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Kazakhstan has taken a significant step towards a digital future، legally permitting employees to receive full salaries without physically attending an office. However، this long-awaited flexibility has not led to a mass exodus from traditional workplaces. Instead، many workers still opt for the familiar routine of commuting، filling streets، buses، and business centers.

This phenomenon raises questions: is it a conscious disregard for digital opportunities، or a deep-seated psychological attachment to the traditional work atmosphere؟ The answer likely lies in the conflict between personal comfort and the realities of professional life.

The Architect's Experience: Open Office Challenges

The story of architect Gaziz Ospanuly offers a clear illustration of how the labor market is evolving. Gaziz transitioned to remote work in 2020. Initially working from a small home office، his firm was later acquired by a large construction holding. Following the merger، several companies consolidated into an open-space office، a format symbolizing corporate democracy but demanding adherence to its own rules. Private offices vanished، replaced by a layout with no locked doors، only individual safes for confidential documents.

All employees، from junior specialists to managers، shared a single hall، separated only by partitions and furniture. The "open space" concept is often promoted as a tool to foster team spirit، encourage direct communication، and optimize office rental costs.

For creative professionals who value personal space، the modern "open office" model can be a significant challenge. Gaziz Ospanuly recalls his open-space experience without nostalgia. "I've felt uncomfortable in crowded places since childhood. Daily difficulties in the office were constant: the perpetually empty coffee machine، the disappearance of lunches from the shared refrigerator. But the main problem was the atmosphere. The air conditioning struggled in the heat، leaving the room heavy and stuffy. In winter، trying to open a window for fresh air meant a colleague nearby would freeze and immediately close it. I ended up feeling sticky and suffocating،" he shared. "The constant noise from conversations and office equipment led to rapid fatigue and a heavy feeling in my head. By evening، I returned home completely drained."

Home Office: The Art of Diplomacy and Iron Discipline

Transitioning to remote work is far from lounging on a couch with tea. It presents a major test of internal discipline and the ability to prioritize tasks.

The price of professional freedom turned out to be significant personal responsibility. Experts suggest that those unable to manage their own schedules may struggle to effectively represent a company's interests.

Confined within his home، Gaziz faced an unexpected challenge: the need to negotiate a "meeting table" with his own family. "Without strict self-control، remote work quickly deteriorates،" the architect insists. "Initially، my wife tried to assign me all household chores: grocery shopping، taking children to school and kindergarten. Her argument was simple: 'You're home anyway!' I had to have an important conversation with her، explain the specifics of my work process، and fairly divide household duties."

Establishing clear boundaries yielded results. Freed from office noise، Gaziz discovered a significant personal resource: his productivity soared، enabling him to successfully collaborate with three organizations simultaneously. Achieving financial independence and a high work pace، he rented a private office in the city، finally securing the personal workspace he desired—a sanctuary of peace and comfort.

The Future of Work: Offices for Socialization Only؟

Reflecting on the future of the labor market، Gaziz Ospanuly believes the era of massive "human habitats" like business centers is fading. He predicts that traditional offices will primarily attract those who prioritize socialization، the need for connection، and spending time with a team above all else. For others، it will be a time of choosing personal efficiency and consciously selecting their work environment.

Technical Hurdles and the "Avatar" Trap

While social media is filled with images of people working on laptops by the sea، harsh realities impose limitations. For many in Kazakhstan، remote work is hindered not only by personal preferences but also by significant technical and financial obligations.

Graphic designer Sergey highlights this as a primary barrier to widespread remote work adoption. "I would gladly switch to remote work—perhaps find a job in Bali and live as I wish. But the HR department immediately set a condition: all expenses would fall on me. My job requires a powerful computer with a robust graphics card and processor، plus a monitor with accurate color reproduction، like an IPS matrix. Add to that licensed software، paid subscriptions، and constant updates: at least Adobe Photoshop، Adobe Illustrator، Adobe InDesign، and CorelDRAW. This includes resource libraries—fonts، icons، mockups، cloud services، sketchbooks، etc. The office provides all of this، but when working remotely، even the cost of office equipment falls on you،" Sergey explains.

Communication Gaps and "Invisibility"

Technology is just the tip of the iceberg. Experts consider information isolation even more perilous. Communication issues arise during remote work: discussing tasks becomes difficult، misunderstandings with colleagues increase، and "selling" ideas to management suffers.

By spending time outside the office، some individuals lose focus، feel detached from their team، and disconnected from corporate culture. A team doesn't always share full details of direct discussions، brainstorming sessions، or events in group chats، leaving individuals out of the direct flow of work life.

Another challenge is the reduced visibility to employers. Remote employees are noticed less frequently، making career advancement more difficult and fostering a sense of gradual exclusion. The lack of direct interaction affects even simple things—remembering new colleagues becomes harder، as they turn into mere "avatars" on a phone screen.

