What is distributed work?

Distributed work

Distributed work refers to a way of working in which companies have one or more employees who work in different physical locations. This work model may comprise:

  • on-site teams at one or more office locations
  • remote employees who work from home, coworking spaces, or are traveling
  • digital nomads

What’s the difference between “distributed” and “remote” work?

​​The term “distributed” is commonly confused with the term “remote”. Although a companies employees and contractors can work together in both a distributed and remote manner at the same time, “distributed” tends to convey the way organizations are structured.

Remote work is purely procedural (working somewhere outside the office), whereas distributed work requires a new way of thinking about how companies are collaborating and working together.

Example of distributed work

Oyster is the perfect example of a distributed workforce. With no central office, all Oyster’s employees work remotely in locations around the world.

Disclaimer: This article and all information in it is provided for general informational purposes only. It does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal or tax advice. You should consult with a qualified legal or tax professional for advice regarding any legal or tax matter and prior to acting (or refraining from acting) on the basis of any information provided on this website.

About Oyster

Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, hire, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.

Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.