Before spring 2020, lots of people wondered what going to work would look like in the future. Would workers jump into hover cars and fly to their jobs every day, Jetsons-style? Would automation make it possible to work for just a few hours a week? Would new online technologies mean more and more people choosing to work from home?
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck across the world. With populations from Melbourne to Mexico City on lockdown, millions of people found their ways of working transformed overnight. Offices, shops, restaurants and schools closed their doors. For many, work needed to be done from home; for others, work needed to adapt to new, fast-evolving conditions.
Although most lockdowns have ended, the huge changes to the way we work did not disappear. Instead, work continues to change—month to month, week to week and even day by day. As governments, businesses and individual people adjust to COVID-19, the future of work has never looked so uncertain. Or so close. Read on for the key takeaways about what may be coming next.
Going online
In the mid-1970s, a big, buzzy idea about the future of work emerged called the paperless office. At the time, an office without paper would have sounded ridiculous. For example, the typical office relied on paper memos, reports, forms, orders, invoices, bills, receipts and correspondence. Add in photocopies and that’s quite a mountain of paperwork! But personal computers were just beginning to arrive in business settings and over the next decades, electronic files, documents and mail followed.
The long shift toward a paperless office went into overdrive in 2020 as workers went into lockdown. Suddenly, the office needed to be not only paperless, but also entirely online. And though the concept of remote work has become more accepted in recent years, few businesses were completely prepared for it. As a result, the demand for new solutions has exploded. Videoconferencing, digital publishing and remote management tools help recreate the office online so that employees can log on, stay connected and work safely from home.
Despite an often abrupt move to the online office, remote work seems likely to extend into 2021 and beyond. In the United States alone, almost half of all workers were still doing some of their job at home by the end of the summer; one in four were fully remote. Recent surveys suggest that over 90% of office workers don’t expect to go back to their desks full time. Plus, the online office has offered unexpected benefits beyond safety and flexibility. With no commutes, people have saved billions of hours of time and decreased pollution.
Communicating change
However, offices aren’t the only workplaces that have undergone dramatic changes in 2020. Half of the workforce leaves home to do their jobs, a figure that includes the category of essential workers. From doctors and nurses to farmers and grocery staff, most people have had little to no options for working from home. In order to protect workers on-site, all types of employers needed to react fast. New policies boosted sanitation standards, limited capacity, encouraged social distancing and required masks.
And throughout the year, businesses have often had to modify those policies as the pandemic progressed. Due to the evolving situation, clear communicationhas become more important than ever. First, employers must keep workers informed about protective measures and rules to ensure everyone’s safety. Next, businesses must let customers know what actions they are taking and what to expect in store. Email, online employee handbooks and digital customer guides are essential ways to communicate this information quickly and clearly.
In fact, lockdowns and limited capacity led to more use of online tools in “offline” fields like hospitality. While the Internet is already big business, there’s room to grow. For instance, restaurants unable to welcome customers published take-out menus on the Internet and stores focused on improving ecommerce channels. On the other hand, some traditionally in-person activites went totally virtual. Museums, conferences and events took advantage of video and interactive media to create new kinds of experiences online.
Finding balance
Amid the pandemic, workers have been confronted with lots of new experiences—and not all are as fun as a virtual dance party. Some must cope with strict and at times challenging safety protocols. Others have been isolated by working from home alone for months. In almost every situation, workers face the danger of burnout. The pressure of such major changes to daily life can cause stress, anxiety and depression. Looking ahead, balancing new habits with long-term needs will be key to the future of work.
Now, people are reviewing how work will fit into their living spaces and their lifestyles. In many places, workers are moving away from cities to find more nature and bigger homes. They’re planting windowsill gardens, setting up home offices and creating community services with colleagues and neighbors. It’s too early to tell which trends have staying power and which will fade with time. But no matter what happens to the water cooler, one smart bet is on the importance of staying connected.
That’s because everyone agrees that relationships matter at work. People will always need to know their coworkers, understand the culture of their organization and meet with their managers. In 2020, workers have tested out an unprecedented range of solutions for getting their jobs done in difficult circumstances. As businesses begin to make choices about thepath forward, they also need to consider the best ways to keep workers engaged, in touch and focused on the future.
