workwhere

Workwhere is a term used to describe the practice or philosophy of choosing the location where work is performed, rather than being tied to a fixed office or employer location. It encompasses remote work, hybrid models, and distributed teams, enabled by digital tools and flexible policies.

The concept has gained prominence with advances in collaboration software, cloud services, and policies that support location independence. It is used in discussions about remote-first organizations and digital policy, and is sometimes treated as a synonym or complement to "remote work" or "work from anywhere."

Implementation considerations include corporate policy design, data security, tax and employment law implications, time-zone management, and access to reliable internet and workspace options. Some employers offer stipends for home offices or coworking memberships as part of a workwhere program.

Benefits include increased flexibility, potential for broader talent pools, reduced commuting, and potential cost savings for employees.

Critiques focus on coordination challenges, potential early-career disadvantages, inequality in access to suitable workspaces, and concerns about organizational culture and supervision.

Related terms and variants include remote work, distributed work, remote-first, coworking, and digital nomadism. Examples of organizations with remote-first or distributed models include Basecamp, GitLab, and Automattic.

Etymology and usage: The term is a neologism used in policy discussions, academic articles, and media about work flexibility; it does not have a single formal definition.