Remote Work Gains Ground Despite Return-to-Office Push, Study Finds

A new study by Flatworld Solutions shows that remote work in the United States continues to gain momentum in 2025, even as some major companies reinstate return-to-office (RTO) mandates. The research, which analyzed telework trends across demographics, industries, and regions between 2022 and 2025, paints a complex picture of an evolving workforce adapting to the opportunities and challenges of distributed work.

According to the report, overall telework adoption increased from 19.9% in October 2022 to 23.6% in January 2025, an 18.6% rise. As of early 2025, 12.5% of American workers were teleworking some hours, while 11.1% worked remotely full-time. Interest in remote work has also surged among the public, with Google search interest for the term rising 134% since 2020.

“The exponential jump in remote work adoption reflects more than just a temporary shift—it signals a fundamental redefinition of workplace digital transformation,” said Israel Paul, head of human resources at Flatworld Solutions. “At Flatworld Solutions, we see technology not merely as an enabler, but as a strategic asset that fuels innovative workforce models.”

Regional and Demographic Variations

The study highlights significant disparities in telework adoption across the U.S. The District of Columbia leads with a 56.5% adoption rate, while Mississippi lags behind at just 4.7%. Other states with high remote work rates include Colorado (31.7%), Massachusetts (29.4%), and Washington (28.5%).

Age and gender also play a role in remote work trends. Workers aged 35-44 lead with a 28.1% average telework rate, while those 65 and older experienced the largest growth—54.6% among men in that age group. In contrast, the 16-19 demographic showed the lowest adoption at 2.7%.

“Distinct demographic and occupational trends in telework are reshaping how organizations plan their talent strategies,” Paul noted. “For instance, significant growth among older workers underscores the critical role of adaptable work environments powered by data-driven insights.”

Occupational and Industry Trends

Remote work remains more prevalent in certain occupations. The study shows that computer and mathematical jobs lead in telework rates at 69.9%, followed by business and financial operations (59.2%) and legal roles (52.6%). Media, arts, design, and entertainment roles also saw strong adoption at 46.5%.

In terms of industries, professional and technical services top the chart with a 56.3% adoption rate, with finance and insurance not far behind at 61.7%. The financial activities and information sectors also reported high adoption levels, at 55.4% and 49.7%, respectively.

The Rise of Global Capability Centers

The emergence of Global Capability Centers (GCCs) is highlighted as a major trend shaping remote work. These virtual and offshore hubs allow multinational firms to scale distributed teams and tap into global talent pools. Google Trends data supports this shift, with search interest in capability centers climbing from near zero in 2020 to a peak of 100 in January 2025.

“This transformation represents not just a response to immediate remote work needs but a strategic shift in how companies structure their IT and software service delivery for long-term resilience and competitive advantage,” Paul said.

Return-to-Office and Its Challenges

Despite the rise in remote work, some large corporations are pushing for full-time office returns. Amazon, AT&T, and JPMorgan have all announced five-day in-office workweeks for 2025. However, these policies are not without issues. The study found that 42% of companies enforcing RTO mandates experienced higher-than-expected employee attrition, while 29% faced recruitment challenges. About 23% of companies plan to introduce RTO policies by the end of the year, and 7% will delay implementation until 2026 or later.

Security Concerns in the Remote Era

With the expansion of remote work, job-related scams have surged. Losses due to fraudulent job postings and gamified task scams have more than tripled since 2020, reaching over $220 million in reported losses in the first half of 2024.

“With the alarming rise in job scams targeting remote workers and the pushback we’re seeing with office returns, it’s clear that protecting our workforce while maintaining productivity is a delicate balance,” Paul said. “Success in this new era isn’t just about having the right technology—it’s about understanding and supporting the people using it.”

Methodology

The study draws on datasets from BLS monthly surveys, Google Trends, and supplementary sources tracking telework patterns across regions, age groups, and occupations from 2022 to early 2025. It focuses on growth rates, regional disparities, and emerging concerns like remote work vulnerabilities and workforce resilience.

Image: Envato

This article, "Remote Work Gains Ground Despite Return-to-Office Push, Study Finds" was first published on Small Business Trends

Instacart Launches Will Call Delivery to Solve Supply Chain Disruptions for Foodservice Industry

Instacart has announced the launch of Will Call Delivery, a new solution designed to address urgent same-day supply needs for foodservice distributors and their business customers. The offering aims to mitigate common challenges such as delayed truck dispatches, warehouse fulfillment issues, and the growing expectation for rapid delivery in the hospitality and food retail sectors.

