The Collapse Of The Office Building

^It feels like a decade’s worth of workplace changes have happened in 2020. With the sudden switch to remote work, many companies found themselves struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy. But those on our inaugural Forbes Careers Awards list not only pivoted but capitalized on the new future of work.

Best Product: Zoom 

It’s the tool that has made many a productive staff meeting and painful team happy hour possible in 2020. Whether employees like it or not, Zoom now powers workplaces across the globe, and minted a new billionaire in the process.

Most Intriguing Newcomer: Deel

Deel’s software helps companies quickly hire and manage multinational remote teams handling things like cross-border contracts and payrolls. Cofounded in 2018 by Shuo Wang and Alex Bouaziz (who appeared on our Under 30 finance list for 2021), Deel saw its valuation more than triple in four months. The San Francisco-based startup boasts more than 1,000 customers.

Disruptive Innovator: Rippling

This intriguing human-resources-tech startup comes from the founder of Zenefits, the HR software startup that became a cautionary tale of hypergrowth. One of the latest tech unicorns, Rippling not only automates payroll but also automatically manages allocating software tools, apps and work groups to new employees.

Outstanding Firm: Jobcase

Jobcase, a.k.a. the LinkedIn for blue-collar and service workers, found its moment to shine. With the pandemic shuttering many workplaces—and eliminating traditional ways of looking for service industry jobs, like asking to see the manager during off-hours—Jobcase’s digital networking service blossomed. In July, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company received $30 million in additional funding from investors such as Workday Ventures.

Annus Horribilis: The Office High-Rise

With superspreader features like 40-floor elevators, cubicle mazes and poorly ventilated conference rooms, the traditional office tower has had a very bad year. Manhattan may never recover: The office vacancy rate there is the highest it’s been in 16 years, according to real estate brokerage firm Colliers International.

Forbes Forecast: The 3-2-2 Switch

Forbes Careers Awards judge Sara Sutton predicts companies will switch to a hybrid work model in 2021—and she’s not the only one. For many workers, the 9-to-5 will become a 3-2-2, in which workers will spend three days in office, two days remote and two days off.

_{And drumroll, please …}

The Forbes Person Of The Year In Careers: Hayden Brown, CEO of Upwork

Since Brown took over in January as the first female CEO of the 22-year-old freelance marketplace, Upwork’s stock has soared—up 225% year-to-date. Today, more than five million companies pay Upwork a monthly fee to post freelancer jobs, and this year, the number of freelancers looking for work on the site is up more than 50%. 

We selected the Forbes Careers Awards in consultation with Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs or, as she’s better known, the “Queen of Remote Work.”