The employment trends: How the job market has changed
Virtual employees: The time when your nine to five presence in the office was necessary has long gone. Nowadays, as long as you share the same principles with your colleagues — and have Skype — you don't have to also share premises. Technologies like Slack that organise remote teams and give the support tools for their management, are nourishing digital offices. At the same time, employers can't but see an opportunity in this reformed way of doing business — in-office staff requires space, and space costs money to maintain. If employees can perform well from their home, cafés, coworking spaces, or even the beach, why not?
Startups: Tech, healthcare, food, dating, or e-commerce — startups from India to Europe and from America to China are booming. Startups' operation is planned on a whole new scheme that values independent, innovative thinking over crowded meetings and hours of brainstorming — often blamed to make participants focus on very limited amount of information or on other's ideas and opinions. But don't get us (and Apple) wrong — as Google believes, “some of the best ideas come from chance conversations at the watercooler”. However, if you join a startup there are more chances your location and working hours will be flexible.
Online learning: Millennials are curious, don't miss learning opportunities, and tend to transform experiences into valuable knowledge. Again, telecommunications is on their side, and online learning platforms, such as Coursera and edX are giving access to first class education for everyone regardless of their location. Learners can follow the courses at their own pace, have real time discussions from anywhere in the world, as long as their device is online.
Boomerang employees: Maybe 20 years ago it wasn't common for an employee to leave a company and return to it in the future either as a remote or in-office staff. But nowadays it's not unusual for employees to quit a job in order to add new skills on their CV, grab a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or follow their partner abroad, and come back a few years later. Employers don't make a fuss over this because it's more beneficial than harmful to have employees who already know their whereabouts, and have been trained to meet the company's standards.
Expat millennials: A generation of sophisticated expats
Simple living: Without a doubt, a flexible job that doesn't require your presence in the office from nine till five is giving you the privilege to organise and achieve your expatriation objective. As long as the tasks are delivered to the highest standards, your boss won't question your lifestyle abroad, and the time zone you are in. So, take control of your expatriation dreams, and add into your life the balance between managing an exciting life abroad — spread leisure throughout the day, learn a new language, interact with the local community — and succeeding in your career.
Buildings are only temporary: Working remotely or being your own boss while doing what you love unleashes the potential of becoming an expat. While accommodation is an important part of the moving process to another country, millennials tend to approach the matter in a relaxed way. Housing is less permanent, and investment in homeware isn't worth it. Expat millennials live in pre-furnished spaces, often shared with other expats, and life is happening a lot outside of the house. Millennials don't share with their parents the same passion for real estate — to build a house that can pass from one generation to the other. Instead, they value more the experiences and adventures that money can buy.
Leave the car at home: There have been many studies over time that target the bad impact that everyday driving to work has on commuters. Psychologists have published data that show employees who drive to work are unhappy, sleep less, exercise less, are more likely to get divorced, and are less involved in politics. But when there's no office to go to, and no specific time of the day — known as rush hour — to arrive and leave at, you can avoid all of the commuter's side effects. On the other hand, the good news is that working from home will raise your productivity and endorphin levels.
Remote work isn't a fashion — it has come to stay, as employers observe that it doesn't only make employees happier, but also more effective. The new way of work, alongside the progress in telecommunications have sparked mobility from one country to another among young people. But before you become a virtual employee and jump on the next flight to a foreign destination, assess your strengths and weakness — are you self-motivated, flexible, disciplined?
Do you work remotely or from an office? Do you think remote work is the answer to better working conditions? Is it more likely to become an expat, if you work remotely?
