At the peak of the pandemic, remote work became nonnegotiable for countless employers. As a result, close to half of all American workers embraced telecommuting.

While some of those employees have returned to the office, that’s not true for everyone. Many companies have either gone fully virtual or changed their perspective on offering hybrid working models that allow people to split their time between working in the office and away from it.

These shifts are indicative of the future of work. McKinsey research predicts that the desire for remote work will continue, affecting up to a quarter of the workforce over time. Businesses will have to adapt — but to adapt well, they have to understand what they’re adapting to.

Key Differences Between Remote Work and Working From Home

Businesses are primed to allow their team members to work off-site, but they must first understand the nuances of remote work versus working from home. People often assume they’re the same thing, but several distinctions set them apart:

1. Where the work happens.
Working from home usually indicates that work could take place either at home or in the office. That’s because people who work from home typically live close enough to be in the office some days and at home others.

In contrast, remote workers rarely step foot in the office. But they don’t necessarily work out of their homes, either. They may log in from a coffee shop or a co-working space. If they’re so-called road warriors, they may work from airports or even from the car. As long as their basic needs are met, they can operate from anywhere and in any space.

2. How communication occurs.
Truly remote workers rarely meet with their co-workers in person, so they tend to leverage digital tools like messaging apps, videoconferencing platforms, and email for meetings and collaborations. As long as they have good lighting for virtual calls and strong Wi-Fi connections, they can communicate with ease.

Because work-from-home employees aren’t always in the office, they need to have the same tools and skill sets as their 100% remote counterparts. However, they benefit from seeing co-workers and perhaps customers face to face, which can add another layer of assurance and support to their relationships.

3. What schedules look like.
Another difference between remote and work-from-home employees involves their schedules. It’s not unusual for them to have varied schedules, blocking off chunks of time rather than working during set periods. As a result, they might communicate less consistently than those who work a traditional 9-to-5 schedule.

People who work from home tend to follow more traditional schedules, particularly if they’re just working remotely a few days each week. They’ll often be “online” or “available” during the company’s set hours. That said, many still take advantage of work-from-home flexibility.

4. The permanence of the remote setup.
Remote workers might never see their company’s office, and they’re OK with that. They sometimes work far away from the physical office, or they could have been hired to work remotely — even though the office is within driving distance. Either way, they don’t have any physical connection to the office.

Work-from-home employees tend to have strong ties with the office setting. They often have a dedicated desk or workstation there, and they might only use their home office occasionally, such as when they need to work in private on an important task.

5. Dress code expectations.
Dress code usually isn’t important to remote workers or those working from home. Both might feel comfortable wearing relaxed or ultra-casual apparel and footwear. (This even happens with Zoom calls, although most people concentrate on making sure they look presentable from the waist up and worry less about whether they’re wearing sweatpants or slippers.)

The one exception to this rule is when remote workers visit clients or share professional co-working spaces. In those circumstances, they probably want to follow a stricter dress code to suit the occasion or location.

Though not all jobs can be handled outside the office, the pandemic has shown us that many can. Businesses that understand the nuances of working from home versus remote work can determine which approach is the best fit — and make the right decision for their workers and organizations.

Annabel Maw is the director of communications at JotForm, a full-featured online forms platform for easy data collection and management.