Remote work is nothing new. Pre-pandemic, the working model surged 400% to nearly 4 million workers in the United States (US) alone.
Now that almost everyone has experienced working from home during the pandemic, a remote working dilemma is emerging. And any company unwilling to accommodate could end up losing its workforce.
A March survey by tech giant Microsoft found that 41% of workers were thinking about leaving their jobs. Another study by consulting firm McKinsey put that number at 40%. The main reason? Forcing employees to go back to the office.
More workers feel that having flexibility over where and when they should work is the ideal working arrangement post-pandemic. In the face of this momentum, companies pushing to go back to the old ways are bound to lose over those offering remote work.
According to an article by news site Future, it is the office that has contributed to a disconnected world.
A Gartner survey of 5,000 workers found that remote and hybrid employees reported higher culture satisfaction than on-site employees. Commuting to and from work also steals time from hobbies and relationships outside of work.
A company’s remote and flexible work policies also tell everything we need to know about their seriousness for DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Parents and people with responsibilities can continue working without disrupting their home routines.
The combination of portable computing, excellent communication and collaboration software, and the internet has empowered new ways of working and living to emerge. Parents and people with responsibilities can continue working without disrupting their home routines.
Future states that companies that don’t adapt will lose their top talent to their competitors. They added that companies that embrace remote work would replace companies that don’t.
Remote and flexible work is a movement that will not be undone in the next few months, So firms should start listening to their workforce instead of forcing them to do what they do not want.