Remote Work in 2025: Trends Now and Into the Future

Written by: Savannah Hayes | January 15, 2025

Despite various companies creating back-to-office mandates, remote work is still a hot topic. Whether you’re a #digitalnomad or a single parent living the best of both worlds, remote work is the preferred way to work for millions of people in various industries, including IT, HR, and customer service.

As workplaces continue to shift, many of us are wondering – is the pendulum of remote work going to swing the other way? Will we be forced back into old habits? Or will we get to keep our cake and eat it too?

Here are some of the current trends and upcoming predictions we’re making for remote work in 2025 and beyond.

Current Trends in Remote Work

We’re seeing more and more businesses turn to unique workplace models. Companies staying ahead of the curve are incorporating wellness and artificial intelligence in ways that work for both employers and employees.

1. Hybrid Work Models

Between 2019 and 2023, remote job postings increased 3x in the United States and over 5x in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Employees are demanding that companies do better. Up to 57% of employees would look elsewhere for work if their current job stopped letting them work remotely.

Company leaders are tasked with finding the right balance of in-office and remote policies as we shift into 2025. These hybrid work models are likely going to become the norm as leaders pay closer attention to employee demands.

2. Increased Focus on Health and Wellness

With 42% of desk-based employees experiencing burnout, mental wellness support has become essential in the workplace. Employees want to work for companies that genuinely care.

Focusing on wellness benefits the bottom line too. Johnson & Johnson leadership members say their wellness initiatives have saved them over $250 million in healthcare costs over the decades.

Beyond offering remote work or flexible schedules, other wellness initiatives on the rise lately include company-sponsored gym memberships, nutrition programs, therapy and helplines, creative activities, and more.

3. Rise of Digital Nomadism

Remote work has made it easier than ever to work and travel at the same time. In 2024, anywhere between 40 and 70 countries now offer digital nomad visas, which allow remote employees to stay in the country for longer than a typical vacation. Whether the number of supportive countries will stay the same or decrease is still to be determined.

If you’re looking to book a workcation for your remote work in 2025, make sure to do you due diligence, as some countries’ populations are actively discouraging digital nomads.

4. Use of Artificial Intelligence and Automation

The artificial intelligence (AI) market is expected to be worth over $1 trillion as of 2030.

Employees are continuously learning new technologies and finding new and better ways to boost efficiency at work. The fast pace of technology is making AI top-of-mind for most tech-savvy CEOs and leadership teams.

Remote work in 2025 is nearly guaranteed to continue colliding with AI in terms of productivity tools, job vacancies, and controversial conversations. To ease concerns, business leaders can create transparent AI policies and offer training on how to use AI for work.

Predictions for the Future of Remote Work in 2025

Remote work isn’t going anywhere in 2025. Based on current trends and workplace sentiments, here are four things we’re predicting for the new year.

1. Decentralization of Workforces

The rise of the Internet has connected over 5 billion people around the globe. With the rise of remote work in 2025, teams are now global too.

A shift towards more diverse and geographically distributed teams is likely in the coming year. These worldwide teams are growing businesses to be more competitive, culturally sensitive, and globally relevant.

The decentralization of workforces means that open positions can be filled by the most qualified person, no matter where they live. This will make the job market more competitive, but also stronger for those willing to find the right person for the right position.

2. Shift Toward Results-Based Evaluation

Results-based management is the new trend in remote work that’s expected to continue growing into 2025 and beyond.

Instead of focusing on time sheets, employers looking at statistics or key performance indicators can still measure productivity without the added pressure of a time crunch. These indicators show exactly how well team members are performing, regardless of their environment or schedule.

This strategy is already being used by Global Affairs Canada and is hailed as the antidote to standard project management.

For companies looking to boost efficiency and wellness, results-based management and evaluations are the way to go. Tracking results instead of tracking hours worked will transform the future of performance reviews.

3. Employee-Led Work Schedules

There’s a power struggle happening in remote work in 2025 and into the future. Employers want control over productivity. Employees want to work from home. With trends like ”quiet quitting”, ”lazy girl jobs”, and an entire subreddit dedicated to “anti-work”, employees are demanding balance back in their work-home life.

It’s up to leadership to determine how they’re going to tackle this power struggle as the new year begins. Benefits like offering flexible hours are likely to improve productivity and job satisfaction more than forced policies. After all, happy employees make happy customers.

4. Greater Emphasis on Cybersecurity

Criminals are employing artificial intelligence, and social engineering programs, and threatening ransomware attacks at a rate the world has never seen before. 

Cybersecurity itself is a growing industry expected to reach a value of $271 billion USD by 2029. Each employee is also expected to cost around $52 USD in the cybersecurity market as of 2024 and into future years.

With a new cybersecurity issue featured in the news each week, from Ticketmaster to Bank of America, having secure systems is more crucial than ever as we move into 2025.

Join the Future of Work

The future of remote work will benefit both employees and employers by offering more flexibility, inclusivity, and innovation.

Want to bring the future of workplace wellness to your company in 2025? Learn more about the Refresh Wellness Platform and what it can do for you this year.