In conclusion, you might need a crystal ball to know exactly who will still be working remotely six months from now or where masks will be required. However, you can be sure that work is changing. More flexible, more transparent and more digital work is likely to be a lasting legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic. And as for flying cars? Maybe in 2040—or sooner than you think.
Read this article in our 6th issue of Calaméo Magazine, as well as many others on the theme of work:
Why publish an online magazine (instead of emailing a PDF)
Publishing an online magazine from a PDF isn’t just about “uploading a file” and sharing a link. If your goal is to grow an audience, boost visibility, and drive measurable actions (subscriptions, clicks, inquiries, sales), you need to treat your magazine like a real content asset.
A high-performing online magazine usually comes down to four pillars:
A clean embed on your website (to capture traffic, reinforce your brand, and improve SEO)
A multichannel distribution plan (website, email, social)
A solid mobile experience
Consistent analytics (UTMs + KPIs) so you can see what works and improve issue after issue
Publishing an online magazine means making editorial content accessible on any screen, easy to share, and measurable. The goal isn’t just display—it’s distribution (email/social/website), visibility (SEO), and analysis (engagement, sources, clicks).
Quick pre-publish checklist
Prep a landing page (SEO + context)
Plan distribution (website, email, social)
Add CTAs / links (subscribe, contact, offer)
Track (UTMs, KPIs, reporting)
Improve using the data (most-read sections)
Why choose Calaméo to publish an online magazine (from a PDF)
If you want to publish an online magazine that’s easy to read on mobile, easy to share, embeddable on your website, and measurable, Calaméo is a strong option. The goal isn’t just “put the PDF online”—it’s building a complete setup: reading experience + distribution + SEO + analytics.
Fast publishing, no technical headache
Calaméo lets you turn a PDF into a digital publication in just a few steps, without needing custom development. For a marketing or editorial team, that matters: you can publish new issues quickly, iterate, and keep a consistent release rhythm.
Publish directly from a PDF
A reading experience designed for the web
Easy updates and issue management for your team
A better reading experience (especially on mobile)
Most reading happens on smartphones now. Calaméo gives you a web-friendly experience compared to sending a PDF attachment: smoother navigation, better comfort, improved accessibility, and less friction.
Mobile-first reading (depending on your publication setup)
More intuitive navigation than a raw PDF (TOC/markers, depending on how you set it up)
To maximize SEO and keep control of your traffic, the best approach is to embed your magazine on your own domain—on an optimized “Issue” page. Calaméo supports that: you can share via link and/or embed the publication on a WordPress page, a landing page, or a “Magazine” hub page.
Website embedding (dedicated page) to reinforce your brand
A hub approach: issue page + archives + topic collections
Better alignment with your content strategy (SEO + conversion)
Distribution and privacy options that fit professional use cases
A magazine can be public (to acquire traffic) or restricted (subscribers, clients, internal). Depending on your needs, Calaméo lets you adjust how you share: open publication, link-based sharing, or more restricted access (based on your plan and settings).
Public distribution to grow reach
Controlled sharing when content is restricted
Alignment between goals (audience) and constraints (privacy)
Data-driven improvement, issue after issue
Publishing is just step one. What makes the difference is continuous optimization. With Calaméo, you can analyze publication performance and connect your distribution actions to measurable outcomes.
Performance tracking (views, engagement, clicks—depending on your plan)
Ability to structure tracking with UTMs (email, social, QR, partners)
Editorial optimization: see what truly grabs attention and what drives clicks
Built to drive actions (not just reading)
An online magazine can support business goals: subscriptions, contact requests, quote requests, traffic to key pages. Calaméo fits well here because it helps create a reading experience that pushes users toward useful next steps (landing pages, forms, product pages, etc.).
