Remote Work Infrastructure & Management Gaps

Definition

Telework participation in administrative roles declined from 32% (2020) to 27% (2024), suggesting either a return-to-office mandate (creating hiring/retention friction) or challenges managing distributed teams effectively. For SMB admin services, remote-first staffing could expand labor market access geographically, but lack of proper infrastructure, security, collaboration tools, and management practices prevents this. Firms struggle with data security for remote workers handling sensitive client information, time tracking/productivity verification, collaboration efficiency, and client perception ('offshore = lower quality'). This creates a constraint: firms cannot tap into underutilized labor markets (rural, secondary cities) because they lack infrastructure confidence, forcing reliance on expensive urban labor markets.

Why This Matters

Remote work management platforms, cybersecurity for distributed teams, collaboration software, HR tech for hybrid management, training on distributed team leadership

Affected Stakeholders

Owner/CEO, Operations Manager / Service Delivery Lead

Related Business Risks