Does Remote Work Actually Work? Tips To Increase Effectiveness

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For many leaders, remote and flexible work options were seen as nothing more than a stopgap during the global pandemic. However, when their fears of decreased productivity proved largely unfounded, and when they found that technology could solve issues of security and oversight, many organizations realized they could increase worker retention, attract high-quality candidates, and improve employee well-being by offering flexible work options. 

Today, the conversation about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work continues. Some argue that it undermines culture, reduces collaboration, and creates challenges around visibility and security. Others believe remote, distributed teams can boost productivity, expand access to talent, and improve work-life balance.

Learn about where remote work stands today, three themes that shape remote work, and actions leaders can take to maximize worker well-being and productivity. 

The state of remote work

A recent Upwork Research Institute survey featuring insights from 500 U.S.-based C-suite executives found that in the next year, most leaders don’t expect to require more people to be in-office full-time. In fact, they anticipate hybrid work to increase slightly, while the share of fully remote workers is expected to remain steady at about 11%.

Additionally, data from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research shows that as of March 2025, about one-third of U.S. employees worked remotely at least once a week, and that 20% of all paid workdays in the U.S. were remote.

From a global perspective, The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report shows that 43% of employers globally expect to offer remote or hybrid options through 2030. 

As remote work continues to be the norm for many workers across organizations, leaders should rethink how they approach remote and flexible work. Rather than debating whether or not remote work should be an option, forward-thinking leaders intentionally implement practices and design systems to make remote work more engaging and effective.   

3 themes of remote work

Remote work offers many advantages, including improved team morale and increased project up-time, but success depends on more than simply allowing team members to log in from anywhere. Among the many factors that influence how distributed teams perform, three themes stand out — the visibility and alignment of work, the effect of flexibility on retention, and the impact of well-being on sustained engagement.

Each of these themes highlights common challenges and opportunities, which leaders need to address to make remote work work. 

1. Visibility and alignment

One of the biggest challenges in distributed environments isn’t the work itself, but rather ensuring contributions and outcomes are visible.

Without the cues and in-person collaboration of an office setting, workers may lose sight of what colleagues are working on or how individual efforts connect to larger strategic goals. This lack of visibility can create misalignment, misunderstanding, or the perception that work either isn’t getting done or isn’t making an impact.

For example, a product manager may deliver updates on time, but without visibility into how those updates impact customer satisfaction or business objectives, the contribution may feel isolated. Over time, this disconnect threatens to erode both engagement and accountability.

Organizations that excel in remote and hybrid models build visibility into their culture and workflows. The Upwork Research Institute’s survey of 1,500 business leaders found that 27% of organizations have developed integrated models that combine distributed work, flexible talent, and advanced technology. These companies — known as Work Innovators — go beyond offering remote options. They create systems that make distributed work sustainable, impactful, and transparent.

By equipping teams with autonomy, support, and the right tools to drive visibility – such as remote messaging, project management, and collaboration software — Work Innovators ensure that contributions aren’t simply completed, but seen and understood. This visibility helps foster accountability, spark collaboration, and connect daily tasks to bigger outcomes, which helps workers feel as though their work makes a positive impact. 

2. Flexibility 

For many workers, the ability to work remotely is no longer a perk but a baseline requirement. Flexibility plays a direct role in talent attraction and retention, especially in industries facing talent shortages or skills gaps. 

Return-to-office mandates are often framed as efforts to boost engagement and rebuild culture. But in many cases, requiring team members to return to the office can have the opposite effect — and lead to disengagement and turnover. 

A Pew Research survey of more than 5,000 employed adults found that 46% of workers in hybrid or remote roles would be unlikely to stay with their organization if required to return to the office full-time. 

An Upwork Research Institute survey found that 63% of C-suite leaders with return-to-office mandates said the shift led to a disproportionate number of women quitting. Additionally, 57% of leaders said turnover among women hurt company productivity, while 62% indicated that they faced challenges backfilling key roles.

While return-to-office mandates create more opportunities for in-person collaboration, churn and disengagement as a result of these policies have a negative impact on productivity and output. 

Instead of mandating a working location or set hours, many organizations are rethinking job design. A hybrid approach — in which employees split their time between remote and in-office work — often strikes the right balance of offering flexibility while encouraging in-person collaboration. Offering flexible work arrangements also makes workers feel more trusted and valued, which can lead to improved loyalty, engagement, and retention. 

3. Worker well-being

A third dimension of remote-work effectiveness is worker well-being. While many remote workers report higher engagement, they also face distinct challenges related to isolation and blurred boundaries.

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2025 Report found that remote employees are more likely to feel engaged. And engaged workers are more likely to remain with their current employer. The data shows that when remote workers feel both engaged and thriving, 38% said they are likely to look for new job opportunities, compared to 57% of disengaged remote workers. However, the report also found that remote workers are more likely to report stress, loneliness, or sadness than their in-office or hybrid peers.

This paradox highlights the need for balance. While remote workers may be more engaged, if organizations overlook well-being, this can lead to feelings of burnout and isolation — which can have a negative impact on productivity.

Organizations can address these challenges by:

• Setting clear expectations around availability and communication to prevent burnout
• Encouraging breaks and respecting time zones or varying work schedules 
• Offering resources for mental health and wellness
• Creating opportunities for informal connection such as virtual coffee chats, mentoring programs, or offsites where budgets allow

How to make remote work more effective 

Remote work doesn’t succeed automatically. But implementing simple, intentional practices can help address key challenges organizations face with remote, distributed teams. 

If you’re a business leader or manager, consider the following tips to increase the effectiveness of remote work: 

• Start each week with clarity. Share top priorities, focus areas, or critical decisions in a brief weekly message to your team. This helps align individual efforts with team goals.
• Acknowledge events that may impact work. A quick note recognizing current events, cultural milestones, or seasonal changes can build empathy and connection across distributed teams.
• Make work visible. Use collaboration tools to spotlight progress, celebrate wins, and surface challenges. Let workers know how their contributions add to business success and encourage individuals to recognize team members for their work. 
• Design for async and sync balance. Reserve meetings for topics that benefit from real-time discussion — such as brainstorming sessions or one-on-one performance discussions — and share routine project updates on asynchronous channels like email or direct message. This reduces meeting fatigue and supports flexibility.
• Check in regularly on well-being. Ask about workload, blockers, and stress levels during one-on-one meetings with team members. Create a safe space for workers to share and navigate challenges.
• Encourage cross-functional collaboration. Offer workers in different departments opportunities to collaborate on projects or brainstorming sessions. This can help workers feel less isolated and build relationships with team members across the organization with whom they may not otherwise interact in a remote-work setting.  

Explore remote work opportunities on Upwork 

The effectiveness of remote work depends on building systems that empower people to contribute, connect, and succeed. When organizations focus on visibility, flexibility, and well-being, they create environments where distributed teams — and businesses — can thrive.

For organizations, continuing to support remote work can help attract and retain top talent while driving innovation. And for professionals, remote work opens access to opportunities beyond geographic boundaries and provides the autonomy many workers now expect.

As you build your remote team, experienced professionals are available on Upwork to help you fill critical skills gaps and drive positive business outcomes, while reducing operational costs. Through Talent Marketplace™, access freelancers with more than 10,000 skills across a wide range of specialties, including artificial intelligence (AI), design, finance, marketing, and more.

If you’re looking for remote work opportunities, search for jobs on Upwork that align with your skills and experience. 

Create an account or log in to your existing Upwork account to get started. 

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