Rebalancing of Remote Work Expected Amid General Workforce Woes

Published: 4/3/2023, 10:38:16 AM EDT

Rebalancing of Remote Work Expected Amid General Workforce Woes — A screenshot shows a person attending a video conference while working from home. (Cinemarketing/Storyblocks via NTD)

After the COVID pandemic forced companies to have staff work from home, the new work arrangement seemed to have become a staple. However, a recent survey report shows that many companies are re-evaluating their earlier pledges concerning remote work.

The survey, published in the 2023 Monster Work Patch Report, revealed that employer sentiments are less optimistic regarding remote work than one year ago.

According to the survey, a third of employers are backtracking on their plans to adopt a virtual/hybrid work model, while 35 percent would like to see their employees in the office full-time. And 20 percent of employers believe remote work negatively affects workers’ productivity.

On the other hand, flexibility about where and when to work remains a prime employee demand. For some, it is a hill to die on, as 26 percent “would rather get a root canal than work in the office five days a week,” the report stated.

Remote job opportunities have been dwindling since the passing of the pandemic. As the Wall Street Journal reported in December, remote jobs accounted for 13.2 percent of the positions advertised on LinkedIn, down from 20.6 percent in March 2022.

In the past year, major companies such as Disney, Twitter, and Starbucks gained media attention when they required employees to spend more time at the office.

Still, half of the surveyed employers believe flexible work options have worked well. Furthermore, they allowed the companies to retain talent—an essential plus in a time where “there is very little certainty for employers and employees,” as the report concluded.

Economic Headwinds

“War in Ukraine, energy price spikes, higher borrowing rates, and chronic inflation are all impacting consumer confidence domestically and internationally,” Monster CEO Scott Gutz wrote in his introduction to the report. Gutz foresees that the United States will probably enter a recession—“if the country hasn’t already”—the effects he expects to be dramatic.

According to the report, the current economic headwinds are already pushing 73 percent of workers to look for additional means of income; and 60 percent feel underpaid for what they are asked to do. A similar number is “quiet quitting” or thinking about it.

Staffing shortages are rampant at 70 percent, according to the report. Consequently, 72 percent of workers have been asked to do extra hours outside their contracted hours; 61 percent feel burned out. A third of employees admit to thinking about quitting their job several times a week.

As for the recruiters, a third believe that the worker skills gap has increased, finding onsite jobs much more challenging to fill than fully remote positions. Only 5 percent of all recruiters ranked diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts among their top three priorities.

Despite changes in the availability of jobs for those who want to work remotely, 96 percent of employers are moderately to very confident about finding the right people for open positions, up 12 percent from last year. Consistent with 2022, 92 percent of employers plan on hiring new people in the coming year.