The way we work has undergone a significant shift over the past year, with the majority of the workforce transitioning to home working almost overnight. Even as we start to transition out of lockdown, in one form or another, remote working is here to stay. How businesses and individuals adapt to this change, and what models of working they choose to follow, will shape future working life.

At Dropbox, creating an equitable employee experience regardless of role and location was of utmost importance. We believe that Virtual First offers something different from the “hybrid-remote” models many companies are announcing, which is one where employees choose whether or not to work out of the office.

Employees have been calling for greater flexibility in how and where they work for years, and it’s these evolving demands that will characterise the world of work next year. It is imperative that businesses focus on the mental wellbeing of their employees during this time and find a solution that offers greater agility; as well as equipping them with the tools for closer collaboration.

Distributed working is a very fine balance, and it can be hard for businesses to get right. It is vital that when considering what model to use, businesses talk to their employees to see what they want and need to move beyond the pandemic together into a new world of work.