video expands even for people in the traditional workforce, virtual worlds like “Meta” will expand and in the future and will become part of everyday life. In 2009 I wrote my graduate thesis on the pros and cons of virtual worlds. 

[37:00] Don’t have to take advantage of everything I listed, but experiment with a few things. It is coming and focuses on what works for you.

Looking for more resources about remote work? Be sure to sign up for my free remote work training:

https://www.camilleattell.com/remote-training

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Resources and links in this episode:

• Documentary film Coded Bias. https://www.codedbias.com/
• Number of businesses started during the Covid-19 Pandemic: https://eig.org/news/the-startup-surge-business-formation-trends-in-2020