Will Call Delivery is part of Instacart Business, which launched in 2022. The new service allows distributors to provide fast, same-day “fill-in” or “hot shot” deliveries using Instacart’s network of trained shoppers. By integrating directly into distributors’ existing communication workflows, Will Call Delivery enables sales representatives to initiate orders quickly—allowing them to request a shopper to pick up items from a warehouse and deliver them directly to customers.

“For more than a decade, Instacart has built its reputation on delivering grocery orders to households nationwide in as fast as an hour,” the company stated. “With Will Call Delivery, we’re bringing that expertise to distributors and business operators in need of rapid fulfillment, offering a seamless, same-day solution for the most urgent supply needs.”

The Will Call Delivery system is a white-label application that enables reps to order via text or call, maintaining the workflow they’re accustomed to. If an item is out of stock or the customer is located far from a warehouse, distributors can also place orders from retailers on the Instacart Marketplace to fulfill the need.

Instacart emphasizes food safety as a core feature of the service. All shoppers are trained through educational modules covering food safety standards, including hygiene practices, cross-contamination prevention, and safe transportation of temperature-controlled foods.

The company has been piloting Will Call Delivery with Gordon Food Service, one of the leading foodservice distributors in the U.S. Feedback from the pilot has been positive. “Our pilot with Instacart is allowing us to test ways to advance our customer-first approach and best-in-class service. We understand that our customers are changing, and this pilot is allowing us to find ways to address their urgent and varied needs, and augment our traditional models of serving our customers. To date, we’ve gained valuable insights from this model and it’s making us think differently,” said Joe Mott, Regional General Manager of Gordon Food Service.

Chef Tucker of Blackfinn Ameripub also praised the service, saying, “It has been extremely helpful to me and my staff when needing product in a timing manner. We love the ease of having items delivered with the rush of day to day kitchen operations.”

Instacart plans to expand Will Call Delivery to additional distributor partners throughout 2025, aiming to scale the solution nationwide. According to the company, the service allows distributors to reduce operational strain and deliver better customer service, while helping end businesses—from restaurants to healthcare facilities—remain fully stocked during critical moments.

Distributors interested in integrating Will Call Delivery can reach out to Instacart at business@instacart.com for more information.

Image: Instacart

This article, "Instacart Launches Will Call Delivery to Solve Supply Chain Disruptions for Foodservice Industry" was first published on Small Business Trends

CLEAR Moves Payments and Billing to Stripe to Enhance Customer Experience

Stripe announced a new partnership with CLEAR, the identity verification platform trusted by over 30 million customers, to power its billing and payment infrastructure. As of March 24, 2025, CLEAR has officially migrated its online and in-person payments to Stripe, adopting the platform’s suite of tools including Stripe Billing, Stripe Terminal, and Stripe Radar.

CLEAR, widely recognized for its CLEAR Plus membership that uses biometrics to streamline airport identity verification, has expanded its reach into industries such as healthcare and financial services. Now, with Stripe handling its payment processing, the company aims to provide the same seamless experience for customer transactions.

“Just as CLEAR makes confirming your identity seamless and secure, Stripe is helping us make billing and payments effortless—allowing us to focus on delivering frictionless experiences for our members,” said Caryn Seidman Becker, CEO of CLEAR.

With Stripe Billing, CLEAR now manages millions of customer subscriptions through a flexible and modern billing system. The integration allows for support of digital wallets and multiple payment methods, aiming to increase convenience and improve conversion rates.

CLEAR has also introduced new offerings powered by Stripe. Through the CLEAR app, non-members can purchase a QR code for one-time expedited verification at airport security checkpoints via the new CLEAR Mobile option. Stripe also processes in-app enrollments for CLEAR Plus, further simplifying the sign-up process for new customers.

To support in-person transactions, CLEAR uses Stripe Terminal at its new facial recognition pods installed at airports in November 2024. The use of Stripe Radar helps CLEAR combat fraud and reduce false declines during checkout.

Stripe’s payment tools—such as card account updater and network tokenization—enable CLEAR to maintain consistent revenue flow, reduce churn due to credit card changes, and increase authorization rates.

