Part-Time Remote Work and Other Shifts in the Definition of Work

If there's one thing we've picked up in recent times, it's that we can successfully rethink big, long-standing beliefs. The meaning of work, the daily grind, and the 5-day week in the workplace? That's definitely evolving.

Embracing a break: Are new ideas about work such as improved work-life balance here to stay? (Pexels, Tetyana Kovyrina)

In the film "Up in the Air," consultant Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) travels across the US to help companies lay off employees. Initially, the employees view this as devastating, with one even contemplating suicide. However, Bingham offers a different perspective, telling them, "Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's because they sat there, that they were able to do it," opening the door to a new outlook.

The 2009 film brought a fresh take on work life. Back then, putting in extra hours was seen as a sign of dedication and a way to climb the career ladder in the typical rat race, and losing a job was a life-changing disaster.

But since then, focussing on "smart" work, cutting down on hours but still earning enough, achieving a better work-life balance, and part time remote work have proven to be beneficial for both companies and their employees. As we start to question old-school work ideas like the 5-day workweek, movements like the Anti-Work Movement and the Great Resignation have caught people's attention. Nowadays, four-day workweeks and remote or hybrid work setups are more common.

"Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now."

Four Day Week Pilots

Especially during the epidemic, when businesses and governments worldwide were scrambling to figure out what everyone was calling "a new normal," the four-day workweek pilot made its debut. This setup, where you work four days without a pay cut, was getting rave reviews. Reports from Iceland called it an "overwhelming success," while in Toronto, it was seen as "a win-win proposition" for both employers and employees, leading to "more productive and efficient businesses."

Even in Britain, where people are known for working long hours, there were reports after the 4-week trial that stress, burnout, anxiety, and insomnia all went down and that mental and physical health, as well as work-life balance, got better.

"The pandemic had created the perfect environment for business to use the lessons from the enforced change to our work habits," Charlotte Lockhart, who together with Andrew Barnes established the 4 Day Week Global initiative, told Perspective Living.

Their organisation took the opportunity of changing times to provide a framework for working smarter, not longer, and without loss of income. Said Lockhart, "it's time for a shift on behalf of a healthier planet and society," plus a "move towards the understanding we now have about workplace wellbeing."

"It's time for a shift on behalf of a healthier planet and society, and a move towards the understanding we now have about workplace wellbeing."

Part time remote work and Other Changes in the Meaning of WorkAs two people in long coats face each other in a sunlit modern courtyard between tall glass-and-concrete buildings....have we entered a new work era called Boreout?(Pexels, Cottonbro)

The Big Boreout

Because one thing is certain: before these changes started to take shape, we were far from happy at work. Back in 2013, researcher and workplace consultant Gallup already found that only 13% of all employees around the world were feeling a sense of engagement at work or that they were positively contributing to their organisations.

"Why Work? We are checked out, sleepwalking through our days, putting little energy into our work," wrote business news Quartz in 2015 in a similar vein, adding that most people simply hate their job.

Still "80% of global employees are either continuously watching the clock, or actively working against their employer’s goals," a Gallup spokesperson recently told us about findings in 2020, adding that "negative emotions (worry, stress, anger, sadness) at work have been rising since we started measuring them in 2009."

We were now no longer just talking about Burnout, but also about Boreout.

"80% of global employees are either continuously watching the clock, or actively working against their employer’s goals"

More Good Reports

In the meantime, reports kept emerging about part time remote work and in particular about the 4 day week. "From UAE To New Zealand: These Countries Have Shifted To Four-Day Work Week," the India Times reported in 2022. Moreover, employees worldwide were indicating that a four-day work week was improving their lives, with, as seperate studies had already revealed, 'reduced burnout, increased job satisfaction and improved mental and physical health.'

In 2026, Forbes even reported that a key 4-day workweek study suggests that 'when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing.'

Part Time Remote Work: Will it Work?

There are companies that say these new ways of working simply aren’t working. They talk of 'challenges with communicating remotely, barriers to mentoring, building culture and issues with self-motivation.' They argue that flexible, remote and hybrid-working patterns require too much of an overhaul in organisational structure. Or that they threaten our workplace culture where people need to meet in person.

But experts such as Forbes have labelled the 5-day-working-week an "antiquated relic from the past," and that it’s something that we should reconcider. Now experts have even started asserting it's time to return to the most basic question of all: "What is the meaning of work?" These experts now way that creative solutions can be found, and that the focus should be on the people who work for the company, and not necessarily on technology. There certainly seems to have been a shift in the way we view work.

"The 5-day-working-week an "antiquated relic from the past"

Just a Blip?

The more recent Gallup 2026 Report, State of the Global Workplace, showed that globally, the percentages of employees experiencing daily stress, anger and sadness remain above pre-pandemic levels. All in all, states the report, the 2026 edition shows that global employee engagement fell to its lowest level since 2020, costing the world economy an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity. So, have we gone back to our old ways?

One of the questions we may have, will it last, is also something experts such as Professor Barry Schwartz, ponder on. As the author of "Why do we work?" professor Schwartz said the answers to that question, is "surprising, complex, and urgent."

He also told Perspective Living: "The big question in my mind is whether the 'great resignation' is just a blip, or whether people will persist in asking more from their work than a pay cheque, no matter how generous it is. Time will tell," he also said, adding it needs dissatisfied individuals to start banding together and demanding more.

"The big question in my mind is whether the 'great resignation' is just a blip, or whether people will persist in asking more from their work than a pay cheque, no matter how generous it is. Time will tell..."

Is (Work) Life Just a Matter of Perspective?

Still, another perspective paints another picture: "Now more than ever, people are placing more importance on how and where they work,” Elliott Smith, co-founder of UK-based Love your Employees, also told Perspective Living. His company offers an online marketplace for benefits and wellbeing in the UK, and he said: "For some roles, flexible and remote working options are now expected as standard. Employees are looking to build better work-life balances without losing out financially."

To which he added: "There’s more of a focus on employee wellbeing. Employees will be seeking out companies who are prioritising their mental and physical health. This will be the key to remaining competitive in the market."

So, now that things are getting back to normal and companies are calling everyone back to the office, it's a good time to think about how our views on work have shifted over the past few years. Whether or not these changes stick around, one thing's clear: our long-held beliefs aren't always the truth—they're just perspectives. Plus, we're way more adaptable than we usually think!

"For some roles, flexible and remote working options are now expected as standard. Employees are looking to build better work-life balances without losing out financially."