Top countries for remote working revealed: What are they doing right?

A recent study has outlined the top countries for working remotely. With traditional ways of working being turned on their head in recent years, the importance of remote-friendly work environments is as important as ever.

A variety of themes determined which countries made the cut. The research conducted by NordLayer ranked countries based on four key factors:

1. Cyber safety: Infrastructure, response capacity, and legal measures.
2. Economic safety: Tourism attractiveness, English language proficiency, cost of living, and healthcare.
3. Digital and physical infrastructure: Internet quality and affordability, e-infrastructure, e-government, and physical infrastructure.
4. Social safety: Personal rights, inclusiveness, and safety.

NordLayer analysed 108 countries. Of those evaluated, the top 10 for remote working were revealed to be:

1. Denmark
2. The Netherlands
3. Germany
4. Spain
5. Sweden
6. Portugal
7. Estonia
8. Lithuania
9. Ireland
10. Slovakia

Organisations must recognise that remote and hybrid working models are here to stay, said NordLayer managing director Donatas Tamelis.

“Even though some of the big tech companies recently brought their employees back to the office or introduced a hybrid work model, remote work is here to stay,” he commented.

“It’s not just a trend – it is a fundamental shift in how we approach productivity and work/life balance. Embracing remote work empowers our teams to harness their full potential, regardless of geographical boundaries.”

So, where does Australia fit in with these results? According to NordLayer, Australia leads the charge in Oceania. We’re propelled by our attractive tourism (ranked third), English proficiency (ranked first), and effective e-government system (ranked 7).

However, Australia sits down at number 25 worldwide for remote working. While the nation performs well in the areas listed, there are others that drag us down.

Australia’s cyber safety dimension ranks 35. While infrastructure is ranked at seven and response capacity nine, our legal measures are ranked at 20, highlighting room for improvement.

Even more concerning is the cost-of-living score, where we rank nearly at the bottom at 92. Meanwhile, the social safety dimension is at 24, and personal safety is at 53, showing there is more that can be done in this area.

An important consideration for organisations promoting hybrid and remote working is cyber security. Effective cyber safety propelled nations forward for attractive remote working, while those with poor safety found themselves lower down.

Mr Tamelis outlined the importance of cyber security for the modern workplace: “In the age of remote work, cyber security is not just an option. It’s a critical necessity to safeguard our data and protect our organisation from evolving cyber threats. Working remotely opens up new opportunities, but it also exposes us to potential security risks. Cyber security vigilance is our first line of defense.”

To assist in keeping businesses safe, Mr Tamelis listed some key considerations for anyone who is engaging in remote and hybrid working:

• Always use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN encrypts your internet connection and helps protect your personal information from prying eyes. It is especially crucial when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks.
• Ensure that all your devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops, have the latest software updates installed. These updates often include security patches that can help protect against known vulnerabilities.
• Be cautious with public Wi-Fi and avoid accessing sensitive information such as online banking or entering passwords on public Wi-Fi networks unless you are using a VPN. Hackers can easily intercept data on unsecured networks.
• Enable two-factor authentication whenever possible for your email accounts, social media profiles, and other online services you use while travelling. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification during login.
• Use strong and unique passwords. Create strong passwords for each of your online accounts and avoid using the same password across multiple platforms. Consider using a password manager to securely store and generate complex passwords.