With this migration, Stripe now powers all payments for CLEAR, offering a comprehensive infrastructure for one-time and recurring transactions. The partnership aims to elevate both the operational efficiency and user experience for CLEAR’s growing customer base.

Image: Stripe

This article, "CLEAR Moves Payments and Billing to Stripe to Enhance Customer Experience" was first published on Small Business Trends

How to Move Past Shame When Your Small Business Fails

A lot of small business owners feel shame when their company fails because they link who they are so much with their business. This is compounded when they lose money from people they know. What do we do with this shame?

On The Small Business Radio show this week, I interviewed Dr. Abbie Maroño who has a new book called “Work in Progress: The Road to Empowerment, The Journey Through Shame” which offers a fresh perspective on the often-overlooked role of shame in personal growth. She explains that shame is a powerful emotion tied to our sense of self. For entrepreneurs, the line between personal identity and business success is often blurred, making failures feel deeply personal. Dr. Marono distinguishes between two types of shame:

• Healthy Shame: Acts as a motivator for self-improvement and growth.
• Toxic Shame: Leads to feelings of inadequacy and a diminished sense of self-worth.

Recognizing and Addressing Shame

To navigate feelings of shame, Dr. Marono suggests the following steps:

• Acknowledge the Shame: Recognize that feeling shame is a natural response to setbacks.
• Reflect on the Source: Understand why you feel shame and whether it stems from unrealistic expectations or external pressures.
• Avoid Distractions: Resist the urge to escape these feelings through overworking or unhealthy habits.
• Reframe Negative Thoughts: Shift your perspective to see failures as learning opportunities rather than personal shortcomings.

The Impact of Social Media

Social media can exacerbate feelings of shame by presenting an unrealistic picture of success. Entrepreneurs often compare themselves to others, leading to feelings of inadequacy. Dr. Marono advises:

• Limit Social Media Use: Be mindful of the time spent on social platforms.
• Focus on Your Journey: Remember that social media highlights successes, not the struggles behind them.

Separating Identity from Business Outcomes

Entrepreneurs need to cultivate a sense of self that is independent of their business achievements. Dr. Marono recommends:

• Explore Personal Values and Interests: Engage in activities outside of work that bring joy and fulfillment.
• Build a Support Network: Seek support from mentors, friends, and professionals who can provide perspective and encouragement.

Practical Steps to Move Forward

For those feeling overwhelmed by shame, Dr. Marono suggests:

• Set a Time Limit for Grieving: Allow yourself to feel the emotions but set a time limit, such as 48 hours, to process them.
• Take Actionable Steps: Focus on practical steps to move forward, such as developing a new business plan or seeking professional advice.

Listen to the entire episode on The Small Business Radio Show.

This article, "How to Move Past Shame When Your Small Business Fails" was first published on Small Business Trends

Long Beach Launches Visual Improvement Program Grant for Businesses Affected by Vandalism

The City of Long Beach is now accepting applications for its Visual Improvement Program (VIP) Grant, a financial assistance initiative offering up to $1,500 to small businesses and nonprofits impacted by crime or vandalism occurring on or after October 1, 2022. The grant aims to help cover the cost of storefront repairs, boarding, insurance deductibles, and operating expenses.

Applications are open on a rolling basis and will remain available until all funding is exhausted. Awards will be issued as funds become accessible, and applicants will be notified if additional information is required during the review process.

The City states that a minimum of 50% of grant awards will be reserved for businesses owned by a person of color or located in low- to moderate-income areas. Outreach efforts are focused in these areas to ensure equitable distribution of funding in alignment with the Long Beach Recovery Act.

Eligible businesses may submit one application per unique incident of vandalism and may receive up to $1,500 for each occurrence. However, only one award may be issued per business in a six-month period.

To qualify, businesses must be operating within the Long Beach city limits and have a valid City of Long Beach business license. The business must be a private for-profit or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, currently open or temporarily closed due to property damage. Applicants must provide proof of vandalism and other required documentation, including a photo ID, W-9, and business license.

Additional eligibility requirements include:

• Independently owned and not publicly traded
• Fewer than 200 employees
• Less than $2 million in annual gross revenue
• Active status with the California Secretary of State (except for sole proprietors)
• A physical storefront in Long Beach
• Valid EIN, FEIN, or SSN

Home-based businesses, permanently closed businesses, and those that have already received similar grant funding for the same incident are not eligible. Other ineligible applicants include government entities, landlords, financial institutions, and businesses engaged in illegal or predatory activities.

