Summary: Remote work isn’t going away anytime soon, but its nature is evolving, making the management of remote teams more challenging without the right tools.
Although many expected remote work to fade once the pandemic ended, its impact on the labor market remains profound. In 2025, remote work was a standard practice for 48% of the global workforce—a figure more than double that of 2020 (20%).
The question now is: What lies ahead in 2026? Will remote work continue to expand, reach a plateau, or begin to recede? How will it change alongside new corporate frameworks, regulations, and evolving employee expectations? In this article, we’ll analyze the latest remote work trends and discuss the potential transformations they could bring in the months ahead.
Everyone knows that remote work surged during COVID-19, but it would be a mistake to think it was uncommon before 2020. After all, freelancers have been working online since the early days of the internet.
But even earlier, in the 1970s, Jack Nilles, a former NASA engineer and physicist, introduced the term “telecommuting.” He used it to describe the potential for employees to perform professional duties from home using telecommunications technology.
As technology has advanced over the decades, the concept has evolved with it. Faster and more stable internet, sophisticated communication software, and cloud computing have all reduced the need to be physically on-site. The widespread availability of laptops and smartphones has further enabled professionals to work from virtually any location. And so, by the 2020s, most white-collar workers were able to perform their jobs effectively without leaving their homes.
Does that mean people will continue working remotely in the future? That will depend on the directions businesses and policies take, as well as how employee expectations evolve in 2026 and beyond.
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While remote work is gaining ground among many organizations, the very nature of working outside the office is changing. This shift is influenced by everything from how companies evaluate productivity to the growing number of cyber threats. Taking all this into account, we’ve identified eight trends that are likely to shape online collaboration in 2026.
While the “remote vs. on-premises” debate has been ongoing for years, by 2026, it looks like a balance between the two has been reached.
Reports from 2025 show that about 75% of companies now use a hybrid approach, most often following the “3‑2” model (three days in, two days out) to maintain a predictable “collaborative core” during the work week. This setup mixes the spontaneous energy of the office with the focus-friendly vibe of working from home.
Smaller startups still often go “remote-first,” using remote work as a benefit to attract top talent. Many of these startups also leverage fully distributed teams to tap into global expertise and reduce overhead costs.
Despite the rise of the hybrid work model, some companies are moving in the opposite direction, eliminating remote work entirely in certain cases. As a result, a return to secure office environments is often mandatory for teams handling highly sensitive data or complex physical hardware.
This isn’t about micromanagement—it’s about reducing risk and protecting critical company assets. When a single data leak or operational mistake can cost millions, maintaining a controlled office setting remains the most effective strategy.
By 2026, AI has moved far beyond simple chat interfaces. Agentic AI systems are now actively managing workloads, while remote workers rely on these platforms to cut through digital friction and boost productivity.
This shift has made AI a core part of how companies operate, and the trend is accelerating. Deloitte reports that by 2027, half of the companies using generative AI will deploy agentic applications capable of managing complex tasks with minimal human supervision. This marks the beginning of a new era of hybrid human-AI teams.
However, this progress also introduces new cybersecurity challenges. As more sensitive data flows through an increasing number of AI platforms, the potential risks grow significantly. Without proper supervision and safeguards—especially in remote settings where shadow IT can thrive—organizations could face data leaks, regulatory fines, and operational disruptions.
AI is just one reason cybersecurity is frequently mentioned in discussions about remote work. With today’s remote-access tools, the “perimeter” of the corporate network now extends to every home Wi-Fi and coffee shop hotspot. In other words, employees can connect to company systems from virtually anywhere. This is a huge boost for productivity, but it also introduces new risks.
According to sources like IBM, 70% of successful data breaches start at endpoint devices like laptops, desktops, and mobile phones. Because of this, companies are increasingly focused on securing remote devices. This is not done to limit flexibility, but to ensure remote workers can safely connect to corporate networks.
With remote and hybrid work on the rise, more people are using personal devices for work. In fact, a report by Zippia found that 75% of employees use their own mobile phones for work-related tasks. To keep data safe and stay compliant with regulations, companies are tightening their BYOD policies.
This doesn’t mean they want to ban personal devices; it simply means they are standardizing software, enforcing encryption, and monitoring access to sensitive systems. The goal is to prevent accidental data leaks while still letting people work in the way that suits them best.
Beyond working from home, more companies are allowing employees to work from different cities, countries, or even continents. This shift is enabled by improved digital collaboration tools, more robust cybersecurity measures, and flexible legal frameworks around tax and labor regulations. Work-from-anywhere policies not only attract top talent globally but also help retain employees who value lifestyle flexibility without compromising productivity.