Links and CTAs placed where they matter (not only at the end)
Shorter path from reading to action (less friction)
Click measurement to improve CTR and conversion
Calaméo is a great fit if… – You publish issues regularly (magazine, journal, long-form newsletter) – You want to centralize distribution on a dedicated page (SEO + measurement) – You need something easy for a marketing/editorial team to run – You want to measure and optimize (sources, clicks, engagement) – You want a higher-quality experience than a PDF email attachment
How to plug it into your workflow (simple recommendation)
To get the most out of Calaméo with WordPress, a proven approach is:
Create an “Issue” page on your website (summary + table of contents + CTA)
Add the Calaméo publication (embed or a “Read” button)
Drive all channels to that page (email, social, QR)
Tag links with UTMs and track your KPIs
Reuse the same template for every issue (make it repeatable)
Step 1 — Prep your PDF for online reading
Check readability (and avoid “fake problems”)
A PDF can look perfect in print and still be hard to read on mobile. Before publishing, check:
font size (comfortable on screen)
contrast (text too light, busy backgrounds)
margins (content too close to edges)
consistency in headings and sections (mental navigation)
Reduce PDF weight without killing quality
File weight directly impacts the experience: heavier files load slower, and slow loads increase drop-off. Aim for a reasonable balance:
An online magazine isn’t just “for reading”—it should guide people. Plan for:
a clickable table of contents (if possible)
stable sections (so you can compare performance over time)
action zones: subscribe, explore an offer, contact, download
Step 2 — Choose the format: flipbook, scrolling, or hybrid
There’s no one “best format.” It depends on your audience and your goal.
Flipbook: magazine feel and navigation
A flipbook makes sense if you want to:
keep the page-flip experience
showcase layout and design
offer a print-like navigation feel
Scrolling: efficient, faster reading
A scrolling format (web-page style) works well if:
your content reads like an article
you want a more mobile-first experience
you want more indexable text around the content
Hybrid approach (often the most effective)
In practice, a strong strategy is to:
publish the magazine (flipbook/reader)
host it on a dedicated page with contextual text (summary, TOC, highlights, links)
turn key sections into SEO articles (excerpts) that link back to the full issue
Step 3 — Build one landing page per issue (the core of SEO)
A common mistake is sharing a magazine via a simple link without building a page on your own domain. The result: weak SEO visibility, less control over the reader journey, and fragmented measurement.
Recommended structure for an “Issue” page
Your page should stand on its own as real content. A simple, effective structure:
1) Clear title + promise
Example: “Magazine X — January 2026 Issue: trend A, feature B, interview C.”
2) Summary (5–8 lines)
Explain what readers will get, using the words your audience actually searches for (helps SEO and LLMs).
3) Table of contents (bullets work great)
Feature story: …
Interview: …
Picks/selection: …
Events/agenda: …
4) “Key takeaways” block (3–5 bullets)
Great for featured snippets and AI answers.
5) Primary CTA + secondary CTA
Primary: “Subscribe” / “Get the next issue” / “Explore the offer”
Secondary: “Download the print version” / “Contact the editorial team”
6) Embedded reader (or a “Read the magazine” button)
If you embed, leave enough space and make sure it’s responsive. If not, a clear “Read the magazine” button works well.
7) Links to archives and related content
Add:
“All issues”
“Topic collections”
“Related articles”
Simple, practical SEO wins
One dedicated page per issue (stable, descriptive URL)
What matters is consistency (same logic every issue).
Repeatable monthly reporting
top sources (+ trend)
top clicked links
best-performing sections/pages
2–3 recommendations for the next issue
Step 6 — Improve issue after issue (the optimization loop)
Your advantage compounds over time when you systematize:
repeat what performs (sections, angles, CTAs)
remove friction (mobile, speed, navigation)
build topic pages that recycle content (evergreen SEO)
turn top themes into long-form SEO articles (acquisition)
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Publishing without a dedicated page
Without an issue page, you lose SEO, journey control, and conversion opportunities.
Sending the PDF as an email attachment
You lose tracking, update flexibility, and often the mobile experience.
Too many generic CTAs
Better: 1 primary CTA, 1 secondary, plus contextual CTAs in the right sections.
No UTM tracking
Without UTMs, you can’t reliably compare email vs social vs QR vs SEO.
Conclusion
A strong online magazine is a system: dedicated page + multichannel distribution + tracking + continuous improvement. Once that foundation is in place, every issue becomes a longer-lasting asset that shares better and drives measurable results.
CTA suggestion (edit as needed)
Button: “Publish your next issue”
Secondary button: “Set up clean tracking (UTM/GA4)”
FAQ
How do I publish a PDF as an online magazine with Calaméo?
Upload your PDF to Calaméo, publish it as an online magazine, then create an “Issue” page on your site (summary + TOC + CTA) that embeds the publication (or links to it). Add UTMs to your distribution links to measure what performs.
How do I embed a Calaméo magazine on WordPress?