The grant is part of Long Beach’s broader effort to support recovery and revitalization efforts for small businesses negatively affected by property crime.

For assistance with the application, business owners can contact the BizCare Hotline at 562-570-4249 or email 4Biz@longbeach.gov. Technical help is available by calling 1-855-582-3973 or emailing support@forwardplatform.zendesk.com. The application is also accessible via the FORWARD platform.

Applicants will receive an email confirmation upon successful submission of their application. While submissions cannot be edited after they are submitted, applicants needing to make corrections can contact visualimprovementprogram-support@livestories.zendesk.com.

Additional support is available in multiple languages, although the application itself must be completed in English. Tutorial videos and further information about required documents and eligibility are available through the application portal.

This article, "Long Beach Launches Visual Improvement Program Grant for Businesses Affected by Vandalism" was first published on Small Business Trends

OpenAI Unveils Image Generation Capabilities in GPT-4o

OpenAI has launched its most advanced image generation technology to date, integrating the capability directly into GPT-4o, its natively multimodal model. The new feature is now rolling out to Plus, Pro, Team, and Free users in ChatGPT, with Enterprise and Edu access coming soon. Developers will also gain access via the API in the coming weeks.

OpenAI stated, “At OpenAI, we have long believed image generation should be a primary capability of our language models. That’s why we’ve built our most advanced image generator yet into GPT-4o. The result—image generation that is not only beautiful, but useful.”

Multimodal, Context-Aware Image Creation

The image generation tool in GPT-4o is designed to produce photorealistic and highly detailed outputs with strong adherence to user prompts. Built on a training dataset comprising both images and text, the model can generate visuals that communicate information clearly, such as diagrams, infographics, or posters, while also supporting more creative and artistic outputs.

GPT-4o is capable of generating complex imagery with up to 10–20 distinct objects, accurately binding objects to their traits and relationships. It supports in-context learning, allowing it to refine images across multiple turns in a conversation. For example, a user designing a video game character can iterate on their design while maintaining visual coherence throughout the process.

Precision and Practicality in Visual Communication

GPT-4o image generation excels at rendering text in images, enabling users to generate visual outputs that combine language and design with high precision. According to OpenAI, “From the first cave paintings to modern infographics, humans have used visual imagery to communicate, persuade, and analyze—not just to decorate.”

In addition to its ability to render symbols and structured data, GPT-4o can incorporate uploaded images into its generation process, using them for visual inspiration or transformation. This allows users to build upon existing content or maintain stylistic consistency across projects.

Limitations and Safety Protocols

OpenAI acknowledges that GPT-4o image generation is not without limitations. These include occasional cropping issues, hallucinated content in low-context prompts, challenges with precise edits, and difficulty rendering dense information or multilingual text. The company is actively working to improve these areas.

Safety remains a critical focus. OpenAI embeds C2PA metadata into generated images for provenance and uses internal tools to verify content origin. Requests that violate content policies, including those involving real people, nudity, or violence, are blocked by default. A reasoning LLM trained on safety specifications assists in moderating both input and output against policies.

“As with any launch, safety is never finished and is rather an ongoing area of investment,” the company noted.

User Access and Developer Integration

GPT-4o’s image generation will be the default for ChatGPT users starting today, replacing previous options. For those who prefer DALL·E, it remains accessible via a dedicated GPT.

Users can describe image specifications using natural language, including aspect ratios, hex color codes, and background transparency. Because the model produces more detailed outputs, images may take up to one minute to render.

Image: OpenAI

This article, "OpenAI Unveils Image Generation Capabilities in GPT-4o" was first published on Small Business Trends

How Small Businesses Can Manage Projects Intelligently for Sustained Growth

As small businesses grow their size, project management becomes an increasingly important part of the process. It’s easy to deviate from a standard process when there’s only one employee, or a small handful, but trying to herd a team of dozens or hundreds is impossible without tools to guide them along the same path.

Good news: While product management software may seem like the domain of enterprise organizations, small businesses stand to benefit substantially from this offering.

