The Patriot Post® · Is WFH Still Working?

The COVID lockdowns changed a lot about American life.

Kids went to school on Zoom, mom-and-pop stores were shuttered, everyone had to wear a mask, and many employers allowed their workers to work from home instead of commuting to the office.

In fact, by the fall of 2020, the Pew Research Center found that “71% of workers who could work from home were doing so, up from 23% prior to Covid-19.”

For awhile, it was a good life for those office workers who could swing it. After all, no one likes leaving the house on a cold morning or fighting through traffic jams. Parents could stay at home, spend more time with their kids, and throw in some laundry while they submitted reports or attended virtual meetings with their coworkers.

When the COVID scare came to an end, though, many assumed their lives would return to normal. Those working in construction or factories never had the opportunity to stay at home to begin with, but when companies demanded their white-collar employees come back to the office, they ran into a problem: It didn’t work.

Dell Computers, for example, issued a back-to-work mandate penalizing employees who wanted to continue working remotely and preventing them from promotions. Months later, the mandate didn’t deter more than 50% of Dell’s employees from staying at home. Others, known as “hybrid workers,” reacted negatively to the requirement that they work at least 39 days in the office each quarter and have their attendance monitored.

Last year, many companies including Zoom, Apple, Amazon, Google, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan presented workers with similar orders. According to The San Francisco Standard, “When Amazon started calling workers back to the office in May, hundreds of corporate employees staged a walkout citing a ‘lack of trust’ in leadership.”

Questions remain about whether in-person work requirements help or hinder productivity. There are probably good arguments for both. On the one hand, our work culture is changing, and some employees want more control over their lives. In fact, a study by Ford found that 52% would actually take a pay cut to achieve a desired work-life balance. On the other hand, companies spend a significant amount of money on leasing office space.

“This struggle has affected workers and companies alike,” reports Harvard Business Review. “Workers quit en masse during a period that became known as ‘the Great Resignation,’ and employers who instituted return-to-office mandates have struggled to hire and retain top talent.”

They add, “Now, especially with Gen Z making up an increasing share of the working population and the conversations around hybrid work and returning to the office stagnating, demands for increased flexibility in work arrangements are still top of mind for many employees and job seekers.”

Making matters more complicated is a survey by Bamboo HR, which found that some employers implemented RTO (return to work) policies hoping some of their employees would quit.

Another finding from the survey: “One in four (25%) VP and C-suite executives and one in five (18%) HR pros admit they hoped for some voluntary turnover during an RTO, proving, in some cases, why RTO mandates are layoffs in disguise.” Some of the reasons for companies taking this approach include downsizing and reducing their real estate obligations.

But now that we’re four years out from the lockdowns, what’s the future of remote work?

According to Forbes, “For now, working from home seems to have stabilized, with opportunities going primarily to higher-paid and higher-educated workers, while the majority of the workforce doesn’t have access to it. That seems to be the most likely pattern for the near future.”

Forbes adds, “Workers, businesses, and the economy are still trying to figure it out. Recent analyses by leading experts suggest a hybrid model — some time at home, some in the office — is emerging and will be the future for many workers.”

Worker productivity and satisfaction in the workplace are important issues for both employers and their employees. Thankfully, this isn’t a typical Left-Right issue, though last year the Los Angeles Times reported that wealthy, coastal states had a higher percentage of remote workers than southern or blue-collar states.

The good news is that the majority of American jobs can’t be done remotely, so overall productivity won’t be affected. For others, solutions will emerge over time that benefit both sides. As the COVID pandemic fades into the past, business needs and emerging technologies will continue to shape the American workplace.