Remote work, even in a hybrid form, appears to have a highly positive impact on employee well-being. Gallup research shows that 76% of hybrid workers and 85% of fully remote employees in the U.S. cite improved work-life balance as one of the biggest benefits of working remotely.
As a result, we can expect company culture to evolve further in 2026, with more organizations prioritizing the well-being of remote employees. This will go beyond traditional perks like flexible schedules and mental health days, extending to comprehensive wellness programs that address physical health, stress management, and mindfulness training.
Additionally, companies are likely to invest in digital tools and other resources that support remote work while encouraging work-life balance. These include ergonomic home office setups, virtual mental health services, and software designed to prompt regular breaks and prevent overwork.
To accommodate global teams and different time zones, asynchronous work is becoming the norm. Rather than requiring all team members to be online simultaneously, companies are leveraging project management tools, shared documentation, and structured communication channels to keep everyone on the same page.
This approach reduces meeting overload, gives employees more focused work time, and empowers teams to operate efficiently regardless of location. In 2026, asynchronous practices are expected to be a key component of any remote-first or hybrid organization.
With more people working remotely than ever before, it doesn’t look like this model is going to be phased out anytime soon—at least that’s how employees feel about it. Yomly’s research reveals that 98% of professionals want to work remotely at least in some capacity for the rest of their careers.
Even more striking, almost 60% say they’d consider quitting their job and finding a new one if remote work were taken away from them. This shows that remote work isn’t a small perk—it’s something people expect and value. Candidates are also showing a stronger preference for remote job postings.
For companies, it’s a clear signal that offering flexible work arrangements can make a real difference. Studies show that it may help reduce employee turnover by up to 25%.
Moving to remote and hybrid work models can actually give businesses a real competitive edge. Companies that have embraced these setups often see big wins in three key areas: productivity, talent, and costs. Here’s what stands out most:
Hybrid and remote work models promise greater flexibility and higher productivity, but only when implemented correctly. In other words, introducing them isn’t always straightforward, and companies can quickly encounter challenges they can’t afford to ignore. From security issues to teams feeling out of sync, here are the main hurdles that come with letting employees work from anywhere.
Keeping a dispersed team fully aligned requires well-defined workflows and effective collaboration tools. Without them, remote workers can feel disconnected, projects can stall, and misunderstandings can pile up. Leaders need to adopt strategies to maintain productivity, track progress, and foster a sense of belonging—even when team members are scattered across different time zones.
Regular check-ins, clear processes, and shared goals help everyone move in the same direction.
Remote workers often access company data from a variety of devices and locations, which can make achieving compliance with regulatory requirements difficult. Nevertheless, organizations must ensure that policies and regulations are followed to avoid legal or financial consequences.
That means putting processes and fail-safe mechanisms in place to ensure remote workers can access sensitive data securely. To do this, companies can introduce clear guidelines and routine training to help employees stay aware of compliance standards. They should also implement robust monitoring to catch unintentional mistakes before they lead to significant problems.
Every device and connection outside the office introduces potential risks, making remote workers a crucial part of overall organization’s security. Strong access controls, encrypted communication, and regular training are essential to prevent breaches. Cybersecurity isn’t just about technology—it’s about building a culture where every remote worker understands their role in keeping company data safe.
Hybrid setups create additional security challenges as employees move between the office and remote locations, which increases the ways systems and data can be exposed. How does this happen?
For example, while in the office, someone might connect to the corporate network using a personal device, not realizing it is infected with malware that can spread through company systems. Outside the office, that same person could connect their work computer to public Wi-Fi or a poorly secured home network, greatly increasing the risk of a data breach. In other words, the same employee can create different security risks depending on where they are working from.
While these are just a few possible scenarios, they highlight why protective measures must be as flexible as the workforce itself. To manage these risks, organizations should adopt a layered approach that combines regular audits, clear policies, and strong cybersecurity tools to safeguard data wherever employees work.
Your company doesn’t have to take on additional risk by adopting a remote or hybrid work model—provided you have the right cybersecurity tools in place. NordLayer offers a scalable solution that ensures secure remote access for all your teams. Following the principles of Zero Trust, it encrypts network connections and verifies users and device posture before granting access, ensuring that only authorized individuals on compliant devices can access your company’s resources.
With features like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and Device Posture Security (DPS), NordLayer provides strengthened protection while giving IT teams clear visibility into network connections and devices. It also helps enforce strong BYOD policies and support compliance efforts, all without disrupting employees’ workflows. As a result, you can confidently include remote and hybrid employees in your workforce while maintaining a resilient security posture for your company.
Maciej Sikora
Senior Copywriter
A man on a mission to engage audiences with creative wordplay, Maciej knows every complex idea can be broken down into simple words—and that’s his driving force. When he’s not writing, you’ll find him making music, taking a walk with his dog, or watching yet another movie.
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