Use cases abound, starting with setting up a small business itself. New owners can leverage the software to track and comply with legal requirements, maintain visibility into tax preparation, and monitor marketing efforts. Freelancers and independent contractors benefit from the ability to manage personal deliverables and follow up on payments while simultaneously establishing a process for new work. And, as new employees become onboarded, a centralized knowledge-sharing database points them in the right direction.

Here are a few ways small businesses can level up how they implement project management solutions, including the technology that can support these efforts:

Centralized Ideation

Without communication, businesses simply cannot grow. It’s essential that all employees remain on the same page to reduce the chances of doubling up on work or misquoting a price to a potential customer.

Still, those early days are special because your employees are unfiltered and perhaps bolder and more willing to take risks. you’ll want to keep everything for posterity.

Even if a company employs only a few employees, it must establish a space, accessible to everyone, where team members can brainstorm and share ideas. A shared document works, for a time, but even better results come from a more formalized online project forum. This format helps keep ideas from becoming muddled with one another and enables commenting on each part of an idea. Using a forum also ensures employees can’t accidentally delete text that someone else had written, and an archived forum can serve as a place to peruse old ideas for the purposes of inspiring new ones.

Small businesses need to also consider how knowledge is going to be shared within their organization, particularly around onboarding. As the number of employees grows, so, too, will the level of difficulty in disseminating information from the top down, facilitating communication bottlenecks.

Project management software often includes the ability to create a Wiki where this essential information can live. By centralizing this information, companies can send articles to clients, as well, to help with onboarding or troubleshooting, reducing the number of resources required for customer service. The presence of a Wiki can also send a strong message to new employees that a company is listening—that everyone’s input is important and can lead to lasting change.

Robust R&D Tracking

In a time when much data has become democratized, a robust focus on R&D is essential for any growing business that wants to maintain a competitive edge over its competitors. However, this process can feel especially nebulous for newer businesses who don’t employ a full-time R&D department and rely on its staff to innovate when operations are slow—which they rarely are.

Robust R&D begins with an accurate understanding of how a business operates. For that, project management software may help accumulate the necessary data. Employees can start utilizing timesheets to determine where they spend the majority of their time and how some of that can be cordoned off for R&D efforts or reorganized to remove road blocks. In fact, some project management software packages come equipped with AI assistants that can assist with tracking and consolidating data, easing the burden on employees.

Then, once enough information has been gathered, small businesses can begin setting milestones to break down R&D activities into manageable, bite-sized chunks to be assigned to the appropriate employees. It’s important these tasks include deadlines and deliverables, as well as ensuring they fit within a larger framework of how the company is hoping to evolve. By establishing limitations and accountability, employees will feel like they’re part of the process and will feel empowered to speak up when they encounter issues. For the sake of producing a high-quality product, it’s important for small businesses to maintain a spot where employees can log these issues, saving time tracking them down when teams are ready to perform triage.

Production Processes

It’s understandable if small businesses accumulate numerous ideas for growth without follow-through. Time is of the essence, and putting out fires will always take precedence over operating in the theoretical.

Gantt Charts, available within project management software, can help. These tools help visualize production timelines so managers can track progress and adjust schedules as new information crops up so as not to derail or delay delivery.

Once these charts are in place, managers can also receive visibility into resource use to make better use of available team members. For small businesses, this piece of the puzzle is essential; every minute counts when trying to maximize employees’ time.

The above processes are meaningless if no one can monitor their success, which is where analytics play a huge part. Production metrics can be fed into an analytics program and measured against past performance and previously stated goals, keeping everyone on target and allowing stakeholders to operate knowing a project’s entire context. This guides improvements and establishes a precedent for data-driven decision-making that hopefully carries on throughout a company’s lifetime. Once again, software in modern product management suites folds many of these functions into a single package, unified within a company’s existing infrastructure, to keep the train running on time.

Technology Toolkit

Small businesses need to realize they’re not on their own. Owners aren’t the first to launch a company, and they certainly won’t be the last. It’s important to learn from those that came before and establish a foundation for what’s to come, and technology can aid with this effort. The last year has seen an explosion in software capabilities and a general increase in affordability and access across the board. The most successful small businesses are the ones taking full advantage of what’s on offer by managing the most important project: growing their company.

This article, "How Small Businesses Can Manage Projects Intelligently for Sustained Growth" was first published on Small Business Trends