Create (or open) your WordPress issue page, paste the Calaméo embed code/block, then check mobile rendering. Add text around it (summary, highlights, key topics) to improve the experience and strengthen SEO.
How do I get a Calaméo magazine to show up on Google?
Don’t rely on the embed alone. Publish each issue on a dedicated page with unique text (summary, topics, highlights), strong internal linking (“Magazine” hub, related articles), and solid mobile performance. That’s what helps Google understand and index the page.
Can I track Calaméo publication visits in GA4?
Yes. Use UTM-tagged links in emails, social posts, QR codes, and paid campaigns so GA4 can identify sources. Then combine that with publication stats to analyze engagement and outcomes.
What analytics can Calaméo track for a digital magazine?
In practice, you’ll want to track audience (views/readers), engagement (reading depth and time), and clicks (actions). With well-structured UTMs, you can connect performance to channels and campaigns (email, social, QR, ads). Calaméo can track things like:
Total views (overall volume)
Total downloads (strong intent signal)
Total pages viewed (reading depth)
Average reading time (retention/quality)
Total clicks (interaction on links)
Shares, favorites, comments (engagement/virality)
Device breakdown (desktop/mobile/tablet)
Reader location (geography)
Views by hour (timing insights)
And with GA4 properly set up, you can go further by:
Getting more realistic unique-user views
Analyzing the full journey (before/during/after reading)
Is it better to email a PDF attachment or share a Calaméo link?
Share a link. It’s easier on mobile, easier to update, and much easier to track. Attachments make measurement harder and often degrade the reading experience.
Flipbook or scrolling PDF: what works best for an online magazine?
Flipbooks preserve the “magazine” feel and highlight layout. Scrolling is more direct and often more mobile-first. The most effective setup is often hybrid: an SEO-optimized issue page plus the embedded (or linked) Calaméo publication.
In any communications plan, there’s room for both print and digital channels. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to tell which one is right for every project. Wondering what to choose for your content? Take a look at our quick breakdown of the main advantages and weaknesses for print vs digital formats.
Speed
Sometimes, you need things done fast. Whether you’re whipping up a quick flyer or racing the clock on a complex publication, time is a key factor. However, printing your content requires hours at best and even up to several weeks. And that’s without counting how long it can take to distribute printed materials by post or by hand! Compare those hours and weeks with under a minute to upload your file to a digital publishing platform like Calaméo. The result is a clear advantage for digital.
WINNER: DIGITAL
Cost
Like speed, the cost of different formats varies depending on which materials are needed. For print content, the cost of paper and ink adds up quickly. On the other hand, many digital channels are free or low cost. For example, you can create and share unlimited digital publications on Calaméo for absolutely no charge.
WINNER: DIGITAL
Prestige
When it comes to signaling that your content is important, choosing print vs digital has a big impact. Because of the higher costs and time required, printed materials represent a greater investment than digital communciations. Plus, elements like high-quality paper, embossing and binding reflect the value of your message in a way that is hard to translate to online channels. Today, print takes the edge in prestige.
WINNER: PRINT
Experience
The toughest match-up on this list. Print and digital content provide very distinct experiences. Online formats are dynamic, interactive and shareable; printed formats are tactile, immersive and collectible. Given the amazing range of digital experiences and print innovations, we have to say that both channels are champions here.
WINNER: TIE
Stats
Before the Internet age, it was difficult to measure how many people saw or engaged with communications. Newspapers and magazines described their reach in terms of circulation, while businesses kept track of how many messages they sent. Thanks to online media formats, detailed statistics help you understand how audiences view and interact with your content. A major digital benefit!
$10 million: Price of Shakespeare’s collected plays, first edition
In general, print communications have a much longer lifetime than digital content. Of course, some printed material only lasts a day, while some tweets have been archived to live forever. But the ability to update and delete digital publications makes them less durable than print.
WINNER: PRINT
Sustainability
Finally, consider the sustainability of print vs digital content. Although you might think that online is obviously the greener choice, remember that even sending a single email has an environmental impact. So to get serious about eco-friendly communciations, it’s useful to review the entire process from creation to distribution. In most cases, digital will offer more sustainability overall.
WINNER: DIGITAL
And the winner is…
Digital!
As our head-to-head shows, digital options have a lot of advantages for your content strategy. However, the real takeaway is that print and digital can complement each other perfectly in a balanced communications plan.
