Remote workers are anxious about layoffs – and are drinking on the job. Creatives aim to ignite discussions on mental health and shed light on a global spike in domestic violence.

A new report from remote specialists We Are Rosie outlines the pros of this great talent migration.

The massive shift towards virtual presents a new set of challenges for employees. But with these challenges come opportunities, namely a more inclusive way of working.

The freelance revolution has an identity problem, resulting from spectacular growth. Over the past decade or so, starting with pioneers like Elance and oDesk (merged to create Upwork), we’ve seen – and I’ve described in my book Agile Talent – the emergence of freelancing as an accepted alternative career path, supported by the proliferation of digital talent marketplaces or, freelance platforms. And they are growing, innovating, differentiating, and diversifying at a fast clip. Smart observers like John Healy of Kelly OGC and John Winsor of Open Assembly have estimated the number above several hundred.

There’s no sugarcoating the situation that we are all facing. The shock and pain of the daily layoffs, the budget freezes and the closure of businesses are leaving us with grief, and one big question: Where do we go from here?The entire industry is feeling this moment, but it’s one I’ve been preparing for in my work at We Are Rosie. We need a total system reboot, and where we take it is up to us. This is a powerful moment for our community. And developing a new type of advertising practice through We Are Rosie over the last few years has afforded me a perspective on where we might be heading.

We’re living in the gray right now. That’s not a good thing if you’re a business which has always relied on the black and white. We Are Rosie, a remote network of 4,000 marketing pros swooping in to power agencies and brands, thrives in the gray, and specializes in rainbow — enhancing a company’s spectrum for success with greater diversity of talent. Traditionalists scoffed at this fantastical freelance model when it was launched two years ago by Stephanie Nadi Olson. But now, as COVID-19’s inferno tears through adland, it’s become very apparent that We Are Rosie’s unfaltering formula stands like a fortress amid the flames. And there’s a line of wounded marketers knocking at the door to get in.

We Are Rosie’s Stephanie Nadi Olson built a business with diversity, inclusion, and life balance in mind. As COVID-19 has changed everything about work, hers is the model to follow.