A staggering 28 percent of companies operating remote working before the pandemic have now abandoned it in favour of a hybrid model.
Three in five (60%) are now operating a hybrid working model to aid the retention of valued employees.
Hiring managers in tech agree that remote working affects junior staff progression, employee monitoring and corporate culture
Robert Half’s Demand for Tech Talent report suggests that remote working – widely touted as the ‘future of work’ both before and during the pandemic – is being shunned by companies.
Remote working is no longer viewed as the ‘holy grail’ by tech employers, with hybrid working now viewed as the perfect model for aiding retention in a busy market.
A sharp decline of remote workers
During the pandemic, more than half (52%) of employers moved to a policy of fully remote working.
Perhaps inevitably, this has now dropped back to a third (34%).
However, of those that had a fully remote workforce prior to the pandemic, nearly a third of organisations have now abandoned that policy in favour of a hybrid model, suggesting a decline that goes beyond a return to normal.
“While remote working was highly desirable before the pandemic, the dream quickly became a nightmare for employees during lockdown when there was no other choice – but they are not keen to return to the office full-time. Hybrid working is a good compromise that allows employees the balance and flexibility they want, while allowing employers to address retention issues more effectively, which is essential in today’s hiring market,” argues Regional Director, Craig Freedberg.
What are the downfalls of remote working?
Remote working impacts opportunities for more junior team members to develop new skills, as they are less able to learn from or check work with more experienced staff, according to nearly three-quarters (73%) of tech leaders.
The lack of face-time with employees is also a concern for tech managers when it comes to cultural and pastoral issues. Seven in 10 (69%) employers agree that working from home makes it harder to identify potential employee issues, like mental health problems or staff dissatisfaction, while two-thirds (67%) are worried about corporate culture suffering.
“A lot of things can contribute towards an employee leaving, but employers stand a better chance of nipping issues in the bud when they can see people face-to-face. It is easy to hide problems behind a screen, especially when the camera is off, and in-person contact helps employers to look for signs of burnout or disengagement and address the situation early,” adds Mr Freedberg.
As remote working becomes less popular, it is important that these issues are at the forefront of employers and line managers minds as we move forward.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
It would be really interesting to understand how employers are making the transition from remote back to visibility given the challenges on cost of living, fuel costs and mental health. People have become used to working from home and in roles where face to face contact is fundamental to driving performance it has been challenging to get people motivated to go back out?
Thank you for your comment, Aileen. Yes absolutely – it is an interesting debate as to whether employers have the moral right to ask their employees to return to the office more regularly after spending so long working from home!