The concept of remote work has undergone a significant evolution since its inception in the 1970s. Initially focused on telecommuting, the definition has since expanded to include various forms of work such as virtual, home-based, and distributed work. This paper investigates the current research landscape of remote work, exploring dominant themes to categorise the field. Through a systematic literature review of over 20,000 articles, the study identifies four primary dimensions of distance that define the challenges of remote work: psychological, temporal, technological, and structural. These dimensions represent the barriers that remote workers face and form the foundation for a comprehensive framework that connects these barriers with social, material, and symbolic resources. In addition, theoretical clusters are examined, drawing on theories from other research areas proposing a framework to categorise and to understand the effects of remote work. This study highlights the urgency for a more structured approach towards remote work research, and advocates empirical examinations of the influence from different dimensions in relative industry or cultural settings. This comprehensive framework addresses specific issues related to remote work and enables organisations and researchers to better understand and address the complexities of remote work.