The past few years have seen 9 to 5 office life dwindle in favor of flexible, remote workplaces. Major technological advancements have led to a huge growth in virtual teams and in fact, over 16% of companies across the world hire only remote teams.

Flexible work options offer a solution to those struggling with a work-life balance that is needed in the modern world. This has led to a boom in productivity and collaboration, adding a $900 billion to $1.3 trillion value to the economy. 

A remote workforce offers businesses access to talent from anywhere in the world and reduces overall costs that typically come with maintaining a physical office. 

There are numerous tools that have emerged in the past few years that make managing a remote workforce simple. Gartner predicts that the worldwide market for workplace collaboration tools will grow from $2.7 billion in 2018 to $4.8 billion by 2023. 

Still, face-to-face communication is required to maintain team bonds, so video conferencing has become a quintessential tool for a distributed workforce. It makes it easier to hold meetings, brainstorm sessions and simply keep up on a personal level with your colleagues.

Additionally, the inclusion of artificial intelligence can help complete menial tasks and allow workers to focus on more important projects. For example, virtual assistants can analyze an employee’s calendar and identify important tasks and meetings as they arise, as well as take notes during meetings and deliver them to attendees afterwards.