Interestingly، remote workers often face a higher workload than their office-based counterparts. They are frequently assigned individual tasks، and their income—salary، bonuses، KPIs—is directly tied to the completeness and quality of their execution، compelling them to work excessively. This can lead to workdays stretching late into the night، blurring the lines between work and rest، and creating a constant feeling of being on duty.

In contrast، in an office setting، responsibility for tasks and joint projects is often distributed collectively، shifting from one employee to another. Moreover، maintaining clear boundaries is easier: the workday ends، and one can leave at six without taking work home. A pattern emerges: in pursuit of freedom، people move to remote work، but over time، facing psychological and organizational difficulties، they return.

The remote work format is not a simplified version of work؛ it is a fundamentally different model. It demands high self-management، internal stability، and developed self-organization skills.

Remote Work Without Illusions: Legal Aspects

According to the updated Article 138 of the Labor Code، remote work can be established either at the conclusion of an employment contract or through amendments and additions during its term. The Ministry of Labor announced this.

"The Code does not limit the scope of remote work within a single team. Therefore، it can be applied to any category of employees by agreement of the parties. In practice، the remote work regime is often used for employees combining work with childcare، those temporarily disabled، or residing in remote areas،" the ministry explained.

The ministry also noted that work schedules are maintained for such employees. This means a manager is not entitled to call an employee at midnight with urgent tasks.

"For remote employees، the HR service establishes fixed working time accounting، maintaining the norms of working day duration. The specifics of control are agreed upon in the employment contract or an employer's act. In this case، salary is paid in full based on qualifications، volume، and quality of work،" the Ministry of Labor emphasized.

Under the new legislation، if an emergency or martial law is declared in Kazakhstan، a quarantine is imposed، or other restrictive measures threatening the life and health of employees arise، the employer has the right to temporarily transfer all employees to remote or hybrid work formats.

Work on the Couch is Scarce: Why Offices Remain Dominant

Analyzing official statistics، the Finprom agency concluded that the remote work format is still not in high demand. Kazakhstan's labor market remains largely offline.

"Despite the declared digitalization، the remote work format has not become widespread: its coverage is only 0.5% of the employed population. Nevertheless، the number of employees participating in remote work has shown a steady increase. By the end of 2025، the number of remote workers in Kazakhstan reached 44.2 thousand people،" the agency reported.

In 2023، the number of remote workers was 42.5 thousand people، and by 2025، this figure increased by 4%. Simultaneously، the total number of employed people in the country grew to 9.3 million. Thus، despite the increase in the indicator، the share of remote workers in the overall employment structure remained at the level of 0.47%.

"Finprom" also reported that citizens' choice of this type of work is hindered by the absence of computers، printers، copiers، and other office equipment at home، as well as the inaccessibility of the internet and intercity/international communication. In 2025، the vast majority of such employees—40 thousand people—were forced to use their own personal technical equipment for work. It is worth noting the increase in the number of remote workers provided with equipment by the employer. After a sharp decrease in 2023، this figure began to recover: in 2024، it amounted to 2.6 thousand people، and in 2025، it grew to 4.2 thousand people، the agency's experts noted.

Freedom Seekers: Geography and Demographics of Flexibility

Despite the loud slogans of mass digitalization، the harsh reality is that the absence of a simple printer or home internet still ties millions of Kazakhstani citizens to the "office leash." However، the ice is breaking، and data from the National Statistical Bureau offers a glimpse into the portrait of those who have broken free from office routine:

The number of remote workers using communication tools:

The socio-demographic profile of remote workers presents interesting surprises. It turns out that the majority of remote workers in Kazakhstan are women. In 2025، 25.1 thousand women joined the ranks of remote workers، while men are significantly fewer in this format—19.1 thousand.

The territorial aspect clearly shows: labor freedom goes hand in hand with urbanization. If in 2024 the balance between city and village was barely maintained (22.8 thousand and 20.8 thousand people، respectively)، by 2025 the gap became evident. Urban agglomerations gained momentum، reaching up to 28.2 thousand employees، while the figure in rural areas decreased to 16 thousand.

The spread of the remote work format by region resembles a patchwork quilt—the process is very uneven and scattered. In 2025، the top three in terms of the absolute number of remote workers were: Turkestan region—8.2 thousand، Astana—8.1 thousand، Almaty region—6.4 thousand people.

However، if we consider the share of such employees in the regional labor market، rather than the "shiny" number، the picture changes. In this regard، the most progressive were Astana and Mangystau region (1.1% each)، as well as Turkestan region (1%). Interestingly، despite having nearly 6،000 remote workers in Almaty، their share in the total number is very small—only 0.5%. Meanwhile، in several regions like West Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions، remote work is practically in its infancy: statistical indicators are close to zero.

For modern Kazakhstan، the remote work format is not just a matter of having gadgets or software. It is، above all، an indicator of societal maturity، mutual trust، and readiness for personal freedom.

Unfortunately، many managers still operate under old paradigms. They prioritize monitoring every step of their subordinates، "imprisoning" people within office walls، rather than valuing the tangible results of their labor.

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