The COVID-19 crisis has changed the face of work in 2020. Unemployment has never been higher, essential workers are finally being recognized for their contribution to keeping the world running (although still not the compensation they deserve) and those not essential or furloughed are working from home.
Working from home has companies like Shopify, Twitter and Square allowing workers to continue to work remotely, even after the pandemic is no longer an issue and many companies are joining them as they’ve found productivity has actually INCREASED. A recent MarketWatch article discusses how a number of tech CEOs are predicting many employees will never come back to the office.
Not only is working from home gaining advocates, but is expanding into a “Work from Anywhere” policy according to Techcrunch.
Flexibility means adapting our schedules and our locations for the kinds of knowledge work we are trying to do. Some days are all meetings as we try to coordinate a number of projects. Some days we need to shut out the world and just dive down into writing our novels, or developing a new algorithm, or putting together that big presentation for the all-hands meeting next week. Some days we need a mix of both. Some days we need the comfort of home, while other days we need the comfort of colleagues.
If you can work from anywhere, what does that mean for compensation? Will remote workers in areas with a lower cost of living earn less than those in higher priced areas? This post by Fast Company delves into the pros and cons.
Not every worker has the luxury of working from home. “Essential workers” might been exempt from stay-at-home orders, but they aren’t immune from COVID-19 so the very act of earning a paycheck for housing, food and other necessities can be dangerous as this article by Vox suggests.
GO Banking Rates lists various essential jobs by state that pay better than the national average. Unsurprisingly, there are a number of states where no essential workers are paid more than the national average.
If you’re furloughed or an essential worker who’d prefer to be working from home, FlexJobs has a list of 30 companies that are hiring for part-time remote work and The Way to Wealth also has a round-up of 33 well-paying online jobs. If you’re looking for something more flexible, The Savvy Couple has a list of side hustles to make ends meet. And if you need an immediate boost in earnings, checking out these tips on how to make 70 dollars fast.