2021 is the Summer of Working From Anywhere

Surprise! Employees Like Working From Anywhere

A Gallup poll conducted in April of 2020 found 70% of participants worked remotely at least one day a week. Conversely, current forecasts have 70% of employees back in the office in some capacity by mid-fall.

However, 65% of employees are saying they’d like to continue working remotely. It’s easy to see why. Working from anywhere provides individuals with a better work-life balance, more autonomy, and increased flexibility not only in how they schedule their work but where they work. Home office? Sure. Brewery? Why not? Beach chair? YES.

Working from anywhere also means you’re not married to one location. Remote workers have been leaving expensive urban tech hubs like Seattle, New York, and San Francisco in droves. Smaller, more affordable cities have seen their populations increase. Boise, Idaho; Truckee, California; Buffalo, New York; Louisville, Kentucky; and Burlington, Vermont have all experienced increased visitors and new residents.

While companies like Facebook and Dropbox have announced that working from anywhere has become permanent, others like Amazon or Capital One will be moving into a hybrid model. While this gives employees the ability to work anywhere in the city they’re based on those flex days, the ability to move around won’t be as accessible. Because of this, the New York Times dubbed the Summer of 2021 “The Remote Work’s Last Hurrah” since the freedom many workers had during COVID-19 closures may be ending.

Ways to Take Advantage of Working from Anywhere This Summer

While we traditionally think of summer as existing in the June-July-August space of time between Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends, it technically starts on June 20th and goes until September 22nd—summer isn’t even halfway over! Those returning to the office in the fall still have plenty of time to take advantage of working remotely.

HiringThing has been a work-from-anywhere company since our inception in 2012. We’re work-from-anywhere experts and have some suggestions for making the best of the remainder of your work-from-anywhere summer of 2021.

Take Advantage of Home-sharing

Companies like Airbnb and VRBO mean travelers aren’t relegated to working in hotel rooms. Looking to work from anywhere but not break the bank? Check out this list of affordable cities from which to work remotely. 

Explore Your Backyard

You could be a tourist on your home turf without spending much money or using up vacation days. Work from a different coffee shop every day! Bring your laptop to that new brewery you’ve meant to check out. Or check if your local parks have wifi. A local AirBnB or hotel also means you can work at a pool or lakeside for a few nights if you don’t mind treating yourself. 

Take it on the Road

RV and Airstream sales boomed during the pandemic as many individuals decided the ultimate social distancing was a mobile home. While rentals were impossible to find amid closures, you can now secure a few weeks of life on the open road to end your summer. And if you have $107,000 to spare, Airstream’s “The Cloud” was explicitly designed with an onboard office so owners can work from anywhere.

Get Paid to Move

Pre-pandemic, states like Vermont were pioneering programs that incentivized remote workers to relocate. Vermont’s program was so successful it’s currently on hiatus, but several other locales offer money to new residents. You can check out this FlexJobs list of states and cities that will pay remote workers to relocate, keeping in mind that some programs have requirements that must be fulfilled. A fun twist on this is Hawaii’s Movers and Shakas program, which pays for remote workers’ flights and accommodations while participants volunteer and learn about Hawaiian culture in their downtime. 

Find a Career that Embraces a Work-From-Anywhere Philosophy

According to a poll conducted by Monster.com, 95% of participants are thinking about changing their careers, with 92% considering changing fields to make that happen. It’s an excellent time for career seekers, as there are currently more openings than individuals applying. If working from anywhere has become something you’ve gotten used to and grown to love, then it might be best to spend less time the rest of the summer enjoying your freedom and more time making the career shift that will give you the lifestyle you want (but we do recommend sprucing up that resume from a Tiki bar if possible).

Decide you’re ready to work from anywhere permanently? HiringThing is hiring! Check out our open positions.

About HiringThing

HiringThing is a modern recruiting platform as a service that creates seamless hiring experiences. Our private label applicant tracking system and open API enable technology and service providers to embed hiring capabilities from sourcing to onboarding. Approachable and adaptable, the platform empowers anyone, anywhere, to hire their dream team.